Planning commission recommends rezoning of Pinecrest Road site for townhomes

The Holly Springs Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of MA 052025, a rezoning petition from ECB Pinecrest LLC for approximately 5.45 acres off Pinecrest Road to allow a Traditional Neighborhood Development and a for‑sale townhome community. The motion to approve, made during the commission’s public hearing, passed with aye votes recorded in the meeting; the transcript does not record who moved, who seconded, or a numerical vote tally.

The applicant’s attorney, Parks (Sam Larkin Huff), told commissioners the site is near the interstate, retail and the town center and is therefore suited to residential for‑sale townhomes rather than commercial uses. “It is a conceptual site plan,” Parks said, adding that the developer expects about 46 townhomes and that access on Pinecrest Road will be refined to meet DOT safety and sight‑distance standards. Parks also noted a protected spring head on the property and that the site layout could shift for safety during engineering.

City staff summarized the proposal as roughly 43 townhome units (7.89 units per acre in staff’s description) and said the parcel is designated in the future development map and comprehensive plan for neighborhood/town center character. Staff told the commission a traffic study was not required under the ordinance for this size project but listed required frontage improvements: a deceleration lane, closed drainage with curb and gutter, sidewalk, and pedestrian lighting along Pinecrest Road. Because the site lies in the town center district, staff added the project must receive approval from the town center architect and the Downtown Development Authority as part of final review.

The Cherokee County School District estimated the development could generate an impact of 32 students, with an estimated additional capacity cost of $42,005.11 (about $989 per unit) reported to the commission. On schedule, Parks estimated 8–9 months of engineering before construction and suggested groundbreaking likely in the spring or summer after that work.

Several commissioners asked practical questions about elevations, themes and whether sidewalk improvements would extend beyond the applicant’s frontage to connect to the nearby package store; Parks said sidewalks would be provided along the project frontage and that broader connectivity could occur as adjacent parcels redevelop or via city coordination.

The planning commission’s favorable recommendation now goes to the mayor and council, who make the final, binding decision on rezoning. The commission also approved the meeting minutes for earlier sessions and adjourned. The transcript does not show final council action or any final engineering approvals; those remain to be decided in subsequent reviews.