Southern Pines planning staff outlined proposed changes to the housing development process during a public meeting Thursday evening. The presentation provided a framework that would encourage more attainable housing, including duplexes and townhomes, while maintaining neighborhood character.
The Housing Text Amendment package, presented by Planning Director BJ Grieve and Planner II James Broadwell at the Douglass Community Center, proposes new “Minor-2” and “Minor-3” subdivision options. This streamlined process is designed to create more flexibility for smaller-scale residential projects that fall between traditional single-family houses and large apartment complexes.
Townhomes built under the new standards would be limited to a 1,000-square-foot footprint and capped at 2,000 square feet of heated area. The minimum lot size of the parent tract is “reduced by 50% of the underlying zoning standards, or to 1,500 square feet, whichever is larger.”
The proposed amendment would apply primarily to “single-family attached” developments in select zoning districts. Projects would need to meet standards for open space, tree preservation, stormwater control, and design elements such as façade articulation and building materials in order to qualify.
“This package tries to strike a balance,” Broadwell said. “It’s not going to fix the housing problem, but it will help move the supply and demand curve a little closer together.”
A map in the presentation highlights different zoning.
Audience members, however, voiced frustration about the broader issue of affordability and questioned the potential price tag of $400,000 or more on these projects.
“These units probably aren’t going to be that cheap,” conceded Broadwell. “They’ll probably be upwards of $400,000, but it’s coming from the military, from folks downsizing; more than likely, they’ll be the folks that buy these. But by buying these, they won’t be buying something in the $300,000 range, leaving those free for workforce individuals.”
Moving forward, audience members questioned why Southern Pines does not have a housing authority and pressed staff on why the proposal would not directly create more low-income housing or Section 8 options.
Grieve explained that the amendment under discussion supports the town’s comprehensive plan goals to diversify the housing supply and promote growth near existing infrastructure. He said that the town’s role in subsidized housing is limited under current policy and state law. Establishing a housing authority, he said, would require administrative and financial resources.
“To do that, you need staff to qualify tenants, maintain units, and manage funding,” Grieve explained. “That adds public cost and, ultimately, higher taxes.”
Grieve said that this proposal at hand is only one piece of a broader effort to expand housing options in Southern Pines due to increasing demand and that he, too, hopes to see more affordable options in the future.
“If there’s one thing that’s absolutely assured, it’s change,” Grieve admitted. “Southern Pines is growing, and we can’t pull up the drawbridge. This is something they can do that would assure better design, but it means more density, more traffic, more noise, more people.”
However, Grieve also assured the audience that this text amendment has nothing to do with the development of apartment complexes, which the public has expressed frustration over in the past.
“We get inquiries from developers every other month about a new apartment complex, and we say no because it’s not consistent with the comprehensive plan,” he promised. Then, laughing, he added, “I wish people knew how many apartments we’ve said no to.”
Despite questions and criticisms exchanged during the discussion, some residents expressed appreciation for the planners’ openness. The meeting, which was billed as an informational and feedback session, follows months of public workshops and listening sessions on the town’s housing policies.
As the session concluded, several attendees thanked Grieve and Broadwell for their professionalism and willingness to engage. The Housing Text Amendment package is scheduled for review at the Nov. 20 Planning Board meeting.
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~ Written by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021. Photos courtesy Town of Southern Pines.
