Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Z4325 Litchford topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Litchford Road rezoning paused after residents warn Johnsdale safety could worsen
Summary
Neighbors told the Planning Commission the proposed Litchford Road rezoning would overload Johnsdale Road and threaten student safety; the applicant agreed to work with staff and return Aug. 11, and the commission deferred the vote.
The Planning Commission on June 23 deferred consideration of rezoning case Z4325 (6309 Litchford Road) to Aug. 11 after residents and commissioners raised questions about traffic, school‑hour safety and how proposed access restrictions would operate in practice.
Applicant counsel Amy Kraut told the commission the application was revised from an earlier R‑10 request to R‑6, reduced the maximum buildable units from 54 to 47 and included a condition restricting vehicular access to Johnsdale Road unless that frontage is rebuilt to city standards (31 feet back‑to‑back curb with at least one‑side sidewalk). Kraut said the developer will request a driveway permit from NCDOT for access to Litchford Road and that, if that permit is not granted, the project would be capped at 32 homes.
Neighbors — including Larissa Green and Philip Brown — urged the commission to reject or further constrain the application, saying the narrow, county‑built Johnsdale Road has no sidewalks, is heavily used by Millbrook High School traffic, and already experiences safety incidents. "This proposal represents growth ahead of infrastructure," Brown said, citing crash history and clustered access points along Litchford and Johnsdale.
Transportation planner Carter Robertson said the city has documented needs for sidewalks and safety on Litchford and Johnsdale but has no funded capital project or construction timeline; he noted Litchford is identified for future improvement in the active mobility plan but is not in the current five‑year 'big jump' funding list.
Commissioners acknowledged the applicant’s revised conditions but said more detail is needed from both the applicant and staff — especially on how access restrictions would be enforced, how traffic would be routed if access to Johnsdale is limited, and on coordination with NCDOT. The commission deferred the item by unanimous consent.
What happens next: The applicant will refine conditions and work with planning and transportation staff, and the case will return to the commission Aug. 11 with additional documentation and, if available, NCDOT input.
Key quote: "Restricting access to Johnsdale will not mitigate traffic impacts," resident Larissa Green told the commission; transportation staff responded that the access restriction is intended to direct traffic away from Johnsdale and toward Litchford, subject to NCDOT review.
