Raeford council sends Highlanders Crossing open-space request back to Planning Board after resident objections

Raeford City Council on Nov. 3 sent Southbury Development’s open-space and preliminary plat application for the Highlanders Crossing (Gentry) subdivision back to the Planning Board for further study, citing unresolved questions about road access and storm drainage.

The motion, made by Councilman Wayne Willis and seconded by Councilman Charles Allen, carried unanimously. The application proposes subdividing roughly 65.15 acres (PIN# 694352001005 at Lewis St. and McDonald Ave.) into 78 lots under a cluster-subdivision option that would reduce lot sizes from 12,000 square feet to about 9,000 square feet in exchange for larger contiguous open space.

Zoning Administrator Felecia Locklear told the council the Planning Board lacked a quorum at its Oct. 27 meeting and that, under UDO 12.6.8(B), City Council must approve open-space use before preliminary plat approval. Locklear said the developer is proposing about 42 acres of open space, of which she stated 19.09 acres are wetlands, while the ordinance requires roughly 9–13 acres of usable open space depending on the calculation. She added that final lot counts and the size of drainage improvements—including a detention pond—will be determined by detailed engineering and by NCDENR review.

Residents at the hearing urged the council to delay approval. "I am strongly opposed," said Michelle Lettieri of 565 McMillan St., who told the council she feared the "taking of land," increased traffic, development on swampy land that causes water problems for nearby properties, and overcrowded schools. Gail Tustin of 710 McDonald Ave. said she did not believe Raeford has a housing crisis and worried new development would increase traffic and strain utilities and schools. Joe Wolfe of 536 McMillan St. contrasted the proposal with his two-acre lot and questioned who would choose to live on a 9,000-square-foot lot.

Representing the developer, Engineer Shane Sanders of Sanders Engineering described the cluster subdivision as a trade-off that concentrates housing to preserve perimeter open space. Sanders said the proposed 9,000-square-foot lots would generally be 60 feet wide with about 20 feet between houses and larger lots at cul-de-sacs, and emphasized that the 78-lot figure is a proposal subject to site review and final engineering.

Council members pressed staff and the developer on access. Locklear said any subdivision of 50 or more lots requires two or more entrance/exit points and that the easement near some existing properties is about 60 feet wide but narrows to roughly 40 feet in the final 400 feet toward Prospect Ave., which currently limits two-way traffic. She said widening McMillan St. to NCDOT standards is one option but that acquiring additional property to create a second access is another that has not yet been explored.

Because of those open questions about road widening and drainage—matters that affect both feasibility and the neighborhood’s safety—the council directed the Planning Board to reassess the application with explicit instructions to address McMillan Street widening and drainage before the council again considers the preliminary plat.

The council closed the public hearing by unanimous vote before moving to other business. The referral to the Planning Board is procedural and does not approve the subdivision; final plat approval and any required land acquisitions or construction permits would follow separate reviews and approvals.