SMITHFIELD – Three months after rejecting plans for Buffalo Ridge, a 210 lot subdivision in the Smithfield city limits, the town council reversed course and approved the development.
On September 17, in a 4-to-3 vote, the Smithfield Town Council approved plans for conditional rezoning for 140 acres of land on the west side of Buffalo Road near Hollard Drive, and just south of Smithfield Middle School. Councilmen David Barbour, Sloan Stevens, Roger Wood and John Dunn voted in favor. Councilmen Travis Scott, Steve Rabil, and Marlon Lee voted no.
One vote made a difference.
On June 18, the town council heard from the same developers and in a 4-to-3 vote denied the rezoning based on several concerns including smaller lot sizes. In the June vote, Councilman David Barbour, Sloan Stevens and John Dunn voted for the development. Councilman Travis Scott, Steve Rabil, Marlon Lee, and Roger Wood voted no.
Smithfield Land Group LLC of West End, NC owns the property at 1041 Buffalo Road. The parcel has 68 acres of wetlands, 19.5 acres in the floodway, 72.4 acres in the 100-year floodplain, and 7.4 acres in the 500-year floodplain, according to a report. The site is adjacent to the Neuse River on the west side.
64 of the proposed building lots would be located in the floodplain. By code, those lots will have to be elevated two foot above flood elevation.
92 of the 210 lots will average 6,000 square feet (0.137 acre), 57 lots will average 6,000 – 7,000 square feet, 34 from 7,000 to 8,000 square feet, and 27 lots will average 8,000 square feet or more, according to information presented during the public meeting.
Developers won approval after making what they called “significant changes” to the original application. The proposed subdivision will have two access points onto Buffalo Road and two street connections to Holland Drive. Two stormwater ponds will be constructed to collect stormwater and a mail kiosk with parking for 11 vehicles is included in the site plan near the southern entrance.
Architectural design standards from the town will require no less than two materials on the front facade of all homes, a minimum of one window per side, garages must have windows or decorative hardware, and all corner lot homes will be required to have no less than two windows on each visible side of the residence.
Phase one of the development is expected to begin in 2025 and build-out is will take approximately five years.
The town council deviated from minimum Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) standards while granting approval on September 17. Minimum lot widths were reduced from 70 to 50 feet, minimum lot areas were reduced from 8,000 to 6,000 square feet, front setbacks were reduced from 30 to 25 feet, side setbacks from 10 to 5 feet, and rear setbacks from 25 to 12 feet, except for a 25 foot setback for lots that touch existing Holland Drive parcels.
Some subdivision standards exceeded minimum Smithfield requirements including enhanced landscaping, architectural standards, concrete curb and gutter along Buffalo Road, and a looped trail.
Several local residents spoke in opposition of the subdivision, raising concerns about the high density of the lots, traffic, and whether Smithfield’s rapid growth is quality growth.
Emma Gemmell of Hancock Street addressed the town council saying she was opposed to the subdivision. “Are you pleased with how our citizens see you? Are we pleased with our direction? My thought is you have an opportunity to changed the direction in many ways, of density, quality, transparency, connectivity… and listen to your citizens. All of these high density projects have been objected to by neighbors for all the same reasons. The citizens weren’t listened to and very little, if anything, has changed… Pause and do something different. Growth as we have been told is coming and has come but can you get it better than you have done lately?”
Councilman Travis Scott said he was concerned about traffic the new subdivision would generate along Buffalo Road, including its close proximity to three schools.
Several conditions were placed on Buffalo Ridge subdivision developers including the elimination of on-street parking and minimum 12 foot by 22 foot garage sizes. Open space amenities, kiosk, parking lot areas and storm water management must be owned and maintained by an HOA.
And such as this is the reason I no longer live in Smithfield!