The Sanford-Lee County Planning Department’s Technical Review Committee on August 29 will review proposals for three subdivisions totaling more than 800 new homes, as well as a commercial project that would include a large grocery store and hotel off Kelly Drive, according to a meeting agenda.
The large commercial proposal would place a 45,000 square foot grocery store, an additional 11,000 square feet of retail space, and an 11,000 square foot hotel on 12+ acres off Kelly Drive near the intersection with the U.S. 421 bypass. Sewer would need to be extended to the site.
The TRC is comprised of local officials from various city and county government entities representing Sanford, Lee County and Broadway, and meets monthly to review commercial proposals and major subdivisions for compliance with the codes and policies of various public service providers. Committee approval does not guarantee that projects submitted for review will be developed — only that they fall under compliance.
The largest of the three proposed subdivisions, dubbed Pendergrass Village, would be located at the intersection of Pendergrass and Steel Bridge Roads and contain 548 lots on 166 acres. That includes 195 20′ by 100′ townhomes, 278 homes with a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet, 35 homes with a minimum lot size of 8,000 square feet, and 40 homes with a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet. Plans for the project show access to the site from both Steel Bridge and Pendergrass Roads.
The homes would be served by public water and sewer.
The L&S Drive Subdivision, off the north side of Tramway Road between Firetower Road and Courtland Drive, would contain 140 homes, including 51 townhomes and 89 single family homes on 6,000 square foot lots. The homes would be served by public water and sewer.
Another proposal at Buckhorn Road and Pottery Lane, called the Pines at Buckhorn, would contain 113 units with a minimum lot size of 40,000 square feet on 210 acres. The homes would be served by public water and have private septic systems.
The meeting’s agenda also includes a proposed Sam’s XPress Car Wash at 2700 S. Horner Blvd., on a vacant lot between Grimm and Bank Streets., and a proposal for a 35,000 square foot Sanford City Hall annex on Weatherspoon Street.
Finally, the committee will review a proposal for an amenity center at the to-be-built Ashby Village subdivision just east of Lowe’s Home Improvement off South Horner Boulevard. The amenity center would include a pool, a bathhouse, pickleball courts, a play center for children, and mail kiosks. Ashby Village was first proposed in 2022 and approved in 2023.
I know we need another grocery store in Tramway, with the new apts opening soon
I just want us to have some sort of person that is an engineer, not paid by the city, county, or the subdivision putting in the homes. Sorry, some independent person or persons that would work on the water, electric and cable, making sure we don’t drain the system that is already there. Also, the traffic is going to be different, what is that going to look like for the areas you are talking about?
We have FOUR Food Lions, an IGA, Walmart, Big Lots, yes, they carry food and how many Dollar Generals, that also carry food. I notice most people end up at fast food restaurants or chain restaurants, anyway.
And, bringing in that amount of people will put a strain on the Police and Fire Departments.
You guys can’t even keep up with the problem with the roads around here right now. Less trees, more flooding. Then, you have to make sure people can afford the homes. I really don’t see, in this economy how someone can put a 20% down payment on a home and afford everything that goes with that home. And I do not think people put any thought into how much a home actually costs, not just the house payment and taxes. Unless you like eating beans and rice every day of the week. Cable, Water, Electric, Phones, House Payment, yard work, either you do it yourself or pay someone, that’s no counting anything INSIDE your brand-new home. Window treatments? Carpet? Homeowners Insurance? Now, if you have vehicles, there’s insurance on those plus gas. What about the schools? Have you thought about how many children will be coming into these areas and what schools are they will be attending? Will you have HOA’s fees.
Forgot Lowe’s Foods.
1) why would you want an “independent” engineer? And who would pay for it? Data on water and sewer capacity, lift station conditions, and main line sizing would all have to be provided by the local government—who already uses taxpayer dollars to pay engineers to verify all this information, ensure the City has utility capacity, and oversees expansion of utilities at the developers’ expense when needed. The city has every reason in the world to not “drain the system,” and municipal utility usage is monitored by the state. Developers even have to get utility permits through the state to connect to municipal systems. Skepticism of government can be valid, but skepticism mixed with ignorance just wastes time and money.
2) traffic impacts are taken into account by through Traffic Impact Analyses (TIAs) at the time of site plan proposal. Developers are responsible for off-site improvements like turn lanes and and specifically designed intersections to accommodate traffic increases.
3) Tree clearing, sediment/erosion control, and land disturbance is regulated by NCDEQ.
4) the presence and quantity of grocers and other retailers is entirely market driven and based on private businesses’ market analytics and pursuit of profits. The government does not plan where grocery stores should be located or how many will be established in a particular community.
