Hope Mills OKs two residential zoning/site‑plan requests, approves revised plan that cuts units

The Hope Mills Board of Commissioners on April 20 approved two land‑use requests: an initial zoning of 2.44 acres to R7.5 and a revision to a previously approved 50.76‑acre site plan that reduces the number of townhomes and preserves additional natural acreage.

Planning staff presented the first request, ZNG‑001‑26, for initial zoning of a small undeveloped lot to R7.5, telling the board the change “falls within the current guidelines of the county future land use plan” and noting water and sewer availability. The board opened the public hearing; no members of the public spoke. The board voted to approve the initial zoning as consistent with the county plan.

The larger item, ZNG‑002‑26, involved a site‑plan revision for a mixed‑residential project adjacent to the former golf‑course property and existing single‑family neighborhoods. Planning staff said the applicant’s redesign reduces disturbed area and cuts about 18 townhomes from the earlier plan, leaving roughly 14 acres undeveloped. Staff also flagged required mitigation tied to outside agencies: a DOT deceleration (right‑turn) lane at the project entrance and a stormwater/utility outfall that forced a redesign of the original layout.

Commissioners discussed traffic and emergency access during the meeting. Staff said the developer will install a secondary roadway that meets fire‑code requirements for a secondary entrance (surface able to support emergency vehicles) and that the DOT has required a deceleration lane as part of separate state permitting. A resident who spoke during the public hearing raised concerns about the adequacy of traffic improvements and asked who will maintain the required six‑foot privacy fence; planning staff responded that the fence will be installed by the developer on private property and remain the developer’s responsibility.

Planning staff told the board the revised plan still adheres to previously agreed conditional‑zoning requirements—buffers and a six‑foot privacy fence along the neighborhood—while the formal development‑review process will verify details (zero‑lot lines, buffer locations, stormwater and civil plan compliance) before construction permits are issued. The board voted to approve the site‑plan revision (final recorded vote 4–1). The approvals permit the applicant to proceed to detailed civil review and permitting under the revised layout.

What happens next: the developer must submit full construction documents for town plan review, satisfy stormwater and fire‑marshal requirements, and coordinate DOT work on the turn lane. The town’s plan‑review team will confirm conditions such as the buffer and zero‑lot‑line before construction permits are issued.