HAMPSTEAD — National developer LGI Homes has submitted plans for a new Hampstead community, seeking to build 63 single-family homes and 18 townhomes.
If approved, the subdivision would be built on a 24-acre property along Transfer Station Road, roughly a half-mile southeast of Highway 17 in north Hampstead and adjacent to the recently approved Carolina Creek Extension project to the south.
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Josh Spiegel, LGI Homes’ vice president of development in Raleigh, said on Tuesday the project was “not far enough along to give [any] information out.”
“As it stands now, it’s in the engineering phase,” he said.
According to a project narrative submitted by Cary-based engineering firm WithersRavenel to the Pender County Planning Department, a master development plan (MDP) was submitted on June 12, replacing a previous MDP approved in the summer of 2016 when prior owners backed the project.
Two meetings are set for the summer: one before the Pender County Technical Review Committee on July 1 and a public hearing before the Planning Board on August 4.
The current proposal includes “a mix of residential uses (single family and townhomes), open space areas featuring a large central open space area for active recreational uses, sidewalks throughout the community, and the extension of a paved multi-use path along the community’s frontage on Transfer Station Road.”
Plans show a public street cutting through the neighborhood from Transfer Station Road, between the homes to the west and an existing retention pond to the east, connecting to the future Carolina Creek Expansion neighborhood to the south. Further south is a cluster of around 150 homes in the Villages at Olde Pointe Neighborhood, adjacent to the Olde Pointe Country Club golf course.
“Coordination with the property owners to the east and south of Hampstead Commons is ongoing to ensure this vital roadway connection is designed and constructed to improve accessibility options for all projects that will utilize this connector road,” according to the project narrative.
A traffic impact analysis of the project estimated 76 peak vehicle trips in the morning and 62 peak vehicle trips in the evening.
The layout includes 18 townhomes and six single-family homes on the north end of the property lining Transfer Station Road. A 1.78-acre central open space is designed adjacent to the main two rows of 26 homes in the middle of the neighborhood.
The proposal lays out the homes at 25-foot front setbacks from the roads, 10-foot side setbacks, and 15-foot rear setbacks. The entire portion of the 23.8-acre property would be disturbed if the project is approved, but WithersRavenel noted that the property is “devoid of significant environmental features such as wetlands and streams.”
In response to a question from county planners concerning how the neighborhood would promote quality urban design and environmentally sensitive development, LGI Homes said the street layout and lot design are compact and walkable with sidewalks along all internal streets, and a multi-use path along the neighborhood’s frontage along Transfer Station Road that would connect with the Mountains to the Sea Trail.
When asked to explain how Hampstead Commons would minimize infrastructure impact, the engineering firm said “the clustering of homes and the provision for larger areas of contiguous-useable open space” adds to the compact nature of the proposed project.
“This clustering reduces the amount of paved surfaces and infrastructure needed to serve the developed portion of the project — as opposed to developing the entire site as traditional lots,” according to the narrative.
The engineering firm also emphasized that the proposed 4.3 acres of total open space is double the county’s minimum requirement per its Unified Development Ordinance. It said a majority of its open spaces would include features like walking trails and a playground.
Utility providers listed in the MDP include Pender County for water, Duke Energy Progress for power, Pluris for sewer, and AT&T North Carolina for communication.
This article has been updated to correct the date of the TRC meeting, which is July 1.
Send comments and tips about development in Hampstead to mark@localdailymedia.com or (970) 413-3815
