Belmont council approves conditional rezoning for Saki Express after traffic study and conditions

Belmont City Council voted 3–2 on Nov. 17 to approve a conditional rezoning of parcel 186572 to allow a Saki Express restaurant, attaching requirements for on‑site lane configuration and a condition that any expansion into morning peak hours must return to council for amendment.

Council and staff limited tonight’s discussion to the traffic study required after the Sept. 2 public hearing. Chester Jones of the planning department introduced the traffic consultant and noted the study had been provided in the council packet. The traffic engineering consultant said the study compared no‑build, build and build‑plus‑five‑years scenarios and used a conservative “fast‑food with drive‑thru” trip generation to model worst‑case impacts, while acknowledging the Saki tenant is likely a lower‑volume “fast‑casual” operation.

The consultant said the study estimated up to 1,684 daily trips in an aggressive scenario and analyzed peak‑hour effects, pass‑by trips and local crash/speed history. The consultant summarized the capacity results by saying certain movements (notably the westbound left at Wilkinson & Sixth and some northbound approaches) degraded under the build scenario, and recommended mitigations that could include restricting left turns from Sixth onto Wilkinson or physical median work subject to NCDOT approval.

On site access, the consultant and staff recommended a three‑lane cross‑section to avoid queuing that could spill into the public right‑of‑way; staff’s report described either a second egress lane or a second ingress lane as workable options. An applicant representative told council the developer was amenable to adding the additional lane configuration the city requested and had the change in their original plan.

Planning staff presented two practical alternatives to a full NCDOT intersection project: (1) require the three‑lane site access (to manage internal queuing), and (2) place a condition that if the restaurant’s operating hours expand to include the AM peak (roughly 6:30–8:30 a.m.), the applicant must return for an amendment so council can require additional mitigation. Staff noted the PM peak did not cross the municipal code mitigation threshold under the study assumptions for the proposed Saki hours, but the AM peak impacts would, if the site ever operated in that time window.

Councillors voiced split views. Supporters pointed to the developer’s willingness to accept site‑access changes and to the city’s interest in replacing an underused parcel with an occupied business; opponents emphasized safety and the risk that restricting left turns could divert cut‑through traffic onto Sixth Street. After debate, Councilmember Jason moved to approve the conditional rezoning with the lane‑configuration condition and the requirement that any change to allow AM operations must trigger an amendment to the conditions of approval; Councilmember Alex seconded. The motion passed 3–2.

The council’s action requires the developer to construct the agreed lane configuration and preserves council oversight should operating hours or use intensity change. The ordinance under consideration was CA 202503; staff and the consultant noted that any signage, striping or median work in the state right‑of‑way will require NCDOT review and approval.

What’s next: the conditional rezoning is approved subject to the stated conditions. If the tenant or site owner seeks to change operating hours or the intensity of the use, they must return to council for an amendment and potential additional mitigation. NCDOT approval will be required for any work or traffic control change in the state right‑of‑way.