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Planning board approves Shortcut Farms rezoning with reduced density and cemetery buffer
Summary
The Currituck County Planning Board approved PB25-20, a conditional rezoning for Shortcut Farms to allow a 33‑lot conservation subdivision and commercial frontage, subject to conditions that lower residential density to 0.666 (29 lots) to address airport overlay concerns and require a guaranteed buffer around a family cemetery.
The Currituck County Planning Board on Feb. 10 approved PB25-20, a conditional rezoning request dubbed Shortcut Farms, which rezones roughly 51.7 acres along Shortcut Road from Agriculture to conditional Single‑Family Mainland and conditional General Business for a proposed residential subdivision and neighborhood‑serving commercial development.
Staff told the board the parcel sits within the Maple/Barco small‑area plan and the Airport Overlay District (compatible use zone 3), and that those plans discourage increased residential density and non‑neighborhood‑serving commercial uses. The technical review committee (TRC) had recommended denial, citing conflicts with Imagine Currituck 2040 policies and the airport overlay’s compatibility objectives.
Neil Blinken, representing the applicant, said Shortcut Farms seeks to “create a family friendly neighborhood and not just a run of the mill development,” with traditional architecture, tree‑lined streets and covenants that prohibit manufactured housing and multifamily units. Engineer Mike Morway told the board the site is largely above a 7‑foot elevation, has suitable soils and available county water, and that stormwater ponds were sized to meet county requirements.
Board members questioned the increase in density from the base AG allowance (roughly 0.33 dwelling units per acre) to the applicant’s requested 0.74 units per acre. Several members and staff noted the G1 transect on the future land‑use map and Airport Overlay requirements as complicating factors. One board member raised a public‑safety concern about pedestrian crossings near nearby schools and asked the applicant and county to consider infrastructure to improve safety for students and other pedestrians.
After discussion, a member moved to recommend approval with conditions that included the applicant’s proposed restrictions on certain general business uses, the requirement to place many site standards in subdivision restrictive covenants, and two specific additions: reduce residential density to 0.666 units per acre (29 lots) to better align with airport‑overlay expectations and add a guaranteed design buffer around the family cemetery shown on the property. The board passed the motion by voice vote; a roll‑call tally was not recorded in the transcript.
The board’s recommendation will move to the County Commissioners for final action. The staff packet and TRC materials remain part of the public record for PB25‑20.
