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Council approves rezoning for Eastern Ridge to allow 34 new homes
Summary
Newton City Council approved Rezoning 2022-01 to reclassify 17.08 acres on Eastern Ridge Drive from R-20A to Planned Development–Housing, reducing the applicant's original proposal to 34 lots to meet fire-code access requirements; a resident voiced traffic concerns during the hearing.
Newton City Council voted unanimously April 19 to rezone a 17.08-acre parcel on Eastern Ridge Drive from R-20A single-family and manufactured-home residential to PD-H Planned Development Housing, clearing the way for a revised plan that will create 34 single-family lots.
Assistant Planning Director Alex Fulbright told the council the site (Catawba County Parcel ID #3740-10-46-0565) is part of the Eastern Ridge subdivision and is consistent with the city’s 2005 Eastside Area Plan. Fulbright said the applicant, Wright-Eli Properties, LLC, originally proposed a larger plan but revised it to 34 lots after determining the originally proposed 57-lot layout did not comply with Section D107 of the North Carolina State Fire Prevention Code, which requires additional fire‑apparatus access for developments with more than 30 dwelling units.
The revision reduced the number of lots served by a single fire‑apparatus access road so the plan would meet current code requirements. During public comment, resident Ron Stout said he was "concerned about the traffic in this area" and asked whether local streets could handle additional vehicles. Developer Miles Wright acknowledged traffic concerns and estimated construction would occur within four years.
Council Member Jerry Hodge moved to close the hearing and then moved to approve the rezoning; both motions were seconded by Ed Sain and carried unanimously. The approval authorizes the PD‑H designation and the revised development plan; plan approval and subdivision platting remain subject to subsequent development review and permitting.
The council's action does not itself authorize construction; it changes the zoning classification and accepts the revised plan as consistent with the land‑use plan and the zoning ordinance. Next steps include final plat approval, utility connections and any required permitting.
