Wake Forest planning board backs Church Street rezoning with conservation, affordable-housing recommendations

The Wake Forest Planning Board voted to recommend approval of rezoning case RZ24-01, the Harris Tract application from Church Street Company, but attached recommendations that the Board of Commissioners seek a permanent conservation easement for a wooded parcel and that the applicant consider providing affordable rental units.

The case covers 55.93 acres at 0 Harris Road (Wake County Tax PIN 184-139-2412) and would rezone property described in the application from bridal holding district to neighborhood mixed use conditional (NMX), open space conditional, and residential mixed use conditional (RMX). The planning board motion said the application “generally meets the comprehensive plan” and passed with all members present voting in favor.

The recommendation to the Board of Commissioners asks Church Street Company to provide 5% of multifamily rental units to households at 80% of area median income (AMI) and asks the town to work with Church Street to preserve roughly 30 acres of wooded open space directly across from Joyner Park; if the town does not accept ownership, the motion requests that the applicant place that acreage into a conservation easement in perpetuity.

Staff and the applicant discussed several technical and policy points during the hearing. Planning staff member Patrick Reedy said staff recommended removing a proposed condition that would have opened a path for the town to own the open-space parcel, explaining that taking ownership would impose maintenance and safety obligations. “It kinda puts the onus on us...and we just don't really have any interest in owning it,” Reedy said, citing steep topography and limited town capacity to maintain steep, wooded parcels.

Representing the applicant, Michael Birch of Longleaf Law Partners told the board that the development team had revised conditions and provided additional design exhibits since the prior meeting. Birch said the applicant was constrained by earlier denials and by uncertainty on the property and therefore had not submitted a master plan at the rezoning stage. “We are not able to provide or condition any affordable housing,” Birch said when asked about dedicated affordable units, adding that the team had reduced density and prioritized open-space preservation in response to prior review.

George Deloach of Church Street Company said the applicant was willing to work with conservation organizations and the town on protections for the open-space parcel. He told the board the developer was “willing to put it into a conservation easement” if the town would not take ownership and that the applicant had discussed donation and conservation options with local groups.

The hearing included public comment from residents and local advocates who raised stormwater, traffic, and neighborhood impacts. Loretta Humphrey said the town’s stormwater fee—implemented in July 2024—reflects broader concerns about development-related drainage, and asked for a thorough topographical review before approval. “The citizens of Wake Forest never, until recently, I believe July 2024, had a stormwater fee,” Humphrey said. Several residents pressed for greater outreach to neighbors directly adjacent to the site and for stronger, permanent protections for conserved land.

Board members and staff noted the application had to meet the town’s comprehensive plan and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Reedy described the site as “transit-supportive” under the comprehensive plan because of nearby commercial uses and a planned US-1 corridor interchange, and staff recommended approval while noting that further details would be required during site-plan and construction-plan review.

Several board members said they were uneasy that an application of this scale was submitted without a full master plan; the applicant cautioned that producing a master plan before zoning certainty would be a costly and risky step. Board member Michael Almquist moved approval with the recommendations; the motion passed unanimously.

What happens next: the planning board’s recommendation will go to the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners for final action. Any future ownership or easement transfer for the conserved parcel will require agreement from whichever entity accepts stewardship; a conservation easement, if required, would be recorded to bind future owners.

Votes at a glance: The planning board voted to recommend approval of RZ24-01 Harris Tract with recommendations that Church Street Company provide 5% of rental units at 80% AMI and that the town and applicant secure perpetual conservation protections for ~30 acres adjacent to Joyner Park. The board recorded the motion as passing with all members present voting in favor.