A request to amend Tyrone’s Land Use Map and rezone eight acres on Jenkins Road near Flat Rock Middle School for construction of several homes succeeded with a unanimous vote Dec. 28 by the town’s Planning Commission. The vote came with opposition by neighbor Charles Bagwell who believed construction of several homes would be an improper use of the property.

The measure passed with the conditions that state wetlands regulations be maintained, that a multi-use path be installed on the Jenkins Road frontage and that an appropriate visual barrier be installed between the development and the middle school.

Located between Hopewell United Methodist Church and Flat Rock Middle School, the property has been the subject of other proposed development projects in recent years. With the current proposal, builder Steve McWilliams told commissioners he wanted to build as many as seven homes on the site. Some on the commission questioned whether that number of homes would be feasible, given the presence of wetlands and the significant amount of rock outcropping.

McWilliams said the homes would be positioned on one-acre lots along a cul-de-sac with a price tag of at least $500,000.

“I believe it will be a low-impact use of the property and I think it will be a good neighbor for the church and the school,” McWilliams said.

The area of the property running along Jenkins Road is the site of a deep ravine that is approximately 100 feet deep, according to Bagwell, who believed the ravine and accompanying wetlands area would have to be disturbed if the construction project were to be approved by the city council. Bagwell said he believed the ravine would have to be filled in order to have sufficient room to build the homes. Such a move was not an option, commissioners said, due to state wetlands protection guidelines.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property,” Bagwell said. “Nothing should be built on it.”

Responding to the proposal, Commissioner Kevin Edwards said McWilliams would have to take extraordinary precautions to protect the ravine and creek bed and prevent runoff onto adjacent property. Edwards and others said wetlands concerns and rock outcroppings might limit the number of homes to as few as four.

Citing state wetlands regulations and septic requirements, town planning staff said the area would be better suited for residential development than for the current Office/Institutional zoning.

Addressing the wetlands question, McWilliams said filling the ravine was not an option. The area will not be disturbed, he said. McWilliams also cited the state-required 25-foot buffer on each side of the ravine.

Commission Chairman Ginger Blackstone said a proposed residential use of the property, if done correctly, would potentially provide an appropriate use for the tract. The property has become a dumping ground for trash, she said.