Selma planning board recommends rezoning 6.9-acre parcel for proposed senior housing

The Selma Planning Board voted to recommend that Town Council rezone a 6.9-acre parcel (Parcel ID 14N99001C), owned by Clifton Ray Moore, from R8 (high-density residential) to TR (transitional residential) to accommodate a proposed affordable senior-living development.

The recommendation matters because the TR district allows higher dwelling-unit density and different development standards than the current R8 zoning. Planning staff told the board the TR district permits up to 8 dwelling units per acre versus 5 units per acre in R8, and allows up to 60% impervious surface — 10 percentage points higher than R8. Taylor Bryant, the town planning technician, said the parcel is inside the town limits, is not in a historic district, lies partly in the watershed and is in a minimal-risk floodplain.

Tapestry Development Group, the applicant, represented by Brittney Grimes, told the board the company intends to develop an affordable senior-living community on the site and plans to seek low-income housing tax credits from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to help finance the project. "We have sort of preliminary plans that we are working with," Grimes said, adding the project would include a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. She said the current proposal is for 44 senior units, with 12 one-bedroom units and 32 two-bedroom units.

Planning staff reviewed dimensional standards the board will rely on when making a recommendation. Bryant summarized minimum lot size (8,000 square feet), minimum lot width (50 feet), setbacks (front 28 feet, side 8 feet, rear 10 feet) and a maximum building height of 40 feet. Bryant also explained differences in permitted uses: the primary practical difference between R8 and TR in the staff packet is multifamily housing being permitted in TR.

Board members asked whether rezoning would bind the site to senior housing. Grimes and staff confirmed it would not: rezoning changes the allowable zoning district but does not by itself restrict who may live there. Grimes said a conditional-use permit is an available option that can further limit future use if the town chooses that route. "I believe we talked about the potential for a conditional use permit, which would then further restrict the use and give you sort of the comfort that it would be senior housing," Grimes said. Bryant noted that any site plan, permitting and potential conditional-use review would come later and would be subject to council and staff review.

The planning board moved and seconded a recommendation that Town Council approve the rezoning request. The board recorded the motion as approved with the members present voting in favor; one member was absent. The planning board’s role in this meeting was advisory only; the Town Council will make the final decision on the rezoning and any conditions attached to future site approvals.

Next steps: Town Council will consider the rezoning request and the planning board’s recommendation at a future council meeting. If Council approves the rezoning, Tapestry Development Group would still need to secure financing (including competitive tax-credit allocations from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency) and obtain any required permits or conditional-use approvals before construction could proceed.