5) homes in NC, and in Lee County in particular, are selling as quickly as they’re built. Until spec homes sit vacant and buyers are unwilling to pay, builders will keep building. That’s the basic principles of capitalism: where there’s consumer demand, a business will meet that demand with product supply.
6) local governments plan around growth patterns but are typically reactive in nature. No county is going to hire extra teachers and sheriff deputies, but will incrementally increase staff as demands on public services increase. Lee County is not the first community to see sudden population increases, and these growing pains aren’t new or unique.
7) the state legislature requires HOAs to be established for some subdivisions
There you go using facts instead of feelings. Thank You !
Lowes foods prices are too high ! Where is an IGA in Sanford ?
must be thinking about the Pigg
There is too much greed and pride running Lee County. They want this county to be another Cary. They want buildings and streets named after themselves for their legacy. These so-called leaders gloss over what’s best for those who live here, grew up here, and current residents and their needs. Tax us to death so we will have to move elsewhere as we prepare to retire. We pay more and more taxes for less and less services…How about something as simple as mosquito spraying? The county just wants new people with high incomes but where are these high paying jobs in THIS county? They aren’t here…people will have to commute out to Wake and other counties, which is what they planned 15 yearsago…a Bedroom Community. Spend money on a ballpark complex that some want and others don’t. Build more and more developments for who? We don’t have the infrastructure to support this growth. I could go on, but to simplify, it’s clear which political mindset is running the show… the rules for thee and not for me party.
It is not the County Commissioners or even the City Council driving the development of Lee County. The driving force is the urban distance from RDU/RTP. Anything withing an hour’s drive of that point is going to urbanize unless units of government or private entities buy vacant land and preserve it. That the Sanford City Council attempts to shape the development for the benefit of the City and County is a good thing, but make no mistake, they cannot stop it no more than they can get rid of Duke, NC State, UNC-Ch and UNC Hosptial, Duke Hospital, and the Wake Med System. US I, US 64, I-40, US 15-501, and US 421 make a trip from the edge of this circle to the center possible in less than an hour. Start in Sanford and run the ring to Lillington, Smithfield-Selma, Zebulon, Louisburg, Butner, Mebane, Siler City, and back to Sanford and you have the urban ring. All of this began in the late 1950’s when NC State’s Chancellor and several other local leaders in the Triangle formed the Research Triangle Park. High Falls, Jugtown, Asheboro, Oxford, and a host of other places are still there and still rural and will be rural for the foreseeable next three or so decades.
First, the growth we’re seeing is at least in part fueled by the state legislature eliminating the corporate income tax, which has kicked open the door to so many businesses relocating to NC. With them comes a demand for employees. Much like immigrants from other countries, Americans will move out-of-state to pursue economic opportunities, and so more people start moving here. If you live in Lee County and have marketable skills and knowledge, getting a job should be easy. If you don’t have a valued skill set or relevant experience, getting a high paying job will be more challenging. Same as it ever was. It’s not about what a county or city wants, it’s about the dynamics of a free market and national, even global, economic trends. Lee County is 30 minutes south of Raleigh, one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with RTP and three works-renowned research colleges (UNC, Duke, State) in very close proximity.
Like Donald Trump said about Q: nothing can stop what’s coming.
“Like Donald Trump said about Q: nothing can stop what’s coming.”
Perhaps one of the most idiotic sentences I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. Thanks, genius
I think Ms. Cox was efforting a joke. I took it that way. The comments by “C” seem to communicate a gross misunderstanding of the role of local government, capitalism, and the workings of demand. Ms. Cox responded cogently to her concerns. It’s not a conspiracy that humans want to make money in order to use that money as they see fit. It’s not a conspiracy that the wealthy have an easier time getting what they want than the poor. It’s not a conspiracy that if your lay down next to an elephant it may crush you in the night. Local governments in NC have no power to stop urbanization willy-nilly. If they are nimble they can get a bit and bridle on the horse and attempt to steer it. No one in Sanford made the current development laws in Raleigh. They have been on the books decades if not centuries. Demand for homes, electricity, shops, entertainment, etc., is what brings such things to Sanford – demand. Pushing demand is like pushing a spaghetti noodle – it does not work. Everyone who works in a responsible position at the City has known about the eventual urbanization of the area for as long or longer than they have been employed at the City. We are fortunate that instead of shirking their responsibilities, the ptb took the lead on ensuring that Sanford had control of the areas water and sewer. The result is the power to shape what develops instead of having to accept whatever comes down the pipe. There are only about a dozen economically health and growing metros in the southern United States with an economically diverse base with a combination of healthcare, universities, government, industry, etc. The Triangle, Atlanta, DFW, Austin, Houston, Nashville, Orlando/Tampa, DC/NOVA, Charlotte, and Miami are the big ones. Think about that enormity of that for a moment.