A proposal for a mixed-use development with 500-plus single and multi-family housing units that was denied by the Sanford City Council in April 2023 has been resubmitted, according to an agenda for the Sanford-Lee County Planning Department’s Technical Review Committee.
The new proposal for the Gum Fork mixed use subdivision, which would sit on Colon Road opposite the new Sanford Fire Station Number 5 and across U.S. 1 from the massive Galvin’s Ridge subdivision, calls for 147 single family homes, 300 multi family units, and 136 townhomes on just shy of 112 acres, as well as commercial space for retail, multiple restaurants, a hotel, a daycare, and a service station.
The Sanford City Council rejected a similarly named proposal at the same location back in April of 2023 over concerns that the builder – D.R. Horton – was proposing homes that were beneath standards sought by the city in new housing projects. D.R. Horton has been submitting proposals since November 2022.
Materials available in the agenda packet don’t made clear what, if any, material changes have been made to the project with the regards to the quality of housing since the last plan was rejected in April. The plan indicates it is “conceptual in nature and subject to change.”
The meeting is set for January 25. The Technical Review Committee is comprised of local officials from various city and county government entities representing Sanford, Lee County and Broadway. The committee meets monthly to review commercial projects and major subdivisions for compliance with the codes and policies of various local departments. Committee members make no guarantee that the projects submitted for review will be developed — only that they fall under compliance. If the proposal is deemed compliant, the concept will still be reviewed by the Sanford Planning Board and the Sanford City Council, who would have the final say on the rezoning request for the project.
Also on the TRC agenda is a proposal to demolish the Harbour’s Car Wash at 2220 Jefferson Davis Highway (Tramway Food Lion shopping center) and replace it with a new, automated Mako Express Car Wash facility.
I look at those long straight streets and think how much fun teenage drivers will have racing on them. There’s a reason subdivisions have sharply curved roads — so they don’t turn into drag strips.
As private streets they can install traffic humps and that will stop that.
Chelsie,
You can drive up to Briar Chapel in Chatham County and see what modern subdivision design is like – https://porchcommunities.org/briar-chapel/maps
Excessive curvilinear streets create blind spots and add to the impervious surface. There is also this thing called the stop sign.
If the streets are built to the standards that the City is willing to take them over, then the traffic issues will be controlled by the City and they can periodically assign a Police Car to write some tickets for scofflaws. NC DOT might take some of those streets but there again Asheboro knows how to install a stop sign if needed.
Unless something has changed, this is not being developed as a retirement community that needs a bunch of little cul de sacs but as a place for middle income people to actually live.