Planning board backs Sheetz-style convenience store and 12 townhomes at Market Street and Alexander Road

The New Hanover County Planning Board voted Aug. 7 to recommend approval of rezoning request Z25-11, clearing the way for a mixed commercial and residential project at the corner of Market Street and Alexander Road.

Staff described the proposal as a rezoning of about 5 acres from R-15 to a conditional B-2 district for a convenience store with fuel and a restaurant with drive-through, and a conditional R-5 district for up to 12 attached single-family units. Staff recommended a package of conditions intended to mitigate impacts, including tree-retention measures, emergency access between the residential and commercial portions, a 10-foot public bicycle and pedestrian easement linking Alexander Road to the commercial area, and a recorded stormwater maintenance agreement if the pond crosses zoning lines.

The applicant’s attorney, Corey Lee, stressed that the site’s community mixed-use designation in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan supports placing commercial uses along Market Street with residential behind it. Lee told the board that industry norms mean a majority of convenience-store trips are “pass by” traffic and cited a recent update to the Traffic Impact Analysis; staff said the TIA requires installation of a right-turn and deceleration lane on Market Street.

“Seventy‑five percent is the average traffic that is attributable to pass‑by traffic,” Lee said, explaining why the project is likely to serve drivers already traveling on Market Street rather than generate new trips away from the corridor.

Nick Loretta, the project civil engineer, and county engineering staff reviewed drainage. Loretta described an existing drainage ditch and an undersized culvert under Market Street, saying the project’s proposed piping and a drainage easement would capture on‑site and some off‑site flows and tie into the DOT system; staff emphasized that any final design must meet DOT and county TRC stormwater standards.

Brian Downs, Sheetz entitlement manager, described the company’s building and site standards and said the convenience store prototype uses brick and stone elements and places a drive-through behind the building.

Several board members said the revised plan strikes an acceptable transition between the roadway and nearby lower-density housing and noted that the project’s drainage work could improve neighborhood flows. Planning staff and the applicant negotiated clarifying edits to condition language (including how and when minor administrative changes to drive‑through locations would be allowed).

After discussion, the board moved to recommend approval with the staff‑recommended conditions as amended on the screen. The voice vote passed and the planning board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners for a final decision at its Sept. 2 meeting at the Historic Courthouse.

Next steps: If the commissioners approve the rezoning, the project will proceed through technical review (TRC) and permitting, where specific stormwater, driveway and engineering details must be resolved to meet NCDOT and county requirements.