Nearly 40 newly approved townhomes will be built next to the Holly Hills Carriage Homes on Route 199 — but the reaction from future neighbors is mixed.
City Council on Thursday approved a request from developer Cale Management to rezone the property to remove proffers limiting them to 20 dwelling units on the 6.8-acre property that is accessed through a stoplight at the intersection of Route 199 and Brookwood Drive.
In exchange, the developers will reimburse the city $60,000 for the construction of a sidewalk from the neighborhoods to Jamestown Road.
“Council heard what the residents had to say and appreciated the perspective,” Mayor Paul Freiling said after the meeting. “We shared the concerns with the developer, who modified his proposal as time went on to their input, and we eventually supported the rezoning because we believe it’s in the best interest of the entire community.”
However, 65 residents of the surrounding area signed a petition that was submitted to the city, asking the council to deny the request and prevent the construction of the homes.
Many residents voiced their opposition by sending letters and emails to city staff over the previous months, and those messages were compiled in meeting documents.
The concerns of those against the project generally centered on an increase in the number of residential townhomes approved for the property, additional traffic at the stoplight and the shared entrance to both neighborhoods.
“Holly Hills Carriage Homes [homeowners] in general have all accepted that 20 were to be built similar to ours. Many of us purchased our homes with this information,” resident Kim Arnston said in an email to city staff. “This current proposal allows for far too many units for the single entrance/exit to the neighborhood.”
A city staff report said the intersection could handle the additional traffic produced by 38 new units.
Others were worried about the maintenance and restoration of the retention pond that both developments will share. The pond is maintained through monthly dues paid by the owners of the carriage homes, and homeowners agreed they would like to see the developers contribute to the cost of its maintenance.
By Thursday, some residents had changed their position after a meeting with Cale and legal counsel Dan Quarles earlier this week.
“That meeting was very, very constructive,” Holly Hills Carriage Homes Treasurer Susan Langston said. “Mr. Cale assured us he had read our letters and heard our voices. Accordingly, his plans now address our concerns.”
Langston added she believes the request for increased density is appropriate given current market conditions, but she maintained her concerns about traffic.
“I feel we have had some victory in this,” Langston said, adding she now thinks the townhomes and their owners will make fitting neighbors. She thanked council for hearing her concerns.
The application was the third the developers submitted for the property in the last year.
The first, submitted in November, called for the construction of about 50 high-end rental apartments, according to meeting documents.
The second called for 50 townhomes, but the developers decided to build fewer homes with their current application. Both applications requested residential density that did not comply with the city’s comprehensive plan.
“To get to this point, we’ve really listened to their concerns and have taken them seriously,” said developer John Cale of Cale Management. “I truly think this is a reasonable plan and it’s a pretty good compromise, and it’s in line with the comprehensive plan.”
Some residents said they remained concerned that floor plans and exterior designs for the townhomes are not yet publicly available.
Floor plans for the homes have not yet been decided, Cale said. The developers are deciding between five or six options.
“It’s a smaller version of the same quality and standards of the carriage homes,” Cale said.
The townhomes will be 1,800 square feet, and they will be priced beginning in the low-$300,000s.
Cale said the homes will be two stories with street parking, or three stories if garages are installed on the ground floor. Residents will have multiple floor plans to pick from, all of which will have at least 2½ baths.
The homes will come with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and with hardwood floors through most of the living area, Cale said. The exterior architecture and materials used will be consistent with those of the neighboring development.
The developers will still need to obtain approval from the city’s Architectural Review Board for their designs, and a site plan will also need to be reviewed by the Planning Commission.
In the meantime, the owners of the carriage homes will have to hope the designs will meet their expectations.
“It’s sort of a wait and see now,” carriage home resident Lorri Veden said. “If [Cale] sticks with the original plan it’ll be a good thing.”
