Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Conditional Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves conditional zoning for Meet on May coworking space in residential neighborhood
Summary
Council approved a conditional rezoning (Z‑01‑25) allowing Meet on May to operate a small commercial coworking space inside the Cottages on May clubhouse, with conditions addressing parking and fire‑marshal review.
The Town of Southern Pines on April 8 approved a conditional zoning district to allow Meet on May, a commercial coworking enterprise, to operate partly in the existing clubhouse at the Cottages on May (Z‑01‑25). Planning staff said the conditional zoning lets the town narrowly permit the commercial coworking use while keeping other nearby land uses residential.
Planner Mason Maddox told council the site is constrained and will rely on a combination of four reserved parking spaces, existing on‑street parking and limited on‑site circulation. Maddox said the fire marshal is reviewing operational details and must sign off before a certificate of occupancy is issued. As staff noted, roughly half the structure will remain clubhouse space for the HOA while the rentable coworking portion would be limited in scale.
Applicant representatives said Meet on May has had low occupancy to date (typically one to two users simultaneously) and would cap maximum occupants at about 15 once final approvals are secured. Skyler Crowder, representing the applicant, said the group has 11 members and historically saw maximum simultaneous occupancy of two users. HOA president Lindsay Bryceland said the association supports the use because it offsets HOA expenses and puts a previously underused building to use.
Councilmember discussion emphasized caution about expanding commercial activity inside residential zones but recognized that conditional zoning allowed a tailored set of conditions. Council moved and approved the conditional district with four applicant‑proposed conditions to be attached to the rezoning ordinance. The applicant must secure any outstanding fire‑marshal approvals and comply with the conditions before resuming operation.
The approval allows the applicant to pursue final permitting and a certificate of occupancy; staff will attach the conditions to the ordinance and monitor compliance through standard permitting channels.
