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Warren County Planning Board conditionally approves 337‑lot Villas at Lake Gaston subdivision
Summary
The Warren County Planning Board voted June 2 to approve the final plat for the Villas at Lake Gaston, a proposed 337‑lot subdivision on Peete Farm Road, subject to NCDOT approval, required bonds, utility plans, shown stream easements and monumentation after hearing objections from an adjacent landowner about easements.
The Warren County Planning Board on June 2 conditionally approved the final plat for the Villas at Lake Gaston, a proposed 337‑lot subdivision on Peete Farm Road, after staff listed required corrections and after an adjacent landowner raised unresolved easement concerns.
Mark Bloomer, Zoning Director, told the board the proposed lots would be served by septic and possibly county water, with six home styles planned, and he listed outstanding items that must be completed before final plat approval: posting the required NCDOT road construction bond and receiving NCDOT approval of road plans; submitting telephone and electric service connection plans; adding a private boat ramp to provide Fire/EMS lake access; county approval of road and utility bonds and the associated Articles of Agreement; showing stream easements on sheets CS-103, CS-104, CS-105 and CS-107; and verifying that corner lots and curve points are monumented with iron pipes or stakes per ordinance requirements.
Scotty Jaster, the property owner proposing the Villas at Lake Gaston, presented the project to the board and said it would bring county benefits including paving Peete Farm Road, providing land for Fire and EMS access, and adding revenue for county and school finances. Jaster told the board he intends to follow the county's subdivision ordinances and to tailor planning and approval steps to meet requirements.
Attorney David Pokela, speaking on behalf of adjacent property owner Richard Blankenship, presented illustrations and argued the final plat still fails to address easements affecting the Peete/Blankenship property. Blankenship reiterated that he is not opposed to development but asked that existing rules, regulations and laws be followed and said his easement concerns remain unresolved. The attorney asked the board not to approve the final plat as presented.
Assistant County Manager Matt Garner reminded the board of their procedural responsibilities and said the 90‑day review period began with the first review on April 7, 2026; he noted that, absent a decision, the county would have to hold a special meeting by July 6, 2026 to avoid automatic acceptance under the statutory review timeline.
Board member Forest Alston moved to approve the Final Plat for the Villas at Lake Gaston subject to the conditions identified by staff. Jessica Harvey seconded the motion. The motion carried with all members in agreement except for one non‑vote; the board did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript.
The board set its next regular meeting for July 7, 2026, and the meeting adjourned.
Notes: The final plat approval was conditional. The transcript records required items to be added or approved before final acceptance (NCDOT bond/approval; utility service plans; county bond and Articles of Agreement; stream easements shown on specific sheets; monumentation). The adjacent owner’s easement objections were presented and remain a point of record; the board’s conditional approval does not itself resolve whether those easements are sufficient for the Blankenship property.
