The Town of Southern Pines voted at its Dec. 14 agenda meeting to continue the quasi-judicial hearing on Patrick’s Pointe. It’s a mixed-use residential and office development proposal on 25.41 acres and will be discussed further at its next meeting on Jan. 11.
Patrick’s Pointe developers propose 291 residences and 254,000 square feet of office space. The development plans a main entrance near U.S. Highway 1 and emergency access joining West Connecticut Avenue. The property is off U.S. Highway 1 North between West Connecticut Avenue and Midland Road.
The town’s planning board began reviewing the proposed project on Aug. 17.
The property was previously zoned for an auto business.
Council member Ann Petersen asked town planners how much watershed exemption would be used.
The planners said of the total 22,470 acres available in the Little River Intake No. 2 Watershed, 5% is 1,123.54 acres, which the planners had as allotment since 1993. The total left for allotment since the 1993 5% allotment is 577.21 acres.
If Patrick’s Pointe is approved, that would leave 551.81 acres of watershed available for future allotment.
Watersheds are environmental ecosystems for wildlife and vegetation and help control flooding.
During public comments, a 15-year resident who oversees the Southern Pines Welcome Center, Suzanne Coleman, listed several concerns that other residents repeated.
The concerns about Patrick’s Pointe from residents include changing the character of Southern Pines forever, traffic challenges, and whether the quasi-judicial hearing system favors developers over residents.
Coleman requested the town “follow Pinehurst’s lead and enact a moratorium” on development.
“We do not need 270 apartments,” Coleman said. “The 2000 council did not think so [either],” she said about earlier proposals for the property being denied. “We have a workforce housing crisis,” she said about the high cost of housing.
Coleman said apartments do not help with the housing crisis, and the town should work on a housing plan. She also said the town’s long-range plans had not been updated since 2016.
Feature photo: Site location of proposed Patrick’s Pointe mixed-use development. Photo via Town of Southern Pines.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Contact her at [email protected]
