Morrisville council denies Church Street rezoning request after debate over density, traffic and right‑of‑way

The Morrisville Town Council voted 6–1 on July 8 to deny ordinance 2025-46-0, a rezoning request from developer Milbury Communities for parcels on Church Street that would have changed the land to a conditional medium‑density residential district and included right‑of‑way dedication and affordable housing commitments.

The applicant, Spencer Merritt of Milbury Communities, told council the conditional plan aims to deliver single‑family and attached housing with sustainability commitments and a small affordable housing component, and said the project team had attempted traffic modeling that assumed future roadway projects would ease congestion. Merritt said the developer could pursue a by‑right option that would allow roughly 150 units (duplex/“by‑right” scenario) but argued the conditional proposal offered design and community benefits the by‑right outcome would not.

Planning manager Elliot Ward summarized the proposal and staff’s recommended conditions, including dedication of land for the Airport Boulevard extension and a set of site and sustainability commitments. Ward said the conditional rezoning would require council approval and that a by‑right design would trigger different street and lot standards.

Council members split sharply on whether the benefits outweighed the impacts. Council Member Fender and Mayor Pam Garamela said they were concerned the proposed upzoning contradicted the 2021 comprehensive plan’s low‑density designation and would add strain to the town’s roads, parks and schools. Fender also emphasized the lack of a final traffic impact analysis and uncertainty about timing for the NCDOT projects developers had modeled.

Other council members said the conditional proposal included infrastructure and affordable‑housing commitments that would not be required under a by‑right approach. One council member urged not to let “the perfect be the enemy of the good” and weighed the added units and conditions against unmet local housing needs.

After discussion, Mayor Pam Garamela moved to deny the rezoning; the motion carried 6–1. Council asked staff to continue engaging with impacted neighborhoods and to ensure future applications include clearer traffic analysis and right‑of‑way detail. The applicant was thanked for the outreach and told the council the denial leaves the option to pursue a by‑right submittal.

The denial resolves ordinance 2025-46-0 for now; further development options remain with the applicant under the town’s UDO and site‑plan processes.