WILMINGTON—The developer of a Greenville Loop Road subdivision will go in front of the city’s planning commission next month to tweak its half-million square foot project; last year, the developer was granted an initial rezoning, despite serious concerns from staff, who recommended denying the request.
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Tucked behind mobile homes on Greenville Loop Road is 11.6-acres of cleared property owned by Arya Holdings LLC. Previously home to one residence and a small mobile home park, the property was approved to be rezoned to allow up to 40 homes with a 5-1 vote by Wilmington’s City Council on Jan. 3, 2017.
Before the first rezoning was approved, Wilmington’s Sterling Cheatham submitted a staff letter that recommended the city deny that request.
“Staff has concerns about the compatibility of the proposal with the surrounding area, the lack of services in support of additional density, the environmental impacts, and traffic and safety concerns along Greenville Loop Road,” Cheatham wrote in the letter.
After being granted their initial rezoning in 2017, the developer is seeking a new rezoning to R-5 to adjust the required setbacks. If the rezoning is approved, the number of lots available for construction would be reduced from 40 to 39.
Cindee Wolf, who applied for the rezoning on behalf of Arya Holdings LLC, wrote that the subdivision would increase property values and would not be a detriment to the area.
Traffic on Greenville Loop
Greenville Loop, already a congested two-way road, operates at a level of service rated “E” by the state’s Department of Transportation. That is just one rating above “F,” the lowest grade NCDOT gives a road.
A 2017 Traffic Impact Analysis indicated the new development would increase traffic on Greenville Loop by 25 percent. When the project was discussed before City Council, after being approved by the Planning Commission, the discussion circled around traffic and roadway safety.
Ron Satterfield, the city’s assistant planning director, said future residents would have difficulty exiting the subdivision because of visibility limitations caused by the property’s location on a curve on Greenville Loop Road. He said the project’s proposal did not outline how the increased density would mitigate existing traffic concerns.
Just half a mile down the road, Summerwalk, a 26.25-acre development, is currently under construction. The first phase of Summerwalk will have 104 units, including 22 townhouse buildings in addition to 19 single-family homes.
Summerwalk was required to add turn lanes to Greenville Loop Road to ease congestion as part of the project’s approval in 2015.
Several units in Summerwalk are already for sale, with added trips expected to begin in the coming months as developers complete the first phase of construction.
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