Planning board recommends rezoning 1749 Outlet Center Drive for 115-unit Waterbury Gardens

The Town of Selma Planning Board voted at its meeting to recommend that the Town Council rezone an 11.75-acre parcel at 1749 Outlet Center Drive from Interstate Business (IB) to a conditional Planned Unit Development Residential (PUDR) district to permit a 115-unit multifamily development called Waterbury Gardens.

The recommendation follows staff presentation and remarks from the applicant’s team. Planning staff said the parcel is currently vacant, within Selma’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and would be annexed later when the developer needs to connect to public utilities. Staff recommended the rezoning is consistent with the Selma Land Use Plan 2040 and advised the board the application is undergoing technical review.

The project team, represented by land-use attorney Ashley Honeycutt Terrazas and developer representative Alex Frazier of TWG Development LLC, described the proposed development as five multi-story residential buildings and a clubhouse with about two acres of open space and resident amenities. “What I really like about this project in particular is the open space,” Alex Frazier said, listing a playground, outdoor seating and grills, an exercise room and a computer center.

The applicant requested two modifications from the town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). First, the development would be allowed as a permitted use under the conditional PUDR, removing the need for a subsequent special-use-permit process for the multifamily use as proposed. Second, the applicant asked the board to waive a UDO spacing requirement that normally requires any newly approved multifamily development of more than eight units to be at least 500 linear feet from the property line of any other similar multifamily development approved after the ordinance’s effective date. Planning staff said the parcel’s width and a constraint associated with Duke Power/Eastman prevent meeting the 500-foot separation; the applicant asked that the required distance be reduced to 75 feet for this site.

Applicant representatives said units would be three-story walk-ups with interior corridors and one-bedroom units roughly 750 square feet up to about 1,150 square feet for three-bedrooms. They estimated rents would start just above $1,200 for one-bedroom units, about $1,400 for two-bedrooms and about $1,700 for three-bedrooms. The team estimated roughly two residents per unit, or approximately 300 residents total. If approved, the developer said it would take about five to six months to complete construction drawings and obtain county approvals and an additional roughly 13 to 14 months to complete construction of the 115 units.

Board members asked about traffic and whether additional similar rezoning requests are likely in the area. Planning staff noted the parcel lies adjacent to an existing multifamily development, the Retreat at Selma, and near the Eastfield Crossing area identified for mixed use in the comprehensive plan; staff also said other properties around the site are already inside Selma’s corporate limits while this parcel sits in the ETJ and currently does not pay town property taxes.

The Planning Board made three motions by voice vote: that the proposal is consistent with the Selma Land Use Plan 2040; that the proposed rezoning is reasonable and in the public interest; and to recommend approval of the rezoning to the Town Council. Each motion passed on an affirmative voice vote. The board’s recommendation is advisory; the Town Council will make the final decision.

No binding development agreement or final construction permit was approved at the meeting. Town staff and the applicant said technical reviews and any required county approvals remain before construction can begin.