Planning board recommends conditional rezoning for 173‑unit Amelia Church Townhomes with parking conditions

The Clayton Planning Board recommended approval of a conditional rezoning for the Amelia Church Townhomes project but added conditions aimed at addressing parking and access.

Staff presented the rezoning for roughly 20 acres between Amelia Church Road and Short Johnson Road to allow 173 single‑family attached dwelling units at about 8.72 units per acre. Staff said the applicant initially notified immediate landowners within a 100‑foot radius and later held a corrected neighborhood meeting that notified owners within 300 feet, per the UDO. Staff listed proposed modifications to conditions, including a 20‑foot buffer along RLL districts (reduced from a 30‑foot Type C buffer where an opaque fence is installed) and an addition of dimensional standards for the product.

Staff noted the project would provide 38 guest parking spaces but that the UDO requires 44; one planning commissioner flagged potential unusable stalls near a dumpster that may further reduce effective guest parking. The parcel contains a Resource Conservation Area (RCA) and wetlands: staff reported approximately 57,000 square feet of existing RCA and said the concept reduces RCA area to roughly 35,000 square feet to accommodate a stream crossing and access to Short Johnson Road. Staff recommended approval, while observing that the proposed product and gross density align more closely with higher‑density designations than the current medium‑density land‑use category.

Applicant Spencer Terry of Boller Engineering said the site previously had an approved special‑use permit for 196 units and the new plan reduces density to 173 for a for‑sale product. Terry said the conceptual layout provides about 25% open space (roughly 5.24 acres) and that the applicant would remain flexible on exact open‑space numbers during site‑plan review. He described sewer coordination and a proposed gravity main that would tie into regional pump stations as part of a larger interceptor project, which the applicant said could expedite infrastructure improvements in the area. "We actually are providing in the layout you see right now, 25%, which is 5.24 acres," Terry said.

Board members repeatedly pressed whether single‑car garages count toward parking minimums; staff cited UDO Section 6.9 stating single‑car garages for single‑family attached units shall not receive credit toward off‑street parking. The applicant said driveways could be widened to accommodate additional parked cars and that more visitor spaces could be added at the expense of some open space if necessary. Several members expressed concern that narrow public streets and on‑street parking patterns in nearby neighborhoods can impede emergency access.

After debate, a board member moved to recommend approval with a condition that driveways be modified to an 18‑foot width to allow additional parking and that the applicant pursue ways to achieve the required guest spaces where feasible; the motion was seconded and passed.

Next steps: staff will include the board recommendation, the neighborhood‑meeting corrections and proposed conditions in the council packet for final action.