By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com
Two new apartment complexes with a combined capacity of 744 units received the green light from the Sanford City Council last week to proceed with development. If construction is completed over the next year or so, they will nearly encircle the Hawkins Run subdivision on the northern edge of the city.
The first project is a single tract of land submitted by developer Mark Lyczkowski consisting of 22.27 acres with frontage on Hawkins Avenue, U.S. 421, and Cape Jasmine Drive that is located within the southern boundary of Hawkins Run. The rezoning changes the land’s designation from Residential Mixed (R-12) to the Hawkins Village Apartments Conditional Zoning District. The site is currently vacant and partially wooded.
The city Planning Board recommended the rezoning request be approved, but also recommended that Lyczkowski dedicate a portion of the project for commercial use close to Hawkins Avenue with space for everyday retail essentials and personal services.
The Hawkins Village project would consist of 12 buildings on the site that would hold 288 apartments. Of these, 204 would be single bedroom units, 60 others would be two bedroom apartments, and another 24 units would three bedroom units. The buildings would be a mixture of three and four floor levels in height.
The second project to win approval is called The Station Apartments and is to be situated between the northern edge of the Hawkins Run subdivision and the rear of the Northview Shopping Plaza. Three pieces of property are being combined into a single tract of land that will also receive a conditional zoning designation.
The Station Apartments complex will include six buildings of four floors each, with 76 units per building. The exterior surfaces will focus heavily on brick, highlighting the county’s rich history with this building material. Like the Hawkins Village project, The Station will feature one, two, and three-bedroom units.
Conditional zoning districts are permitted under the Plan SanLee land use plan that was adopted by Sanford, Broadway, and Lee County in 2018. Such districts are stand-alone divisions that have their own unique requirements and conditions.
A third project approved by the council in December of 2021 will bring even more housing to the growing northern side of the city. This development is owned by Raccoon Path Holdings, along with Truesdale Capital of Chapel Hill, and was annexed into the city in response to a request for a noncontiguous annexation and was zoned in a separate action as the Northview Conditional Zoning District.
This 43.1-acre tract has frontage on Hawkins Avenue and Beechtree Drive just north of the roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 15-501. The property is being developed as apartments and potential commercial uses.
With all the new apartment complexes and housing developments, you would think that we would also be working on the infrastructure. The roads and schools can’t handle the added amount of extra people.
BINGO!!
100% agree!
The schools are going to overcrowded. That is never good for anyone!
We just elected 3 new school board members with all the answers. Mr. Gaster actually speaks for the Lord Almighty. When it comes to schools we are in good hands.
Why then do I hear of so many teacher absences and shortages with current enrollment numbers? A relatively new teacher asked to teach multiple and combined classes and even assume a head of department stand-in role. (Of course with no increase in pay.)
At some point, you have to pay for what you want/expect. Are we doing that?
With massive growth expected and in the child rearing age ranges, are we sticking to less than inflation budgets or planning and acquiring both physical and human resources to deal with the influx and produce the workers that will keep these businesses in the county?
It doesn’t seem like they are planning wisely. The schools are going to be greatly affected by this growth. When things get worse, no one will blame the city managers. They will blame the teachers and the principals for not working miracles.
Sanford NC is definitely not large enough to handle all the new people, everywhere you go it’s over crowded, Horner Blvd,and Tramway can’t handle what we have now, We do not want to be like New York!