PORTERS NECK — The developers of a major residential project planned for northern New Hanover County seeks to delay a rezoning request; the developer is proposing to reduce the density before reapplying.
Related: Rezoning request filed, community meeting slated for 52-acre Porters Neck development with 388 units
Plans for the Oaks at Murray farm, a 52-acre project in Porters Neck, currently call for 388 units, including 66 single-family homes, 17 duplex buildings (34 units), and 288 apartment units (12 24-unit buildings). The project as proposed is about twice as dense as allowed under current zoning; moving forward would require rezoning several parcels from low-density residential or agricultural to one of the multi-family categories.
That rezoning hearing was scheduled for Thursday, December 5, but according to New Hanover County, Logan Developers, Inc. now intends “to modify the proposed conceptual plan by reducing the apartment density and lowering the height of selected buildings.”
The project has already been scaled back slightly from 406 units after initial public concern over the project’s density. However, neighbors still packed a second set of community meetings to express concerns about traffic and potential overcrowding at the nearby school.
It’s not yet clear to what extent the project’s overall density will be reduced; the developers would be required to submit a new site plan before reapplying for a rezoning.