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 spoke during the public hearing said the small lot and three‑story townhome design would be out of scale with the older houses nearby, worsen existing congestion on Wendell Falls Parkway and Cook Street, increase safety risks near a bus stop and the elementary school, and strain stormwater and utility systems. Residents also noted the Wendell planning board voted 6-1 to recommend denial. Among residents’ concerns were: the narrowness of Cook Street during peak hours; the potential for overflow parking on Cook Street; the proximity to properties on the Wendell historic register; and the loss of a house on the lot that they described as historic.

The applicant and engineer responded to those concerns in the hearing. Parker Jones of Cook Street Partners said the house on the site was dilapidated and not economically feasible to rehabilitate. Louis Hardy of RDU Consulting said the parcel is in the town’s Blueprint Wendell 2030 place type described as downtown core/downtown fringe and that townhomes and denser residential development are allowed there; he also said the project could act as “a catalyst” for additional downtown investment. Hardy cited a trip‑generation estimate (ITE methodology) that projected about four AM peak‑hour trips and five PM peak‑hour trips for the development. The applicant said refuse containers would be stored inside garage areas and could be collected either from the internal alley or from Cook Street, and that site work would be phased to manage construction impacts. The applicant also confirmed the plan includes a fee in lieu for on‑site open space rather than providing all required open space on the lot.

Board members debated those technical and planning points at length. Planning staff and the town manager explained that the fee‑in‑lieu is included in the town’s UDO as an accepted option for small infill lots where providing the required open space on site is impractical; funds collected via fee‑in‑lieu are directed to town projects such as parks and sidewalks. Staff also said the N.C. Department of Transportation and Wake County have participated in technical review of the site’s utilities, stormwater and other thresholds and that the site does not trigger a state erosion or stormwater permit threshold based on disturbance area as currently proposed. The town also noted a separate Local Assistance Program (LAP) project to install a traffic signal at Wendell Falls Parkway and Wendell Boulevard will include stormwater work from the boulevard down to Cook Street.

After the public hearing the board considered a motion to approve the rezoning with the conditions proposed by the applicant. The motion passed on a 3-2 vote. The planning board had recommended denial (6‑1). The conditional district approval ties the development to the submitted site plan and the proffered zoning conditions; staff said fee‑in‑lieu payments would come to the board for final acceptance at the time of building permit/platting.

The decision does not authorize construction: the developer must still complete site engineering, secure any required Wake County or NCDOT approvals, meet building‑permit requirements and coordinate refuse and other public‑works needs with town staff. Several residents asked the board to seek a reworked plan with fewer units or added visitor parking; one commissioner asked staff and the applicant to continue to examine ways to address on‑site circulation, trash pickup logistics and the fence/buffer along the western lot line.

Votes at a glance: the board voted 3-2 to approve Conditional District 2402 (rezoning to DMX‑CD) with the development conditions presented. The planning board’s recommendation was denial, 6-1.

The approved site plan and the proffered conditions will be recorded with the town; staff said future fee‑in‑lieu payments and any required engineering changes will be brought back to the board as they are negotiated and finalized.