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Waynesville council annexes 5.48 acres at 1399 Plott Creek Road, approves rezoning
Summary
After public debate about sewer capacity, traffic and conservation promises, the Town of Waynesville voted to annex a 5.48-acre parcel at 1399 Plott Creek Road and later rezoned it to match adjacent neighborhood residential zoning; council recorded a 3–1 voice vote on annexation.
The Town of Waynesville voted to annex a 5.48-acre parcel at 1399 Plott Creek Road and to rezone the property to match the adjoining Plott Creek Neighborhood Residential district after two public hearings and extended discussion.
Staff told the council the petition (received Sept. 18, 2025) asks to bring the parcel, PIN 8605328929, into municipal limits to make it eligible for municipal services including sewer. The property abuts the town’s corporate limits and an existing 41-acre phase 1 development. Planning staff said the parcel is designated for residential conservation on the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan and that the planning board unanimously recommended matching the adjacent zoning to create consistent standards for setbacks, open space and stormwater.
Public commenters raised infrastructure and character concerns. Tom Morgan, a neighboring property owner, said his worry is that adding units would change the “rural nature of the Plott Creek community” and flagged sewer capacity limits as a constraint. Another resident, Kevin Fitzgerald, reminded the council of intense public opposition to the earlier Palisades development and warned of traffic, lighting and flood-risk impacts.
William Atchord, vice president of Southwood Realty (the applicant), said the developer’s intent is to provide a second entrance and preserve most of the steep, sensitive areas adjacent to the phase 1 preserved acreage. Atchord said the developer is showing roughly 58 units in the current plan, that half of the adjoining 41-acre site had been preserved previously, and that there is an existing sewer stub near the phase 1 entrance that could serve future connections.
Council discussion focused on long-term costs and benefits. One councilor said the town must decide whether new projects are “the right thing for Waynesville” and whether the town can afford ongoing maintenance and service obligations. After discussion, the council adopted the annexation ordinance (voice vote recorded as 3 in favor, 1 opposed) and later found the requested rezoning consistent with the 2035 plan; the rezoning ordinance to the Plott Creek Neighborhood Residential district was then adopted by voice vote.
What happens next: annexation makes the parcel eligible for municipal services and triggers the separate rezoning and site-plan process; any future development will be reviewed under the town’s site-plan, open-space, stormwater and floodplain standards, and some standards (density up to 10 units per acre by right, up to 16 with a special-use permit) apply in the chosen district.
Speakers quoted or summarized in this article are taken from the meeting record and include Tom Morgan (public commenter) and William Atchord (developer).
