Council approves Evolve Phase 2 final plat with note that street will remain disconnected

The Mebane City Council approved the final plat for Evolve Phase 2 on a motion that requires a note be added to the plat stating Shady Park Drive will remain disconnected from Longleaf Pine Place with appropriate signage.

City Attorney Lawson Brown told the council that "based on our review of the record, we are of the opinion that it was a stub out road and not a cul de sac," and planning staff told council members the construction plans approved in September 2025 "show that the 2 streets will not connect" and that there will be "10 to 15 feet of nothing between the pavement." Resident Stan Tessler urged the council not to approve the site plan because it "looks like a road that will connect," arguing the developer had previously offered a cul-de-sac during earlier proceedings.

Councilors debated whether the minutes and video footage supported a cul-de-sac or a stub-out; staff and the attorney said the recorded approvals and construction plans control and that any future change to connect the streets would require a public hearing. A motion to approve the final plat with the staff-drafted note carried; one council member voted no, saying they wanted to see the note physically on the final plat before approving.

The council directed staff to add the agreed language to the final recorded prints and confirmed the city clerk must sign to certify the plat matches council approval. The attorney reiterated that any later request to open or connect the road would require a return to council and a public hearing, because the council's past action and the plat are controlling.