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City council Tuesday night approved the rezoning of Ballantrae Farms by a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Carl Ferebee voting against it. The decision to approve the conditional use permit for the project was unanimous.
One of the key factors in the conditional use permit is that construction of the subdivision is limited to 196 units until the developer, Bruce Pitts, can acquire an additional access road to Ballantrae Farms either off Bolling Road or Thelma Road.
Following the public hearings on the matter, Pitts said he is committed to getting that access.
“I want to build a complete community,” he told the Daily Herald afterward. “I don't think it can be a complete community unless we do have that access.”
Pitts said he was glad to get a process that started last month with a deadlock by the planning board over with. He withdrew his conditional use permit following that deadlock.
Last week, the planning board voted against the rezoning but approved the conditional use permit.
“I'm very happy,” Pitts said. “I think it was a hard decision. I think the board made the right decision. I'm looking forward to being a very good neighbor and a member of the business community.”
He said the next step in the process is to submit engineering plans. “There are a substantial amount of engineering calculations and we have to obtain regulatory permits.”
Pitts said during one of the public hearings the building of the 196 units would be over six to 10 years.
Pitts had several private meetings with homeowners in the Lakeview Park subdivision and made several concessions, but some residents there remained opposed to the project, namely because of traffic concerns on Western Drive.
“I bought a home I dearly loved,” Keith Hamm told council during the rezoning hearing. “We know each other. It's quiet and if you don't belong there, we call the police.”
Hamm said a new subdivision in the area would only aggravate already tough entry and exit issues on and off Bolling Road.
Even though the developer said it would take several years, Jeff Soder told council, “I have no desire to have heavy equipment going up and down Western Drive the next six to 10 years.”
Others present at the public hearing, however, see the subdivision as an economic development tool.
“This city has lost too many jobs,” Jim Garrett told council. “This will give us a chance to get more jobs.”
Paul Heaton Jr. said he was impressed with the way Pitts tried to work with the community. “If you shoot this down, you don't know whether the next developer will make the same concessions.”
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