Wendell board approves conditional rezoning for eight townhomes after contested public hearing

The Wendell Town Board of Commissioners on Jan. 27 approved a rezoning that will allow Cook Street Partners to build eight townhome units at the corner of Wendell Falls Parkway and Cook Street, rezoning the site from Residential-3 to Downtown Mixed Use Conditional District (DMX‑CD). The motion passed 3-2 following a public hearing that drew more than a dozen residents and extended discussion about traffic, stormwater, open space and compatibility with the nearby historic neighborhood.

Town planner Randall Coates told the board the request (Conditional District 2402) applies to the parcel near 200 Wendell Falls Parkway and that the applicant’s preliminary site plan shows eight attached townhome units with rear-loaded, 20-by-20 garages served by a 16-foot alley. Coates said the Unified Development Ordinance requires 1,000 square feet of open space per townhome (8,000 square feet total) but the submitted plan shows roughly 1,500 square feet; the applicant is seeking a fee‑in‑lieu to cover the remaining roughly 6,400 square feet. Coates also summarized zoning conditions offered by the developer, including a 15-foot landscape buffer with a 6-foot stained‑wood privacy fence on the west lot line, fiber‑cement siding (no vinyl), a three‑story height limit, and rear‑loaded garages.

Opponents who…