Rocky Mount council overturns planning board, approves Maple Grove floodplain permit

City Council approved a Class 2 floodplain development permit for the proposed Maple Grove subdivision on Bethlehem Road after a quasi‑judicial hearing that included technical testimony and public comment.

The decision, made on a motion by Councilman Harris and seconded by Councilman TJ Walker, overturned the planning board’s December denial of the permit and allows the developer, PGB Land Company LLC (owner listed as Grama Berry), to proceed with the 120‑lot single‑family subdivision on a 45.5‑acre site subject to the permit conditions and the city’s floodplain and stormwater requirements.

The vote followed testimony from city staff, the project engineer and a nearby resident. Joseph Bowcook, Director of Development Services and a certified floodplain manager, told council the site includes about eight acres mapped in the regulatory floodway and roughly 7.5 acres in the 100‑year floodplain. He said all proposed buildable lots are outside the 100‑year floodplain, no fill is proposed within the floodway, and the applicant’s net effect in the 100‑year floodplain is a reduction of 288 cubic yards (2,166 cubic yards of fill proposed and 2,454 cubic yards excavated).

“Following a thorough review of technical evaluations, zoning standards, and floodplain protection regulations, the development review committee recommends approval of the class 2 floodplain development permit,” Bowcook said, and submitted the application packet, plat, flood hazard map, and the planning board minutes for the record.

Scott Miles, assistant city engineer for water resources, described the city’s stormwater requirements and the review process. He said the city requires post‑development peak flows not to exceed pre‑development rates for the regulated storms and that the project team agreed to design the stormwater infrastructure above the city’s minimum standards. Miles said the designer increased the pond size, overestimated impervious area conservatively, removed buildable lots from wetlands, and agreed to educational signage around sensitive areas.

“As a result of that, the engineer for the Maple Grove developer agreed to design the stormwater infrastructure above our regulations,” Miles said.

Ashton Smith, the engineer of record with Kimley‑Horn, testified that the designs meet and exceed Rocky Mount’s stormwater quantity and quality standards. He said the plan reduces post‑development runoff for the city’s 1‑, 10‑ and 25‑year, 24‑hour design storms: a 54% reduction for the 1‑year event, 5.4% for the 10‑year and 3.7% for the 25‑year. Smith said no impervious surfaces are proposed within the floodplain and no work is proposed in the floodway.

Nearby resident Bill Morgan, who said his property is upstream and in proximity to the proposed subdivision, urged caution and asked the council to consider cumulative watershed impacts. Morgan described repeated local flooding points along Halifax and Bethlehem roads and referenced prior studies and a costly project to address a nearby washout.

“The developer who is looking at the piece of property … is on a hill. Well, it goes if there was a way that you could see the elevation change from that development, it’s going down to the creeks,” Morgan said. He asked the council to consider additional, independent review before permitting more development in that drainage area.

Council members questioned staff about cumulative impacts, the age of flood maps and whether larger watershed studies had been done. Joseph Bowcook said the flood maps in the area are based on FEMA products last updated for Rocky Mount in 2013 (with some maps dating to 2004 in other areas). Miles confirmed the city last performed a Maple Creek tributary study around 2012 and said resource constraints influence when watershed‑scale studies are done; he said it may be prudent to update studies for Maple Creek.

Before the vote, council held a counted show‑of‑hands and then a formal motion. Councilman Harris moved to approve the permit; Councilman TJ Walker seconded. The motion carried and the council approved the permit, reversing the planning board’s decision.

The approval authorizes the developer to proceed subject to the city’s permit conditions and the submitted plans. The council record includes the planning board minutes, the application materials, flood hazard maps, and the technical exhibits the applicant and staff entered into the record.

The council discussion also included broader remarks about stormwater management across the city and calls from multiple council members to prioritize watershed‑level studies and to review aging stormwater infrastructure as growth continues.

Votes at a glance: the council approved the Maple Grove floodplain development permit (motion by Councilman Harris; second by Councilman TJ Walker; outcome: approved).