Council grants preliminary approval for East Indiana subdivision with tree-buffer and species-study conditions

The Southern Pines Town Council voted to approve a preliminary plat for a proposed seven-lot subdivision on about 4.5 acres south of the East Indiana/Fort Bragg Road intersection, with conditions intended to protect large trees and address habitat concerns.

Planner James Broadwell told the council the property is zoned RS-2 and that the proposal triggers a major-subdivision review because it exceeds the five-lot threshold and fronts a minor arterial roadway. Broadwell said staff recommended conditions that include preserving a 30-foot front and 30-foot rear buffer for trees 10 inches in diameter and larger, allowing limited clearing only where necessary for septic repair areas, and requiring a red-cockaded woodpecker study before any tree clearing in mapped cluster areas.

"We are comfortable with that," Broadwell said of the conditions, noting that the applicant agreed to the study and to preserving trees where feasible. He described the site as largely mature forest and said the applicant would install septic systems because sewer is not available along East Indiana.

Ascot project manager Matthew Blake, the applicant, described typical septic tank sizes and the limits of a preliminary-plat hearing. "We're required not to add to anything when we build our properties," Blake said, adding that final septic locations and utility cuts will be determined during the design phase and reviewed by the Town's Technical Review Committee (TRC).

Neighbors who live downhill raised stormwater concerns. Kristen Osborne, whose property abuts the site, said standing sand and clogged inlets already send water onto her lot. "Water comes down Indiana so quickly, it very quickly overwhelms," Osborne said, describing sand accumulation at the Strathmore/Indiana intersection and safety risks from skidding vehicles.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on thresholds for traffic studies, the nature of required on-lot stormwater controls, and how the septic repair areas might affect the 30-foot buffer. Broadwell said TRC and NCDOT review found no artery-level design concerns beyond standard driveway and encroachment permits, and that the preliminary plot shows dry wells and other on-lot measures to manage post-development runoff.

After discussion, a council member moved to adopt staff findings and approve the preliminary plat with the conditions discussed by Broadwell. Council voted in favor; a dissenting vote was recorded without a name specified in the public record. The town will require the red-cockaded woodpecker study and will review the final septic, utility and stormwater designs at TRC/site-plan review before any land disturbance.