Commissioners approve 101‑lot River Falls preliminary plat in southeastern Lee County

The Lee County Board of Commissioners on April 4 approved the preliminary plat for the 101‑lot River Falls subdivision, a proposed single‑family subdivision off Sheriff Watson and Holder roads in southeastern Lee County.

Planning staff member Tanner O'Quinn told the board that Copper Ridge Development LLC proposes the subdivision on a roughly 32‑acre parcel zoned residential‑agricultural (RA). "Copper Ridge Development LLC is proposing a 101 lot major subdivision off Sheriff Watson and Holder Road in Southeastern Lee County," O'Quinn said during his presentation. He said the development would be served by public water and individual septic systems, and that a licensed soil scientist had evaluated the property for septic suitability.

The planning summary presented by staff said RA zoning sets minimums of 100 feet of lot width and 40,000 square feet per lot, with 30‑foot front and rear setbacks and 15‑foot side setbacks. Staff said proposed internal streets would have a 50‑foot right‑of‑way, and that Sheriff Watson Road and Holder Road are NCDOT‑maintained with 60‑foot rights‑of‑way; the developer must obtain NCDOT driveway permits and construct internal roads to NCDOT standards before acceptance for public maintenance. The staff report also flagged a 100‑year floodplain along the northeastern and southeastern property lines associated with the Upper Little River and a tributary; most floodplain was shown inside common open space, though several lots have floodplain along rear property lines. A North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Sedimentation and Erosion Control Permit was noted as required.

Thomas (planning staff) explained county practice and permitting requirements for roads and developer responsibilities under the county's Unified Development Ordinance. "Our UDO as of 02/2006 ... for a major subdivision like this, anything that's over 6 lots, you're required to construct an internal street that is then built to DOT specifications and then turned over to DOT at some point," Thomas said, summarizing the county's review and the role NCDOT plays in accepting roads.

Developer Van Gross Jr. answered commissioners' questions about the market and timing. He told the board a recently listed house in the area was priced at about $420,000 and said earlier homes in nearby phases sold in the mid‑ to upper‑$300,000s. "We've built numerous neighborhoods over the years," Van Gross said, describing how developers and homeowners' associations typically manage a transition before turning streets over to NCDOT.

Commissioners asked about safeguards for residents where developers have not turned roads over in other subdivisions and whether bonds or other surety requirements could be used. Thomas said the county can require surety in some contexts but noted NCDOT typically is not a party to county bond arrangements for road acceptance; the county staff described ongoing outreach to developers with so‑called "orphan" or privately maintained roads to encourage compliance and eventual NCDOT acceptance.

The Lee County Planning Board met March 17, 2025, and voted unanimously to recommend approval of the preliminary plat; staff said an approved preliminary plat would be valid for three years. The board motion to approve the preliminary plat passed on April 4; the vote in the meeting transcript was recorded by voice (ayes) with no recorded opposition.

The approval allows the developer to proceed with final engineering and permitting steps required before recording final plats and beginning construction; county and state permits for septic, erosion control and NCDOT driveway/road acceptance remain required before individual houses may be built.

The commissioners did not adopt any rezoning; staff emphasized this was an administrative approval because the property is already zoned RA. The board did not set specific construction timetables as part of the approval.

Looking ahead, staff and several commissioners said they would continue to track road‑turnover issues in other neighborhoods and to communicate eligibility and next steps to homeowners and developers to avoid long‑term private maintenance problems.