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Board endorses Pickett Circle rezoning for Nature’s Calling; resident raises traffic and notice concerns
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of ZM20260010, rezoning about 1.66 acres at Old Monroe Road and Pickett Circle from SF‑1 to GBD for commercial use (applicant: Nature’s Calling LLC). A nearby resident urged more notification and warned of traffic impacts tied to a single neighborhood entrance and Old Monroe widening.
The Indian Trail Planning & Zoning Board voted Feb. 17 to recommend Town Council approve ZM20260010, a conventional rezoning sought by Nature’s Calling LLC to change roughly 1.66 acres at Old Monroe Road and Pickett Circle from single‑family (SF‑1) to general business district (GBD).
Town planner Josue Pena told the board the property is vacant, sits between existing commercial nodes including Sun Valley Commons and the proposed Sagecroft Commercial Village, and lies inside overlapping activity‑center overlays that aim to guide higher‑intensity, mixed‑use development near major intersections. Pena said the town’s future‑land‑use map recommends medium‑density residential at the parcel scale but that broader village‑scale planning supports commercial uses here as Old Monroe Road is widened.
Pena listed by‑right uses permissible under GBD within the overlay — including childcare centers, small food establishments, veterinary offices and artist studios — and noted drive‑thrus and gas pumps are prohibited in the overlay. He also described required protections for adjacent residences: a landscape buffer of 25 to 50 feet depending on the proposed use group and lighting standards with full‑cutoff fixtures and poles limited to 20 feet near homes.
During public comment, resident Michael Faulconbury (name also recorded as "Falconberry" in the packet) of 519 Pega Circle asked why neighbors were not better notified, cited traffic worries because Pickett Circle has a single entrance and exit for the neighborhood, and said recent clearing from the Old Monroe widening makes the timing of the rezoning particularly sensitive. "Because of the location of this property at the beginning of our neighborhood...whatever's put there is directly gonna impact our neighborhood," he said.
Planning staff responded that the town follows the state’s 500‑foot notification requirement and that the property was posted with signage; staff also said Nature's Calling LLC has existed since about 2013. Access to Old Monroe Road would be decided by NCDOT at site‑plan review and, based on similar cases, staff said NCDOT often limits full access and may require right‑in/right‑out movements.
A board member moved to recommend approval of the rezoning; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The board’s recommendation goes to Town Council for a final decision.
