The Aberdeen Town Board unanimously approved several changes to zoning amendments Monday night to implement the N.C. 5 Priority Corridor Overlay District. This implementation will establish new development standards along the highway gateway connecting Aberdeen and Pinehurst.
The decision applies new regulations, including a 50-foot highway setback for buildings and parking, to properties along the corridor. However, the approval is accompanied by a simultaneous commitment from town staff to introduce a text amendment that will provide developers with more flexible options.
Planning Director Pamela Graham urged the board to approve the map amendment without delay and referenced a surge of interest in new development projects along N.C. 5.
“The need to place enhanced standards on the properties in the proposed overlay is a priority due to rapidly increasing interest in new development projects at key intersection locations,” Graham wrote in the agenda report. “A significant number of vacant properties of varying sizes are prime for development and redevelopment in the area; the proposed amendment seeks to enhance development standards through this amendment in an effort to preserve the viewshed, improve connectivity, and reduce traffic hazards along the corridor.”
Pending proposals for the corridor include a 71,000-square-foot storage facility with RV and boat storage, an auto-body repair shop, a convenience store with a drive-through coffee shop, and a potential additional gas station. If approved, these projects would be visually impactful and create traffic congestion if allowed to proceed under the previous, less stringent standards.
During a public hearing in December, Richard Vincent of Retson Companies expressed concern that the proposed 50-foot setback would hinder development. Since then, town staff and developers reached a compromise.
While the 50-foot standard is now legally in effect, staff will present an amendment to the Planning Board in February and the Board of Commissioners in March to introduce two incentive-based options:
Option 1: A 25-foot setback with an intense, mostly evergreen landscape buffer.
Option 2: A 35-foot setback for parking and 50-foot for buildings, featuring a “tree zone” with canopy trees and shrubs.
Graham added that the compromise reduces the strict 50-foot requirement while still achieving the town’s aesthetic and safety goals.
“We believe this compromise, the commitment for Miss Pam, and the compromise of the 25 and the 35 foot options are amenable,” said Development Manager Greg Stewart, who was present to represent development and real estate firm Rheston Companies, Inc. “I think the compromises and the commitments accomplish the goals of both the town of Aberdeen and future development.”
The new overlay standards apply only to new development or significant redevelopment. Existing businesses along the corridor will not be forced to retrofit their properties to meet the new codes.
Feature photo via Town of Aberdeen.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Written by Sandhills Sentinel assistant editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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