A large Planned Unit Development (PUD) has been approved for the Cleveland community.
Developers of Wellesley, a 243 home community on 162 acres was approved unanimously by Johnston County Commissioners on Monday night. The subdivision will be located along McLemore and Matthews Roads at Cleveland Road.
Commissioners approved the necessary rezoning petition for the property owned by Wells Brothers, LLC. Due to increased traffic, developers have agreed to install a traffic signal on Cleveland Road at Matthews Road. Once completed the streets will be turned over to the NC Department of Transportation.
Councilman Allen Mims asked if the streets and cul-de-sacs could accommodate school buses. Donnie Adams with Adams and Hodge Engineering said there would be no issues for the buses.
The county requires 10 percent of the land in a PUD be set aside for open space. In Wellesley, developers plan to have a total of 64 acres of open space well above the minimum requirements. All streets will have curb, gutters and sidewalks. There will also be an additional 3 mile paved walking trail. A 50 foot buffer will surround the entire site.
Four neighbors spoke in opposition of the development. Elizabeth McLemore Brown who lives on McLemore Road said her family has been in the area for generations and she was concerned about traffic, including increased pedestrian traffic walking to the nearby ball fields at Cleveland, and the impact on schools. Gail Williams who lives on Lassiter Farms Lane also expressed concerns about added traffic congestion.
Don Hare, whose property adjoins Wellesley, said he was concerned about some of the smaller homes in the development being located close to his property line. He expressed concerns it could lower his property value.
Children in the subdivision will attend Cleveland Elementary, Cleveland Middle and Cleveland High School.
Homes will be connected to Johnston County water and sewer.
After commissioners voted to approve the developer’s request, Chairman Jeff Carver encouraged them to have a conversation with their neighbors to address some of their concerns.
