Mebane’s city council has approved rezoning for two parcels at 421 West Holt Street, beside the city’s Holt Street Park and across from the public library, to allow for the construction of a multi-family rental property.
The two lots span a total of 0.48 acres and were rezoned from R-12 to R-8, following a unanimous vote by the council last Monday night.
Both parcels are located on the Alamance County side of the city.
Alan Thompson, of 2219 Setter Lane in Efland, who owns AMM Properties with his wife, had previously told Mebane’s planning board last month that rezoning the two parcels to R-8 would “improve density” of the property.
Surrounding land uses include single-family and multi-family residential, a public park, and heavy manufacturing for a warehouse located across West Holt Street, according to Mebane’s planning department.
Renderings that were presented to the city council last week show one multi-family dwelling, such as condominiums or patio-style homes, with three or four units that will be marketed as rentals and targeted to small families and professionals.
“There’s a lot of active adults that maybe move out of bigger houses in Mill Creek and are very involved in downtown – we’ve looked at options like that,” Thompson said during the earlier discussion with the planning board, which voted 7-0 in March to recommend rezoning. “We’ve looked at options [such as] possibly, if we’re able to fit it on the lot, two duplexes – single-story or two [stories], possibly with garages.”
“Something else we’ve heard is there’s a lot of working professionals downtown that would maybe appreciate a somewhat reasonable rent and [being in] close proximity to downtown,” Thompson elaborated. “A lot of the properties we own are kind of on the outskirts of Mebane. We feel like the walkability, with being so close to downtown, increasing the density of it would be a good missing middle housing project we could put together.”
The term “missing middle” refers to types of housing such as duplexes and other multi-family dwellings that target prospective tenants who are seeking affordable housing that is similar in scale to single-family homes and is typically located within walking distance of retail shops and other commercial amenities, according to the Urban Land Institute.
Currently vacant, the property is located across West Holt Street from a used car lot, Mebane Auto Sales at 420B West Holt Street. A 75-unit apartment building is also within walking distance, according to the city’s planning department.
The city’s planning department reviewed the rezoning request and concluded that the property “supports a variety of housing types meant to complement the nonresidential uses and ensure a vibrant center with a 24/7 population,” according to a staff report that was presented to the city council.
A driveway that connects to Holt Street will require approval by the state Department of Transportation, so the city’s Technical Review Committee (TRC) will handle subsequent submittals pertaining to that aspect of the project, staff told the council last Monday night.
