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Developers preview large mixed-use and residential projects in Garner; council presses on traffic, open space and revenue
Summary
Two development previews drew detailed council feedback: Liberty Healthcare's proposed senior-focused mixed-use rezoning near Lake Wheeler/1010 Road would allow up to 450 units and 38,000 sq ft of nonresidential uses; Saxum's Village at Big Branch concept proposes ~55 acres of mixed home types and townhomes. Council asked for traffic studies, tree-preservation calculations, lot-width clarifications and discussion of revenue implications.
The March 31 work session included two development-preview presentations that councilmembers said were useful for shaping future public hearings.
Liberty Healthcare (represented by Worth Mills) presented a Tier 1 rezoning concept for approximately 28.3 acres at the northeast corner of Lake Wheeler and 1010 Road, near the new Costco. The applicant proposed rezoning from rural agricultural to commercial mixed-use conditional to allow a mixed-use community with age-restricted multifamily housing (marketed to 55+ residents), up to 450 units, up to 38,000 square feet of nonresidential uses, and building heights up to five stories. Mills said renderings show elevators and a sizeable clubhouse integrated into a principal multifamily building. Council members asked for clarity on tree-canopy and open-space calculations, whether tree-preservation requirements should be calculated across the full 28.3 acres, and whether an affordability commitment should be included.
The Village at Big Branch team (Saxum, represented by Marie Farmer and Dan Servideo) previewed a 55-acre annexation and rezoning concept in the Garner ETJ at Auburn Church Road and East Garner Road. The plan envisions a variety of housing types (single-family, duplexes, townhouses), active and passive open space, and frontage improvements; the project proposes class-A rental units and discussed townhome and duplex designs. Councilmembers asked questions about traffic impacts (TIA work ongoing), infrastructure capacity, lot widths and parking implications, and how product mix aligns with the town's revenue objectives. Saxum said they had reviewed the town's cost-of-services study and believe the project is above break-even on municipal costs.
Both developer teams were thanked for early engagement; staff said they would return revised conditions or additional data (traffic counts, tree-preservation breakdowns, utility capacity) before formal public hearings.
