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Stallings council approves rezoning for small Stevens Mill parcel amid residents' traffic and buffer concerns
Summary
After extended public comment about traffic impacts and neighborhood buffers, the Stallings Town Council approved a general rezoning for 5749 Stevens Mill Road. Residents pressed for a new traffic study and masonry wall buffers; council members said the parcel's inclusion helps integrate an already-approved commercial plan.
The Stallings Town Council voted to approve a general rezoning for a small parcel at 5749 Stevens Mill Road (RZ24101) after a public hearing that featured several residents urging delay, a new traffic study and stronger buffers between the proposed commercial center and the adjacent Shannamara neighborhood.
Residents who spoke at the public comment period asked the council to require an 8-foot masonry wall or stamped-concrete barrier rather than a chain-link or standard wooden fence, and to relocate dumpsters farther from homes. Constance Kuno, Tom Twitchell and John Folz each said existing rush-hour traffic is already congested and that adding commercial uses without a fresh traffic impact analysis (TIA) would worsen safety near neighborhood entrances and a toddler pool.
Town staff and engineering representatives said the TIA that informed corridor improvements was conducted between November 2021 and July 2023 and incorporated several surrounding developments; it applied a 1% annual compounding growth assumption through 2030 and modeled lane additions where warranted. Engineers said detailed movement counts and maps are available in the study but were not presented in full during the hearing.
During council debate, members emphasized the narrow legal scope of the rezoning before them: a general rezoning changes allowed land uses for the specific parcel but does not itself bind the applicant to the voluntary concessions discussed in neighborhood meetings. Several council members said incorporating the parcel into the adjoining, already-approved site plan could allow the developer to reconfigure entrances and move dumpsters farther from residences, which council staff indicated could be done as an amendment to the approved concept plan.
Council member Richardson moved to approve the rezoning; another council member seconded. The motion was announced as adopted with council declaring "all in favor." The record does not include a roll-call tally of individual yes/no votes.
The council and staff committed to continued transparency and to providing further information about traffic modeling and the distance between the proposed signal and the Shannamara entrance. The mayor and staff also noted the town would follow up with the district engineer for an independent review of the corridor design and signal spacing.
Next steps: with the rezoning approved, the parcel owner may submit revised site plans to incorporate the parcel into the larger concept plan; any conditional rezoning or site-specific commitments would require a separate applicant-initiated filing.
