STALLINGS – Mayor David Scholl cast the deciding vote April 13 to break a 3-3 tie and approve a mixed-use development that will bring up to 118 townhomes and two commercial buildings off Stevens Mill Road.
The project, known as Stevens Village, will be divided into two areas. The commercial portion, which could include a drive-thru and gas station, will be along Idlewild Road and Stevens Mill Road. The townhomes will sit between the commercial buildings and the Shannamara neighborhood.
Residents raised concerns during the March 9 public hearing about traffic, site design, intensity of use and compatibility with the surrounding area, according to the staff report.
Mayor Pro Tem Brad Richardson said he was puzzled by the opposition. He joined council members Steven Ayers and Mike Couzens in supporting the rezoning.
“What’s been puzzling is that many in the community have been in favor of an existing property development plan that allows grocery store retail within a smaller setback right against your homes,” Richardson said.
He noted that Stevens Village includes a 50-foot buffer and fence between the townhomes and Shannamara, creating a better transition between the neighborhood and the proposed commercial uses. He also said the townhomes would generate less traffic than a fully built-out commercial development.
“Being a Shannamara resident, I echo Brad’s concerns that long-term having the buffer being the commercial project is not ideal, to put it bluntly,” Scholl said before casting the tie-breaking vote.
Council members Graham Hall, Jon Van de Riet and Laurie Wojtowicz voted against the rezoning. Hall said the project did not align with the town’s land-use plan. Van de Riet said it conflicted with the town’s economic development plan. Wojtowicz cited vagueness and inconsistencies regarding landscaping elements such as trees and berms.
Couzens said the conditional rezoning gave the town leverage to secure improvements to the project. The developer agreed to about a dozen conditions following the March 9 hearing, including one added shortly before the vote prohibiting a convenience store from operating 24 hours a day.
Additional conditions include:
• Limiting the convenience store to eight multi-product fuel dispensers
• Allowing no more than two drive-through windows
• Capping townhome height at 35 feet