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Mountain View Baptist leaders present 91‑acre Newtown master plan and ask council for support
Summary
Reverend Stacy Mills and his team presented a master plan for Newtown that would redevelop roughly 91 acres (48 parcels, 40 acquired) to add up to 500 housing units, restore wetlands and create a town center anchored by Mountain View Baptist Church; presenters asked the council to endorse the plan and assist with enabling zoning, property acquisition and infrastructure funding.
Reverend Stacy Mills and partners presented a master plan for Newtown that envisions about 500 new housing units, a restored wetlands corridor, a repurposed community center, community gardens and a town center anchored by Mountain View Baptist Church.
Mills told the council the effort grew out of front‑porch meetings, a five‑day design charrette and workshops that produced guiding principles focused on healthy lifestyles, equitable housing options, entrepreneurship and cultural engagement. He said the church has master‑planned a 91‑acre area comprising 48 parcels and has acquired 40 of them; three key parcels remain to be acquired.
Mills described a mix of housing — townhomes, single‑family cottages, accessory dwelling units and multifamily buildings — and said setbacks in the current local mixed‑use ordinance would allow accessory dwelling units to help meet affordability goals. He detailed partnerships with Habitat for Humanity (a beta homeowner cohort graduated 20 prospective buyers), an architect (Scott Johnson Design Group) and philanthropic partners (Hollingworth funds, the Jolly Foundation) and said the church formed a community development corporation to manage development.
On environmental matters, Mills said the wetlands area along Willard Street to Bramlett (about 20+ acres) is owned by CSX and that the state’s voluntary cleanup process has advanced to a record of decision; Duke Energy is at the consent stage and CSX has not yet signed, he said, adding that city endorsement would help facilitate negotiations.
Mills asked the council to endorse the master plan, consider enabling zoning to support a cohesive redevelopment strategy and assist with property acquisition and infrastructure funding for affordable housing. City staff said the next procedural step would be a project preview meeting (PPM) for public feedback followed by work on long‑term zoning.
Council members asked about fundraising targets, build timing and the extent of land under church control; Mills said the pro‑forma is still being developed and that portions of the project could be built as soon as next year if funding and coordination are in place. He emphasized a desire to avoid piecemeal development and to follow the adopted master plan.
The presentation concluded with staff and council thanking the project team. The council did not take a formal vote on the request in the recorded portion of the session; staff described next steps and follow‑up for zoning and public engagement.
