Planning board recommends conditional rezoning for Hampstead corridor site: 50 townhomes, 20 single-family, 3,800 sq ft commercial

The Pender County Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a conditional zoning map amendment (Rezoned 2025-90) for roughly 20.35 acres along U.S. Highway 17 in the Topsail Township, near Edens Lane and Union Bethel Road. Staff and the applicant presented a revised plan that proposes 50 townhome units, 20 detached single-family lots and a 3,800-square-foot commercial building fronting Highway 17.

Staff presentation and project history

Daniel Brantley, planning staff, reviewed the site and the proposal’s history. He said the property had previously been the subject of a denied higher-density application (September 2024) that proposed about 240 multifamily units and larger commercial space; that prior application had been recommended for denial by the planning board and withdrawn before proceeding to the Board of Commissioners. Brantley told the planning board the current submission reduces proposed residential density substantially and reduces commercial square footage. “They've gone from 240 multifamily units to 70 single-family units,” Brantley said, and the current design shows townhomes and single-family detached units with two access points to U.S. 17 and stub connections for future interparcel connectivity.

Brantley outlined staff’s analysis: the gross density proposed is about 3.46 units per acre, well below the earlier, withdrawn proposal (roughly 12.8 units per acre). He said the project would generate about 1,000 daily vehicle trips, versus about 3,000 trips projected under the earlier proposal. Brantley also noted school impacts staff estimated at roughly 23 additional students compared with about 70 students under the withdrawn proposal.

Applicant response and engineering issues

Sam Potter, representing C. K. Buff Enterprises, said the applicant pulled the previous higher-density request after the planning board’s denial and worked with staff to find a concept that would be more consistent with staff and community expectations. “We engaged in a process with planning staff… to figure out what can we do with this site that staff would be supportive of,” Potter said. He told the board the developer is flexible on the timetable for constructing the commercial space: “My client is open to whatever basically you all would like to see. … it can go first or it can go last.”

Engineering and utility staff explained sewer and pump-station issues. Tim Clingskales, project engineer, said the likely sewer connection would route toward the Bridgewater Landing pump station; he noted Pluris (the utility operator) prefers regional stations and that sizing additional force mains for future stub connections would require a master sewer study because of hydraulic/velocity requirements for force mains.

Public comments

Several nearby residents spoke in opposition or with concern. Paige Freeman, whose family owns a home immediately fronting the site, said the commercial pad and two access drives would directly abut her property and expressed concern about precedent and traffic. “I'm not against progress,” Freeman said, “but I think it should be done in a sensible and fair fashion.” Mary Garrison Beatty also requested clearer mapping and expressed concern about where new roads and utilities would be located and how they would affect long-standing family properties in the Fuller Lane/Union Bethel area.

Board discussion and conditions

Staff recommended approval as consistent with several goals in the county’s comprehensive plan and noted the proposal better aligns with the medium-density residential category than the previously proposed development. Brantley said that under the current RP (residential performance) zoning, the site could generate roughly 60–70 lots by right, depending on lot sizes and low-impact design credits; the conditional zoning request, the staff memo said, requests design flexibility while adding a small commercial component.

Board members discussed several issues: private roads and long-term interconnectivity to adjacent properties, sequencing and timing for the commercial pad, traffic impacts and whether a traffic-impact analysis (TIA) should be required before final approvals or building permits are issued. The applicant and staff discussed options including recorded covenants and public access easements to ensure future interparcel connections remain open and not gated.

After discussion, the board adopted a motion to recommend approval subject to the planning staff’s standard conditions plus three additions the board read into the record: (1) a public access easement over internal roads to ensure perpetual public use and a prohibition on gates or obstructions that would inhibit access; (2) homeowners association covenants shall include language that the internal roads remain accessible to the public and that those covenants shall not be amended without the consent of the Pender County Board of Commissioners; (3) the applicant shall submit low-impact development design certification consistent with Section 7.14 of the Pender County UDO as part of later submissions.

Vote and next steps

The planning board’s motion passed on a majority voice vote; the maker and seconder were not identified in the public record excerpt. One board member stated on the record that he would vote against recommending approval without a condition that triggered earlier construction of the commercial element, but the motion passed without that trigger. The Planning Board’s recommendation will go to the Pender County Board of Commissioners for a public hearing on August 18 in Burgaw.

Ending

The project proponent and staff will return to the county with refined engineering and permitting details if the commissioners adopt the recommendation. The board also set a future meeting schedule and noted administrative items; the planning board adjourned at the conclusion of the agenda.