Planners: Subdivision meets watershed rules

By Frank Ruggiero

ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

The Boone Area Planning Commission found that a proposed, 59-acre subdivision off Deck Hill Road met town watershed requirements.

The commission, in its capacity as the town’s watershed review board, made the decision at its Monday, Sept. 18, meeting.

George Cole, planning supervisor with Boone Development Services, briefed the commission on the subdivision, which is a 59-acre area consisting of 37 lots. Cole said 10.06 acres of the subdivision, which will be called Timber Ridge, are located in the Watershed IV  protection area, while the remaining 48.97 acres are located within the Watershed II Critical Area.

According to the town’s Unified Development Ordinance, single-family residential uses shall be allowed at a maximum of one dwelling unit per two acres in the WSII area. Cole said the project contains 19 lots located wholly within the area, with all of them at least two acres in size.

The UDO requires single-family residential uses to be allowed at a maximum of two dwelling units per acre, and the project contains seven lots within the WSIV area, all at a minimum of half an acre, Cole explained. However, the remaining 11 lots are split between both watershed areas.

“Neither ours or the state regulations address this situation,” Cole said, telling how he consulted with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, determining that each lot should meet the requirements of the area in which a majority of the lot is located.

By that standard, Cole said seven lots would need to be a minimum of half acre, which they already are, and the remaining four lots should be a minimum of two acres, which they are. As such, Cole said staff determined the subdivision complies with the watershed rules.

Newly-appointed planning commissioner Eric Woolridge asked if DENR allowed for density averaging in the critical watershed area, and Cole said yes, if the subdivision opts to proceed with a cluster plan, where all the units are brought together with extra area set aside as common open or green space not to be developed. “In this case, the developer did not choose to do that,” Cole said.

Commissioner Gayle Turner moved that the subdivision be considered in compliance with the town’s requirements, and commissioner Skip Greene seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

The Timber Ridge project is located off Deck Hill Road near Trillium Ridge Road. Owned by Sabine Proctor of Boone, the property is being developed by Deck Hill Group, LLC.