Sanford City Council approves new developments

Jasmine Gallup, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 5—The Sanford City Council unanimously approved rezoning requests for two new neighborhoods Tuesday after developers reached a compromise with nearby residents.

The first development spans 143 acres of land along Commercial Drive and N.C. 87, and would be home to a mix of townhouses and single-family homes. About 13 acres would also be reserved for commercial development such as retail stores, repair shops, gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies or restaurants. Developer Mark Lyczowski said previously the neighborhood is meant to be a "front door" to a community to the south called Laurel Oaks.

The rezoning request was approved with conditions including the installation of sidewalks on both sides of the street, appropriate stormwater management and that 10 acres of the property would be reserved for future development.

The second project, at South Franklin Drive and Wicker Street, encompasses 33.6 acres. The site would also be home to a mix of townhouses and single-family homes with a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet. The rezoning was again approved with conditions, including the installation of sidewalks, curbs and gutters on both sides of the street; creation of additional buffers around one neighboring property and along Franklin Drive; and maintenance of space on the south border of the project. The project will include 55 townhomes, not the 54 shown in the original concept illustration.

Also Tuesday, the city council officially accepted about $9.5 million in federal aid, half of which is expected to come in by the end of the this month and the other half of which will be granted in fiscal year 2022-23.

There is still a lot of uncertainty around how the money can be spent, said city manager Hal Hegwer. Final guidance is expected to be issued in September, after which the city council plans to hold a workshop to discuss which local projects will be funded.

Also Tuesday, the city council approved:

—a preliminary plat for Sweet Gum Meadows, a planned neighborhood that would include 23 single-family homes;

—$462,979 for an engineering report on the expansion of Sanford's water treatment plant. The report will be used in an application for a $20 million loan to cover some costs of the project;

—$48,000 for a flood study of parts of downtown Sanford, to determine how the area around the future Sanford Agriculture Marketplace can be developed;

—$9,079 for the waterline improvements on Hawkins Avenue;

—$83,800 for sewer petition projects.