The Town of Southern Pines requests public feedback on a proposed conceptual development plan (CDP) for property owned by the town on W. Morganton Rd. at the entry to the West Southern Pines neighborhood.
This is the next step in the project Southern Pines has been working on since March 2021 with the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Government.
Using feedback from the previous community outreach stages and data confirmed through various analyses, DFI has created a draft development design that will ultimately be marketed to potential developers.
Before this is marketed, the draft plan will be forwarded to the town council for consideration as a CDP, which details the specific development area, proposed uses, and other design-related considerations.
The town’s planning staff is preparing the CDP application and seeks public input to validate that the proposed CDP conforms with the character and needs of the West Southern Pines community and the broader Southern Pines community, which have been expressed throughout the community engagement steps.
Planning department staff will seek input through the following opportunities:
*The town has provided an online map and surveys for the project at tinyurl.com/WSPPD. The map details the intended locations for the various land uses, including retail and office, various residential types and uses, and a YMCA campus. The surveys will be open until Jan. 13 at 11:59 p.m
*Planning staff will lead a field visit on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 10 a.m. Staff will review the project site, discuss the potential extension of S. Stephens St., and be available to answer any questions. To join, meet staff on the corner of S. Stephens St. and W. Lowe Ave. between 9:45-10 a.m.
*Planning staff will hold two neighborhood meetings to review the CDP and receive input on the proposed uses. The first meeting will be Friday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 8 a.m. Both meetings will be at the E.S. Douglass Community Center; light snacks will be available.
*Staff will contact adjacent landowners directly, including door-to-door visits, to distribute packets of information and answer questions. Staff will assist these residents with the online surveys if needed.
Town staff currently anticipates that the planning board will review this application in February and the town council in March. The community outreach informed guiding public interests for this project, which were previously approved by the town council.
Using these guiding interests, the project should be designed and implemented to:
*Serve as a distinctive entry point to the West Southern Pines neighborhood and Morganton Road area;
*allow for a greater density of commercial uses along Morganton Road and transition to lower-density uses that align with the residential character of the West Southern Pines neighborhood;
*align with the West Southern Pines neighborhood’s revitalization goal to increase economic and physical vitality while preserving the neighborhood’s culture and character;
*include publicly accessible recreational uses currently not available in the area;
*provide pedestrian and bike access to and around the site, including improved connectivity from the West Southern Pines neighborhood to Morganton Road without substantially increasing nonresident traffic; and
*minimize public investment and maximize private investment.
For questions or to obtain more information, please contact Alaina Mallette, senior planner, by phone, email, or in person.
Phone: 910-692-4003 extension 7232
Email: [email protected]
Office: 801 SE Service Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387
Contributed.
