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Public hearing on proposed 149-lot Peach Orchard subdivision continued after safety, access and environmental concerns
Summary
Council opened a public hearing on a developer's request to annex and rezone 175 acres for a 149-lot conservation subdivision on Peach Orchard Road but voted to continue the hearings to Aug. 10 so the applicant can study a grade-separated pedestrian crossing and respond to questions about northern access across a conservation easement, sight distance and environmental tests.
Planning staff presented a proposal by PY Home Company LLC to annex two non-contiguous parcels on Peach Orchard Road and rezone them to a conditional low-density residential district to allow a 149-lot conservation subdivision and a 20-acre public park. The council opened the public hearing but unanimously continued consideration to August 10 to give the applicant time to address unresolved safety and access issues.
Shelley, the planner presenting the item, described the project layout: 65 lots on the northeast side of Peach Orchard Road, 84 on the southwest side, 52.7 acres of open space (exceeding the 30% conservation-subdivision requirement), and a developer commitment to dedicate 20 acres to the town for a public park that would include two full-size soccer fields, a minimum 150-space parking area, a children's play area and a utility stub for a future restroom.
Concerns raised during the planning-board hearing and repeated at council included: limited northern access to the 65-lot northeastern parcel (an access point crosses a conservation easement and includes a narrow 60-foot gap), the feasibility of stub-road connections to adjacent parcels that the applicant does not control, the curvature, speed and sight-distance issues on Peach Orchard Road, environmental questions including wetlands and potential buried debris, and safety around any at-grade pedestrian crossing proposed for the park.
An at-grade HAWK signal had been proposed for a pedestrian crossing, but planning staff added a condition requiring a grade-separated crossing (either a pedestrian bridge over Peach Orchard or an underpass/route under a nearby structure) as part of the development agreement. Staff and the town's fire marshal advised the council that the developer's revised access design (separating the park access roadway from parking circulation and widening the segment) meets North Carolina fire-code access requirements; the developer is also pursuing a potential secondary emergency access along a 60-foot utility (gas) easement with Piedmont Gas.
Residents who spoke during the hearing urged caution. Mike Wallace told the council the 60-foot conservation-easement gap the developer proposes to use contains creek channel geometry and utilities and warned that if future access were impractical the lots could be effectively landlocked. Another nearby resident, John Rowski, urged the council to slow approvals until road infrastructure keeps pace with new development.
Applicant representative Lisa Thompson requested the continuance and said the developer will study grade-separated crossing options and provide additional information for the council. Council voted to continue the annexation petition, zoning-map amendment and development-agreement items to the Aug. 10 Town Council meeting; staff will re-notify adjacent property owners as part of the continuation.
Provenance: Planning presentation and public hearing opening (Shelley): SEG 3371—SEG 3672. Public comment and council motions to continue: SEG 3673—SEG 4154.
Speakers (selected): Shelley (planning staff), Lisa Thompson (applicant representative), Mike Wallace (resident), John Rowski (resident).
