Williamston council approves sale of 39.54-acre Mahaffey Road parcel to Scout Realty for $300,000

The Williamston mayor and town council approved on second and final reading an ordinance to sell roughly 39.54 acres along East 1st Street and Mahaffey Road (TMS 248-00-08-008) to Scout Realty Group LLC for $300,000, the mayor said.

The mayor told council the parcel was previously tied to an agreement under a former administration that envisioned about 90 homes, but council reviewed that plan and decided against the higher density. “This is gonna be a net benefit for the town because previously we were basically giving it away and now we're getting this money for it,” a council member said during discussion.

The mayor said the developer has already incurred about $100,000 in site engineering costs and that the planning commission has approved the proposal. He said the town required a more protective site plan and additional green space beyond what the MFR zoning would ordinarily require; as structured, the town would retain stronger approval authority over the final buildout than under a generic development approval.

Council moved to adopt the ordinance (motion by Councilwoman Austin; second by Councilman Alexander), discussed the legal and zoning background, and answered questions about price and public process. The mayor explained that withdrawing the prior agreement could expose the town to legal claims and that selling the parcel for $300,000 produces revenue that the town otherwise would not have realized.

The council called the question and approved the ordinance by voice vote with no opposition. The mayor said specific sale terms will be approved by council before closing and that the mayor is authorized to execute deeds and related documents to effectuate the sale.

Next: the council moved on to a resolution naming an alternate representative for the regional water board and other business.