Granite Quarry planners give preliminary OK to 250-home subdivision
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 14, 2017
GRANITE QUARRY — The Granite Quarry Planning Board reviewed plans Monday for a 250-home subdivision off Faith Road.
In the end, the board approved a preliminary plat for the 109-acre development, proposed by LGI Homes.
The subdivision, which has been named The Village at Granite, would include 250 homes on 100 acres and, in future phases, allow for 40 units of multifamily housing on 5.68 acres and commercial development on 3 acres.
In general, the subdivision site lies on the west side of Faith Road between Heilig and St. Paul’s Church roads. More precisely, the 109 acres is between Byrd Road (on the opposite side of Faith Road) and Lyerly Pond Road.
The development would be within the Granite Quarry city limits. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities would provide water; the town of Faith, sewer.
Some 11 new residential streets are planned in a total buildout. The primary entrance would be off Faith Road. The multifamily and commercial development would be close to Faith Road with access off Granite Parkway.
LGI Homes is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. The company builds houses in North Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee.
LGI has N.C. offices in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh.
Planning Board member Donna Goodman asked a company representative what would be the median price and square footage of homes in The Village at Granite, but the land development manager referred those questions to the LGI sales and marketing staff, which was not present.
Several people asked questions about the plan during a courtesy hearing. Town Planner Steve Blount said he also received telephone calls about the project from Clifton Byrd, Betty Lippard and Mary McMillan.
“Am I going to have a business next to my house or condo?” Curtis Kesler of 3040 Faith Road asked during Monday’s hearing.
Kesler’s property lies adjacent to the proposed development. He also wanted to know if there would be a privacy fence separating his property from The Village at Granite, what plans existed to address drainage issues and whether local schools could accommodate the new children that might result from the subdivision.
“It’s quite an influx of people,” Kesler said.
Tom Martin said his property at 2940 Faith Road would be adjacent to the commercial phase of the development. He wanted to know whether turning lanes would be added to Faith Road at the entrance.
Martin also asked whether an earthen berm similar to what’s in place at The Gables at Kepley Farm would be added along Faith Road as screening.
Blount said berms, buffers and fencing are addressed in the town’s Unified Development Ordinance, spelling out what’s needed to separate commercial from residential properties.
Preliminary drawings call for collection ponds to address drainage issues, and Blount said turn lanes would be added to Faith Road in both directions.
Blount described what the Planning Board was seeing Monday as “the idea plan, the general scope plan.” He said the construction could happen in phases, “but the phases could happen very quickly.”
A technical review committee for the town will review engineering drawings for The Village at Granite. Its recommendations will go back to the developer for changes. A final plat will have to be recorded later with the Register of Deeds Office.
The acreage already has the zoning that is required. Blount said he expects the demolition of some old barn buildings in the middle of the property to occur in the near future. Some tree removal and surveying also are underway.
Construction is expected to start sometime next year.
The Planning Board approved the preliminary plat with the addition of seven conditions, related to items such as all internal streets having to be built to N.C. Department of Transportation standards; that the turn lanes on Faith Road are included; that internal streets have all the necessary turnarounds for emergency equipment; and that some proposed street names be changed because they exist elsewhere in Rowan County.
Blount noted discussion and planning for a subdivision on this site started in 2007, but there were many delays, extensions and expirations through the years leading up to the need for another preliminary plat approval Monday.
In other business Monday, the Planning Board voted 3-2 to recommend that Granite Quarry businesses be allowed to sell alcohol beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday rather than noon, which is the current law.
The recommendation will go to the Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen.
Planning Board member Mark Troublefield said he favors giving businesses the extra two hours of selling time. It could increase tax revenues for the town and allow for some people, heading toward High Rock Lake for a day’s recreation, the opportunity to purchase alcohol on their way out of town.
Troublefield joined Goodman and Aubrey Smith in voting for the change, which has been called the “Brunch Bill” in legislative circles. David Trexler and Jerry Austin were against the change.
Before the Planning Board adjourned, Blount gave members some of his draft recommendations on downtown design guidelines to help the town reach some of its Downtown Master Plan goals.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.