BY STACIE LETT CAIN

The Statesville City Council on Monday approved a rezoning request for a 500-plus unit housing development planned for a 100-acre parcel off Mocksville Highway.

The proposed River Hills development, located off Mocksville Highway between East Broad Street and River Hill Road, includes 33,600 square feet of retail space, 169 single-family homes, 34 cottages, and 336 apartments on a 107.93-acre site. About 46 acres have been set aside for a village green, pocket parks, a walking trail, landscaped areas and a pool.

There was not universal support for the $141 million project.

“This development and activity is not reasonable and we ask you to vote no,” Kenneth Robertson told council members during a public hearing at Monday’s council meeting. “This project is not what is best for our community and violates the rural nature of the area, forcing four-story apartment buildings on a predominantly agricultural area.”

Council member C.O. Johnson agreed, stating that the City of Statesville had paid good money for a Uniform Development Ordinance to be developed, only to grant the developer exceptions to allow a “traditional neighborhood feel” by decreasing the allowed set backs for the development, as well as allowing apartment buildings that surpass the current height restrictions.

“We are ignoring a tool we paid good money for by allowing them to put up higher apartment buildings, with lesser setbacks than we agreed was best for our city,” he stated. “Residential projects don’t bring in money to the city when they don’t use city water and electric and for those reasons, I am voting against this.”

But after nearly an hour of discussion, the council voted 7-1 to approve the rezoning.

Council member Kimberly Wasson explained her reason for supporting the project.

“This property came up for sale and was not preserved by the owners as agricultural land,” she said. “Once a person purchases it, it is their property, to do with what is legally allowed. This plan fits our UDO and that’s what this area was planned to be. I see no reason not to go ahead with it.”

The single-family homes will start at $400,000, and cottage homes at $200,000.

A homeowners association will maintain open spaces, trails and landscaping, as well as three drainage basins. The property will eventually need to be annexed into the city limits.

The city staff recommended approval of the rezoning, and the Planning Board narrowly supported the request after several members were critical of the density of the development, according to Assistant Planning Director Herman Caulder.

“There were a lot of discussions about this development,” he stated. “Density was definitely what weighed most on their minds.”

Councilman C.O. Johnson cast the only vote against the project.

Council approves mini-storage

The council also voted, this time against city staff recommendations, to approve rezoning of property on Turnersburg Highway between Highway 21 and Parcel Drive that would allow Fort Dobbs Mini Storage to be built on 10 acres of land. The business would be accessed off James Farm Road.

“The developer has agreed to a conditional rezoning, allowing only the mini-storage and no other use permitted under the zoning classification if we allow the proposed rezoning,” Caulder said.

Build out value for the land would be roughly $5 million, and there have been no neighborhood complaints against the project, but the city staff did not recommend going forward with it.

“This area is mostly residential, with minimal small business,” Caulder explained.
But the council did not let that dampen their enthusiasm for the need for this type of amenity in that area.

“Because this is a mostly residential area, with some small business, wouldn’t this be the ideal location for somewhere for those people to store their belongings?” Councilman Steve Johnson asked. “I think this would be a good place to have one.”

Councilman David Jones agreed with Johnson’s assessment, adding that there doesn’t seem to be a negative impact to the development proceeding.

“I believe this would be considered the highest and best use for this particular piece of property,” he said. “It does not seem to impact negatively our directive to protect the city’s corridors, and I think it’s reasonable that we proceed.”

The council unanimously approved the first reading of the rezoning request.