Board approves annexation and rezoning for Wendell Commons grocery‑anchored center at Wendell Falls Parkway and Eagle Rock Road

The Wendell Town Board approved annexation and rezoning of approximately 21.27 acres at the northeast corner of Wendell Falls Parkway and Eagle Rock Road to allow development of Wendell Commons, a grocery‑anchored commercial center proposed by Barnett Properties.

Staff described the proposal as a Corridor Mixed‑Use Conditional District (CMX‑COD) development intended to implement the town’s Blueprint Wendell small‑area recommendations for a grocery‑anchored node between downtown and the Wendell Falls community. The master plan includes a roughly 51,000‑square‑foot grocery anchor, a 10,000‑sq. ft. retail building, a 6,000‑sq. ft. retail building, four 4,800‑sq. ft. retail buildings and a roughly 50,000‑sq. ft. outparcel that has not yet been designed. The site lies adjacent to existing and under‑construction residential neighborhoods; a 155‑foot Duke Energy transmission easement separates the proposed grocery from Eagle Rise subdivision to the north.

The applicant requested several conditional modifications to UDO standards to accommodate grocery‑anchored parking and building layout: (1) allow up to five parking spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. for grocery demand (staff noted typical grocery pro formas require higher parking ratios), (2) allow certain parking in the front yard between buildings and the public right‑of‑way for grocery‑focused frontage, (3) relax some architectural requirements for side and rear elevations of buildings larger than 5,000 sq. ft., and (4) limit landscape/screening requirements within the Duke Energy easement to the extent Duke permits plantings there. The plan includes a 10‑foot multi‑use path along Wendell Falls Parkway and internal sidewalks connecting to adjacent neighborhoods and to a 20‑foot greenway easement.

Traffic and access were discussed at length. A traffic impact analysis (TIA) identified a series of turn‑lanes, a full additional travel lane along the frontage, and other intersection improvements; the project team and town staff said the developer would participate in a development agreement to construct portions of the town’s planned intersection improvements and that the town would reimburse certain town‑portion costs later, subject to a future developer agreement. NCDOT advised additional improvements to address queueing at driveways. Staff noted the developer had agreed to dedicate additional right‑of‑way along the parkway to reduce impacts on an adjacent residential corner.

Environmental and site control matters: the plan avoids a small Neuse River riparian buffer and wetlands on the rear of the site; stormwater control measures are shown; a 20‑foot Type B buffer is proposed where commercial adjoins residential. Staff said Wake County must issue sedimentation/erosion and stormwater permits before site work. The packet noted one existing contamination issue at a corner parcel that influenced where buildings would be located.

Planning staff recommended approval as the project implements several comprehensive plan objectives (activity center designation, pedestrian connections, neighborhood‑serving commercial uses). The planning board recommended approval. After public hearing and discussion, the board voted to approve the annexation and rezoning and adopt the attached ordinance; staff and the applicant will return with a developer agreement addressing the sequencing and funding of intersection improvements.

Commissioners discussed parking layout, the large eastern outparcel (which will need stand‑alone parking if developed), and how parking and building placement may be revisited if the anchor’s parking demand changes. Staff emphasized the project is consistent with the town’s small‑area plan and that the developer’s participation could accelerate intersection improvements that the town otherwise would construct on a slower timeline.