The Town Council voted unanimously to approve the project, called Pine Hill, at its meeting Feb. 3.
The details
The developer behind the Pine Hill project, Geoff Wescott of Brockett Street Capital, was seeking several changes and exemptions from the Town Council that he said were necessary to develop the project. For starters, he requested a zoning change from planned development district allowing agricultural uses and a nursing home to a planned development with single family residential uses.
A master land use plan amendment was also requested to allow for medium-high density uses. This would change the minimum lot size from 15,000 square feet to 7,500 square feet. Wescott also requested a tree removal permit to remove seven specimen trees on the property. Despite opposition from nearby residents, the developer found a compromise.
Wescott agreed not to put windows on the second floor of certain homes and set a minimum height for fencing in the development to address the neighbors' privacy concerns.
The backstory
The town’s planning and zoning commission recommended denial of all of these requests in a vote in December. The item was still brought to council on Jan. 21.
Council members unanimously voted to table the discussion to allow the developer to try to reach compromises with area residents who had turned out in opposition to the project.
Wescott said he met with the opposing residents in the nearby Grace Park neighborhood. They were concerned about privacy, increasing density on the land and encroachment on their neighborhood. They worried that the increased density could impact their property values and that residents in the new development would be able to peer into the homes of their Grace Park neighbors.
Despite meeting with the Grace Park residents, Wescott initially said there wasn’t much more he could change about the project and that it had already changed substantially in the 11 months he’s worked on it.
"I'm giving you as much as I can give," he told the council Feb. 3.
What’s next?
Wescott said he’ll now have to work on platting the property and getting final plans approved by town officials.
