Update Friday 7 a.m. – Leland Town Council continued the public hearing on the issue until February 21.
LELAND — On Thursday, Leland’s Town Council will review information on Settler’s Village for the fourth time.
Council first hosted a public hearing on Settler’s Village in October. That hearing was continued to November, which was then continued to December, which was most recently continued to January. Each time, the item was continued to give Leland’s staff and Settler’s Village’s developer, Bishops Ridge, LLC, time to address questions and gather more information.
Related: Two Leland development projects put on hold amid flooding concerns
The 74-townhome project needs to be conditionally rezoned to T4O, General Urban Open.
This zoning designation is reserved for mixed-use projects with tightly-woven streets and sidewalks. Totaling 8.67 acres, three parcels of the proposed project are currently zoned in the low-density residential and commercial business districts.
As the project was first proposed, each unit will be sold, rather than operating as a rental property. Prices would begin at $200,000, Settler’s Village August community notes states. First proposed to include 77 units, the project has since been scaled back to 74 units.
A portion of the acreage is considered wetlands, triggering flooding concerns from neighbors. But according to site plans, no structural development will take place in wetland-designated areas of the property.
To address flooding concerns, members of Leland’s staff walked the property on Nov. 2, 2018. According to a recent project summary, staff observed no visible signs of flooding from Hurricane Florence. Furthermore, staff “believes the project design and layout minimizes flooding risks on the property by placing the development on high ground,” the summary states.
Council will host Settler’s Village’s fourth public hearing on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at Leland Town Hall. For a detailed project summary and background on the proposal, visit Leland’s agenda packet, starting on page 105.
Send tips and comments to Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com
