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Nottingham residents urge council to slow Warfield annexation over traffic, noise and property‑value concerns
Summary
Residents of the Nottingham neighborhood told the Mount Airy Town Council they fear a planned Elite Baseball complex on the Warfield property would bring heavy traffic, noise, light pollution and reduced home values; the council granted the planning commission a 120‑day extension to review the annexation petition.
Several Nottingham residents addressed the Mount Airy Town Council to oppose the proposed annexation of the Warfield property and a planned Elite Baseball complex, saying the project would harm quality of life and strain local infrastructure.
"We have over a thousand people in the Nottingham community that would be seriously impacted by this field with with little to no gain and nothing but a lot to lose, including house values, quality of life," resident Anthony King said during public comment. Roger Stone and Amanda Everett gave similar accounts, citing limited egress, construction disruption, and concerns about future resale or alternate development if the property is annexed.
The residents asked the town to examine the process and the terms of any private agreement that would place contingency obligations on town taxpayers. Stone described a single egress route for parts of Nottingham and urged the council to consider whether local roads and emergency access could support large event traffic. Everett said her children’s school bus runs could conflict with afternoon practices and questioned whether the town needed another regional playing facility when Mount Airy already has Watkins Park and other recreation assets.
Council Member Kelly, the council’s planning liaison, told residents that a petition for annexation must be addressed and that the planning commission is responsible for evaluating the petition and making a recommendation to the council. The council approved a planning commission request for a 120‑day extension to deliberate the annexation (annexation resolution 2025‑47), giving the commission more time to gather information and hold public hearings before the council considers final action.
The extension does not determine whether the council will ultimately approve the annexation. Mayor Michelle emphasized the procedural steps: the planning commission will issue a recommendation and the council will hold its own public hearing and vote on any annexation ordinance. Residents asked for clear timelines and more detail about traffic studies, construction phasing, and legal contingencies tied to private sale contracts.
The petitioners from Elite Baseball attended the planning commission hearing and provided material and rebuttal to public comment, the planning liaison said. Council members encouraged continued community engagement during the commission’s review and said engineering and traffic analyses would be central to the commission’s deliberations.
The planning commission’s extension vote and the public comments will be part of the official record as the commission continues its review. No final decision on annexation was made at the meeting.
