Wending their way through Mebane’s subdivision review process are two other, larger projects also being proposed along North First Street (NC 119) on the north side of the city between the Food Lion shopping center at Stagecoach Road and the Mill Creek subdivision and golf course.
.Each has been through three discussions in the technical review committee, but neither has yet been scheduled for planning board action, a precursor to the city council’s final consideration and approval.
The first is a mixed-use development that includes both office and retail space in addition to residential areas with townhouses and single-family homes on about 60 acres. It is located on the eastern side of NC 119, adjacent to the existing land owned by the Mill Creek subdivision, including the fourth new residential subdivision to be named Preserve at Mill Creek (see below).
It is directly across the street from North First Street Townes, the 150-unit townhouse subdivision that was considered by the planning board this week (see separate story). There are two proposed entrances, both along North First Street; they appear to be designed to line up with the entrances into the North First Street Townes.
North Mebane Village, as it has been christened by Raleigh-based Glenwood Homes, would contain 119 townhouses, 42 single-family homes (termed “cottages,” in the plan); as well as retail and office space, most of which is located facing generally in the direction of North First Street, although the businesses would be accessed from streets within the subdivision.
[Story continues below layout of the future North Mebane Village mixed-use development.]
In addition to free-standing townhouses, there would also be residential areas on the second floor above some of the commercial spaces. A total of 730,501 square feet of commercial appears to be planned, based on the preliminary plans submitted to the city’s planning department.
About 10 acres of land is left undeveloped, in order to allow for future expansion, according to the submitted plans.
Preserve at Mill Creek
The largest of the pending projects is the Preserve at Mill Creek, which is an expansion of the existing Mill Creek subdivision. Like the adjacent project, North Mebane Village, it has been through three discussion in the city’s technical review committee but has not yet been scheduled for planning board consideration.
Most of the project is in Alamance County, but like the existing subdivision, a slice across the back side would be in Orange County.
The total acreage of the expansion is listed as 229.31 acres, most of which appears to “fill in” around parts of the existing golf course that do not yet have homes.
The developer is Taylor Morrison of Carolinas, part of a national company that builds in about a dozen states, according to the company’s website.
[Story continues below samples of previous Taylor Morrison homes.]
The plans for the Preserve at Mill Creek include seeking three types of zoning: R-8, R-10, and R-12.
Specifically, the proposal is to rezone 229.31 acres to build 586 homes as follows: 61.55 acres to build 205 R-8 homes; 86.96 acres to build 255 R-10 homes; and 80.80 acres to build 126 R-12 homes.
The project by itself would add more than double the number of homes in the original Mill Creek subdivision which was begun in about 1995. There are approximately 275 to 300 homes in Mill Creek now.
Three roads within the Preserve at Mill Creek would “stub out” into the undeveloped portion of the adjacent North Mebane Village subdivision.
While most of the areas would be accessed most easily from within the existing outline of the Mill Creek subdivision, another component of the plan is to provide an extension of North Ninth Street on the easternmost portion of the property.
Eleven “active parks” are planned to be scattered across the new areas to be developed, with park sizes ranging from small park areas (often referred to as “pocket parks”) to the largest one, which would have a clubhouse, swimming pool, and splash pad; it would also include a community garden and a dog park.
The sizes range from 7,491 square feet to 332,006 square feet for the one with the clubhouse and swimming pool.
Many of the smaller parks would have some combination of benches, a place to play outside lawn games, or “pollinator gardens.”
