SMITHFIELD – A developer seeking approval for a new subdivision on NC Highway 210 in Smithfield will have to wait another month before learning whether or not it will be approved.
At the September 7th meeting of the Smithfield Town Council, Representatives with StrongRock Engineering presented plans for Marin Woods, a 143 lot subdivision on a 31.5 acre tract of land out of a 57 acre parcel owned by Keener Lumber Company. The property is just west of Skyland Drive.
The subdivision would consist of 49 detached single family homes and 94 townhomes, averaging 4.53 homes per acre. Single family home sizes would range from 1,600 to 3,200 square feet.
Like the recently approved Wade Park (Floyd Landing) subdivision, developers are asking the town to provide numerous variances to the Unified Development Ordinance. In this case, developers want nine variances including smaller lot sizes, setback requirements and street width.
The Town requires a minimum lot size of 8,000 square feet (0.18 acre) per home. Marlin Woods would have average lots of 5,882 square feet. Single family home lot widths would be 55 feet, while the town requires 70 feet. Front, side and rear setbacks would also be less than what the town stipulates.
UDO code requires a minimum of 30 feet between townhouses. The development is seeking 16 foot widths. The cul-de-sac length would also be 50 foot shorter than minimum town code.
However, some of the improvements exceeds minimum requirements including additional open space, enhanced street lighting, street trees, sidewalks on both sides of streets, recreational and architectural standards.
Planning Director Stephen Wensman said staff was concerned about the narrow lots, and limited parking. Mayor Andy Moore questioned the plans reliance of on-street parking. Only 24 off-street parking spaces are included in the master plan.
The Council tabled approval of the master plan until October to give the applicant time to meet with planning staff to attempt to work out some of their concerns.
I can’t help but laugh and wonder why we have setbacks and building codes if we let everyone that applies get a waiver for them. If you want subdivisions to look a certain way, ordinances should coincide with that view but obviously it doesn’t or someone’s getting kickbacks under the table.
Would you look at this human ant-farm! Why would anyone what to live like this? If you fart your neighbor knows what you had for lunch. Why are these crap-holes being allowed in our county? I know I’m not the only one who is absolutely disgusted by these subdivision popping up at every corner of this county. We are already OVER populated!! STOP ALLOWING THIS BS!!!
Isn’t this property in a major flood plain? Not to mention the county is out of water and sewer capacity and school are overcrowded. What are these people thinking?? Please consider using forward thinking over immediate greed!!
Yes it is! I happen to be going into smithfield today so drove right by it and laughed as it is right where the flooding was so bad during matthew and florence too I believe! Houses all around it that had to be Demo’d or gutted and fixed.
And yet people will still move in there. Ugh, all this building is crazy. Some people will never learn.
It’s actually on the very edge of the flood plain that particular tract didn’t flood but it got really close, as soon as you get to the first group of houses on the right the floods start right there. To many neighborhoods and not enough infrastructure to handle it freaking insane greed.
Greedy a** developers should be horse whipped! Let them go live in this overcrowded turdhole, instead of the spacious grand homes that most of them reside comfortably.
People that are approving these things are people that were voted in. The only way to fix this is to vote new people in. The biggest problem is many of them are getting voted in by the “Good Old Boy” system. Its time to stop this mess and stand up to tell them this isn’t what we want as a town.
It’s kind of ironic that two of the Johsnton County Commisioners have interest or conflict of interest when it comes to these new developments. Follow the money.
They opened the door to requests for bypassing regulations when they granted all those variances on the Wade Park subdivision.
Great comments
I moved out of Wake Forest to get away from this type of living. Sad people think is is how to bring up a family.