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Residents say Stanley Martin land‑use change threatens wildlife, schools and county finances
Summary
Multiple residents asked the board to deny or revisit a 271‑acre land‑use change requested by Stanley Martin, citing habitat loss, school capacity limits, traffic and long‑term fiscal impacts if medium‑density zoning is approved.
Across several public comments, residents urged commissioners to deny a planning‑commission recommendation to change 271 acres from rural preservation to residential medium density for the Stanley Martin property on Lawrence Hayden Road.
Emily Johnson told the commissioners that under current zoning Stanley Martin is capped at seven homes but under the developer’s requested changes “they are proposing to build 415 homes,” and she estimated that with further mechanisms up to 1,300 homes could be possible. Multiple speakers said a 4–3 planning commission vote in favor, two votes by licensed real‑estate professionals, appeared conflicted and that developer promises (donated land for an elementary expansion or park) were nonbinding.
Other speakers cited environmental and infrastructure concerns: potential loss of wildlife corridors, increased runoff and flooding risk, strain on schools already operating over capacity, and unknown costs for roads and sewer that could fall to taxpayers. Dan King described the rezoning as an immediate increase in property value for the developer and argued the public hearing and planning process did not give residents adequate opportunity to respond. The board said it will incorporate public comments into its deliberations during the formal decision-making process.
