The Sanford-Lee County Planning Department’s Technical Review Committee will consider three new townhome proposals in various parts of the city at its meeting in November.
The largest of the proposals, Black Bear Townhomes, would see 18 townhome units on 1.8 acres along Hawkins Avenue between Wayne Street and Veterans Way. The lots would be at least 22 feet wide and 115 feet deep. The land is currently zoned for Light Industrial and would have to be rezoned if the project is approved.
Peace Townhomes is proposed on 7.93 acres along Carbonton Road between Bridgewater Drive and Stoneybrook Drive. The subdivision would contain 14 townhome units on lots at least 24 feet wide and 100 feet deep.
A proposal at 108 S. Third St. – currently a wooded lot in a residential neighborhood – would see two townhome duplex units, each with its own dedicated “accessory dwelling.” Plans show that it would be configured as a “pocket neighborhood” around a shared courtyard.
In addition to the three townhome proposals, the committee will consider:
*the addition of two model homes to the Value Build Homes model home site at 3015 Jefferson Davis Highway in the Tramway Area, and
*the placement of a building for an auto shop at 2111 Dalrymple St.
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.
More townhomes!! All these homes, townhomes and apartments being built in Sanford/Lee Cty and no new commercial development. No shopping, restaurants etc. All this town will be moving forward is a community of places to live, but where everyone has to drive to neighboring counties to shop and eat. It’s time this committee put a hold on improving new development until commercial starts growing. All we get is vape stores, mattress stores, urgent care, auto parts stores, and convenience stores.
Our grocery store selection is horrible. Where’s Publicz or Harris Teeter? The city needs to take a stand. This is out of control!
Dream larger… how about a Costco!
Agreed !
Commercial development follows population it does not lead it. Sanford is in a particularly odd circumstance because Sanford is nearly equidistant between two commercial areas that are supported by outsized local economics. Southern Pines and Pinehurst is home to a lot of retired people and home to a lot of tourism. The distance from Sanford to Pinehurst is not so great as to prevent an easy trip. Improving US 1 made the issue worse. Apex and Cary to the north work off a much higher economic base and improving US 1 made it an easy trip. Don’t hold your breath on desired commercial entities in Sanford. Pittsboro is likely to aggregate the next set of higher end commercial entities once UNC Hospital starts to build in Chatham Park.
There are three high end residential golf communities in Chatham – Governors Club, Chapel Ridge, and the Preserve. There are three high end dense urban residential developments Briar Chapel, Chatham Park, and Fearington. The 15K to 20K people living in these places are going to have almost 50% more annual income than the average Lee County resident. Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Mid Pines, Aberdeen, etc., have about 10K such folks in addition to their tourist flow.
Carolina Trace is middle class by comparison and the houses around Quail Ridge are negligible in scope. Sanford’s most “elite” neighborhood is “quaint” compared to what exists in Moore or Chatham County. You need a Westlake Valley at three times the size and twice the density to begin to close the gap. You need an entirely new Carolina Trace with a starting home price twice the current level to begin to close the gap that would draw the commercial amenities that are sought.
The railroads and the highway system combined with the different natures of Jonesboro and Sanford make a single dynamic commercial district impossible. To get what many want will require the City to keep retail and commercial out of Deep River and for the County to prevent retail and commercial from spreading from Swanns Station and Lemon Springs. The problem though is that pressure on the Chatham County Commissioners or the Moore and Harnett County Commissioners might lead them to allow retail and commercial on their side of NC 87, US 421, US 1, etc.
I guess what I am saying is that some of the issues date back 150 years to the laying of the railroad tracks, back to 1940’s when Jonesboro allowed their sewer system to collapse, back to the 1950’s when Bill Horner got money to “improve” Horner Boulevard, back to 1980’s when the City went along with the Mall craze and gave us Riverbirch. But we examples of such up the road in Raleigh. You think Central Prison gets located between NC State U and Downtown in today’s world? You think the Durham Freeway gets built where it is today? Of course not.
Ok, with all these new apts, townhomes, etc, need to hire more mail carriers, some of us are not getting our mail everyday !