Graham’s planning board turned down a request this week to rezone a vacant lot spanning 3.29 acres at 1133 South Main Street from general business to conditional rezoning for multi-family housing that would be targeted to adults 55 and over.
Planning board members voted 6-0 Tuesday night deny conditional rezoning for the project because it would be inconsistent with the surrounding land use. (Board member Chad Huffine was absent, as he was attending the Burlington city council meeting Tuesday night.)
Ohio-based Pivotal Development is proposing to build a single three-story apartment building – tentatively named Laurel Gardens – with 60 apartments, based on a staff report that was prepared for the planning board’s discussion Tuesday night.
The apartment building would have 25-foot front and side setbacks, with amenities such as a community garden and gazebo at the front of the property, where the parking area would also be located, based on a site plan that the developer has filed with the city of Graham.
Neighbors complained to the planning board Tuesday night about the potential for parking to overflow from the apartment complex to Blair Street, which was described as “a dead-end road for years” and wondered how “another apartment complex could be good for Graham.” Speakers also raised concerns about the potential increase in traffic that the apartment complex could generate and what impact it might have on the property values for nearby single-family homes.
A traffic study was not conducted for the proposed apartment complex; and a projected daily “trip count” for Laurel Gardens did not trigger a requirement by the state Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic study, city staff told the planning board Tuesday night.
Planning board members generally agreed with the neighbors’ concerns about additional future traffic on Blair Street and on N.C. Highway 87/South Main Street, describing the impact as “horrendous for that area.”
Planning board member Tony Bailey said, “I do think Graham needs affordable living,” referring to the developer’s earlier description of the apartments as rent-subsidized. “I’ve been in Graham for 19 years; I think it’s a beautiful project. I do think there’s a need for affordable homes in Graham. I just don’t think this is the right fit at this particular location…It is getting very congested in that area.”
Planning board chairman Dean Ward agreed with Bailey’s assessment, saying “I think we need it,” adding that he still has a lot of other concerns.
“I hope you can find another place in Graham if the council doesn’t approve it,” Ward said. “Graham needs affordable housing; Graham needs housing that people can have and feel safe.”
A conceptual plan that has been submitted to the city shows that the proposed apartment complex would have 45 one-bedroom apartments and 15 two-bedroom units; and 98 parking spaces, nine of which would be reserved for handicapped drivers.
Exterior finishes for the apartment building would consist of a combination of brick veneer; vinyl siding; and vinyl shake siding, with metal-wrapped wood trim.
Possible tree plantings could include Redbud, Cypress, and Elm, along with other plantings such as perennials and evergreens to screen the building.
The site of the proposed Laurel Gardens is located between South Moore and Blair Streets, across South Main Street from the Sheetz gas station in Graham, according to the county’s GIS mapping system.
The site that the developer is asking to be rezoned for conditional residential uses is located within what has been designated as a future commercial and suburban residential corridor, with an “appropriate” density of six dwelling units per acre but predominantly for single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes, and small multi-family dwellings with no more than 12 units, according to Graham’s planning department.
The property is currently owned by Graham natives Sara M. Sizemore and Joseph Sizemore (who are siblings) and located near a 3.25-acre parcel near the intersection of South Main and West Moore streets, where State Employees’ Credit Union had planned to build a Graham branch prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alamance County tax records list the latest assessed value for the property at 1133 South Main Street in Graham at $56,390.
The rezoning request is currently scheduled to be presented to the city council at its April 8 meeting.
