It was approved in the spring of 2007, but Wake Forest’s first traditional neighborhood never materialized until now, plans stymied by the national recession and banks’ reluctance to invest in residential projects.
Since mid-summer Wheelock Communities, the large Connecticut-based investor, and Reader & Partners, the community development firm out of Orlando, Florida, have had contractors’ equipment crawling over the area along South Franklin Street near Rogers Road, reshaping the landscape and installing all the infrastructure. The official announcement of their plans was issued last week.
The entire Holding Village plan encompasses 259 acres, a remnant of what was the Holding Dairy owned by the family of W.W. Holding, which also owned W.W. Holding Cotton Company, a major Southeast cotton broker for many years. The farm was once about 900 acres, and most of it that is accessible, aside from the Holding Village tract, is now part of Heritage.
When the plan was approved in 2007 it called for 1,350 homes – single-family, townhouse, apartments and living space above shops in the retail area, which will be built in future phases.
The first phase will be 374 single-family homes on 94 acres south of the large L-shaped pond which has been drained to allow reconstruction of the dam that feeds into Spring Branch, a tributary of Smith Creek. Scott Lay, senior vice president with Reader & Partners, said the North Carolina Dam Safety Division required the rebuild.
Lay said the work on the dam should be finished in December. “The lake is stream- and spring-fed and will naturally fill back up on its own starting in December. It’s a great natural amenity and is the centerpiece of our community.” He said they will call it Holding Lake “to pay homage to the family and the heritage of the land.”
Another centerpiece of the land is the cluster of three silos visible from the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway (N.C. 98 bypass). Will those remain?
“If possible we will keep the silos as a part of the community, but it will depend on their health and stability, which has not yet been determined by the engineers,” Lay said. “The silos are on land that is part of a future phase so we won’t know their future until we get to that part of the community. In the meantime, they will continue to be a part of the backdrop of the community and help tell the story of the land.”
The first 124 homes will be built by John Wieland Homes, Drees Homes and Ashton Woods Homes in a variety of sizes and types, many of which will feature traditional designs which include prominent front porches and rear garages served by alleys. Those first homes will be available for sale next summer.
The first phase will include five pocket parks and a multipurpose ball field on the lake’s southern shore. The central amenity, including a pool and play area overlooking the lake, should be completed in the spring of 2016. There will be walking trails around the lake and the perimeter of the property that will connect to the town’s greenway system.
“We’re very excited about what Holding Village will offer Wake Forest residents and are confident we will create a new community that will complete the fabric of this area and improve the quality of life for all the residents of Wake Forest,” Lay said.
Franklin Street will be built through the project to connect to the bypass, and the state Department of Transportation has approved the connection with a super-highway design. That will allow for right-in, right-out turns on both sides of Franklin Street with left turns accomplished by a separate U-turn.
The 1,350 homes will, using a conservative figure of 2.5 people per home, result in about 3,375 more residents in future years.
Reader & Partners is a community development firm serving the Southeast which specializes in large-scale multi-use planned communities that put an emphasis on place-making. Aside from its headquarters in Orlando, Florida, it is active in Charleston, South Carolina, and Wildwood, Florida. Scott Lay heads the regional office in Raleigh and lives in Heritage in Wake Forest.
Wheelock Communities is developing a portion of Traditions.
