Developers and retailers ask Concord council for sewer allocations; neighbors oppose Union Street townhomes

Several developers and a representative of Sheetz, Inc. used the council’s public‑comment period to describe planned projects and request sewer allocation or note existing applications; neighbors also used the same period to raise objections to a separate townhome project on Union Street.

David Miller, managing partner of Raley Miller Properties, told the council he sought roughly 1,100 gallons per day (gpd) of sewer capacity to finish the final five townhouse lots in the Tucker’s Walk planned urban development. Miller said completion of the townhomes would unlock final site work including the top layer of asphalt on public streets, conversion of a stormwater pond to its final design, fences, a dog park and landscaping; he said Raley Miller Properties has invested in excess of $35 million so far in Tucker’s Walk. Miller also said the firm owns 16 acres nearby and estimated the shopping‑center proposal there would require about 22,800 gpd; he noted that the city’s packet showed about 143,000 gpd available in the nonresidential bucket.

Representatives of Sheetz, a family‑owned convenience‑store chain, introduced the company and asked council to consider its pending sewer application. Sean Poole, a company representative, said a typical Sheetz capital investment for a location is about $8.5–9 million, with 25–30 employees per location and a mix of full‑time and part‑time positions; earlier in the statement Sheetz’s outreach and philanthropy were noted. A local developer and broker (David Niekamp) and a consultant (Bill Mitchner) also spoke in support of the Sheetz proposal and said the company was committed to long‑term investment and would be the likely sole building on its proposed four‑acre site. During public comment Sheetz personnel said typical onsite sewer usage per store can be about 2,500 gpd though their packet application requested 3,800 gpd.

Separately, residents Zach Shue and Richard Smith spoke strongly opposing a proposed 12‑unit townhome project on Union Street. Shue said the proposed 38.5‑foot building heights would look directly into his backyard and his home, erode neighborhood privacy, and would remove an early‑20th‑century house he identified as historic. Smith raised additional technical concerns including fill placed during prior nearby construction, topographic differences on the site, and risk of vibration from required geotechnical work; he asked that developers be required to post performance bonds to cover damage to neighboring houses.

Council did not act on sewer allocations during the meeting; multiple council members said they must prioritize existing requests from properties already inside the city limits and balance allocations against limited infrastructure. No vote on the Sheetz or Tucker’s Walk sewer requests was recorded.

Speakers and details: estimated sewer needs mentioned were about 1,100 gpd (Tucker’s Walk final lots), 22,800 gpd (Tucker’s Walk adjacent shopping center), approximately 2,500–3,800 gpd per Sheetz store depending on the estimate, and development investments cited ranged from tens of millions for Tucker’s Walk to $8.5–9 million for a Sheetz store.

Councilors asked staff and applicants to continue working with city engineering and to use the formal allocation process for future decisions.