Waynesville council rezones 4.96-acre Halltop Road parcel to allow multifamily; council cites infrastructure and senior housing need

The Waynesville Town Council voted to rezone a 4.96-acre parcel at 38 Halltop Road from Halltop Residential Low Density to Delwood Residential Medium Density, a map amendment that will permit multifamily housing as a by-right use on the property.

Planning staff told the council the change would raise the base density from 6 to 8 units per acre while leaving the maximum density permitted by special-use permit at 12 units per acre. Staff said the parcel is identified on the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan as "medium to high density," is flat relative to surrounding parcels, and sits adjacent to a regional commercial center with utilities nearby. The staff report noted the planning board voted unanimously on Feb. 16 to recommend approval.

"The rezoning of this property would allow multifamily as a permitted use," planning staff said during the hearing. Staff also outlined dimensional adjustments tied to the medium-density district including reduced minimum lot size and setback changes.

The applicant, Bobby Funk, development director for Mills Construction, said his company focuses on affordable housing and would target a senior (55+) development with long-term affordability controls. "All our developments are affordable housing developments, with a commitment for affordability for 30 years," Funk told the council, adding that any actual development would go through the site-plan and special-use permit process before construction.

Residents who spoke during public comment opposed the rezoning, raising traffic-safety and stormwater concerns and questioning whether local infrastructure and emergency services could absorb additional residents. "I'm not opposed to healthy growth," resident Terry Clark said, but asked council members to "vote no on the hilltop measure later" and warned against changing rules to allow greater intensity than previously intended. Neighbors described repeated accidents near the Phillips/Russ Avenue area and chronic runoff and basement flooding on adjacent properties.

Council members acknowledged the public’s concerns but emphasized factors favoring the change: adjacency to higher-intensity commercial zoning, proximity to Russ Avenue and the Smoky Mountain Expressway, and the availability of water and sewer lines that would be extended at the developer’s expense. One council member framed the decision narrowly: "Supporting this rezoning does not mean every parcel in Halltop should be moved to medium density," saying the parcel’s topography and location make it uniquely appropriate.

After discussion the council first voted to find the rezoning consistent with the 2035 comprehensive plan and reasonable and in the public interest, then voted to adopt the map amendment and attached ordinance to change the property’s regulatory zone. Both motions passed by voice vote.

What happens next: Rezoning approval allows the property owner to seek site-plan review and any required special-use permit for higher density or specific multifamily designs. Council members and staff said those subsequent processes would provide additional opportunities for engineering review — including stormwater and traffic impact assessments — and for neighbors to participate in more detailed hearings.

Authorities and references: Council and staff cited the Town of Waynesville 2035 Comprehensive Plan (future land-use map) and the Waynesville Land Development Standards (section cited by staff during the hearing).