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Planning board recommends Rigsbee Estates preliminary plat for 43-lot subdivision in Bingham Township
Summary
On May 6, 2026 the Orange County Planning Board voted to recommend approval of the Rigsbee Estates preliminary plat: a 43-lot subdivision at 3531 NC Highway 54 W totaling about 61.11 acres with 57.66% (≈35.24 acres) of common open space. Staff found the plat consistent with the prior conditional-district rezoning and UDO standards.
The Orange County Planning Board voted May 6 to recommend approval of the preliminary plat for Rigsbee Estates, a 43-lot major subdivision proposed at 3531 NC Highway 54 West in the Bingham Township.
Planner Lauren Honeycutt told the board the parcel is roughly 61.11 acres in the portion subject to the conditional-district rezoning approved by the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 7, 2025. The rezoning capped the project at 43 lots; the preliminary plat conforms to that cap and to the county's flexible-development provisions. Honeycutt said the proposal designates about 57.66 percent of the site — roughly 35.24 acres — as common open space, split between about 12 acres of primary open space (environmentally sensitive areas such as floodplain and stream buffers) and about 23 acres of secondary open space intended for recreation and community gathering.
Staff analysis presented to the board concluded the preliminary plat meets applicable requirements in Articles 6 and 7 of the Unified Development Ordinance and that the property is of sufficient size for the proposed subdivision. Honeycutt recommended that the board receive the application and recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners.
Board member Statler Gilfillen asked about an apparent acreage discrepancy on the plat (61.11 acres) and the recorded parcel acreage (63.99). Honeycutt explained the difference is a separately recorded homestead parcel in the northwest corner that is not part of the conditional-district portion of the application; the preliminary plat acreage reflects the portion proposed for subdivision.
After confirming there were no public comments on the item and that the applicant did not intend a separate presentation, Statler Gilfillen moved to approve the preliminary plat as presented; Venkat Yendapalli seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
What happens next: the Planning Board's recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners, which will take the final action on the conditional-district-related subdivision. Per staff, required permits and any performance guarantees (for example, stormwater or landscaping bonds) must be posted or otherwise secured as part of the plat process before final plats are recorded.
The board adjourned at 9:48 p.m.
