'Essentially a rubber stamp': Nearly 500 townhomes planned for Leland communities

Two Leland subdivisions could be expanded to bring nearly 500 new townhomes to both sides of U.S. 17.

Leland planning officials this week approved preliminary plat designs for the new subdivisions, which will add 254 townhomes to the Westgate neighborhood area and 212 to Seabrooke.

The final plat approval will be issued at the staff level. 

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The Townes at Seabrooke subdivision will be to the southeast of the existing development, on 32 acres off Buckeye Road NE and Old Lanvale Road.

Just over two miles away behind Walmart, the 26-acre Westgate subdivision will be built between the Shoreline at Westgate project and Exchange at Westgate development. The project will include connector roads with both developments, as well as Westgate Nature Park.

A few of the lots in the Westgate development are planned in the 100-year flood zone, which will require a Floodplain Development Permit before construction. A traffic impact analysis found an additional U-turn lane on U.S. 17 East will also be required.

Residents at the meeting opposed both subdivisions, citing concerns over traffic and the environment. 

"Something needs to be done to stop the traffic," said Joel McLane, who lives adjacent to the Seabrooke property. "Our neighborhood is not designed for the kind of traffic we're seeing already. "

Some Shoreline residents also complained the street connections with Tideline Drive would drive more traffic through the small sidewalk-less street, which they say is a hazard for pedestrians. Others said the property should be required to have a tree buffer, to protect their privacy from the incoming two-story development.

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However since the proposal met the town's codes, it was required to be approved.

"I do have concerns and agree with (residents') concerns," planning board chair Bob Penwell said. "However our job here tonight is to vote to approve or disapprove the plat... Just for clarity we are voting on the plat not the total development."

Town manager David Hollis said the town is in the process of removing these kinds of decisions from the planning board's purview.

Because the preliminary plat must be approved as long as it's within town codes, and town staff ensures codes are met before recommending it to the board, Hollis said the board's votes on these issues have become "essentially a rubber stamp." 

"There's a lot of ideas and suggestions about this project and other projects we see,” Planning Director Ben Andrea told the board. “If we are concerned about what our ordinance requirements are — related to connectivity, buffering, tree retention — we need to change the ordinance."

Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.