Smithfield council denies Country Club Townhomes special use permit after neighbors and experts warn of flooding, lake impacts

The Town of Smithfield council on (date not specified) voted to reject a special use permit for Country Club Townhomes (SUP‑24‑03), a proposed 60‑unit townhome development at the northwest corner of South Brightleaf Boulevard and Country Club Road. The decision followed hours of testimony from town staff, the developer and multiple expert and citizen witnesses.

Planning director Stephen Winsman told council the proposal—by Crantock Land LLC—would place 60 townhomes on roughly 8.026 acres in a B‑3 district and includes a stormwater pond and a pump station at the site’s southern edge next to Holt Lake. Winsman said the applicant submitted two plan versions: an original public‑street scheme that did not meet a 60‑foot right‑of‑way requirement and an alternate plan using private streets to achieve the same built layout while meeting dimensional standards in an easement.

Opposing testim…