To the surprise of most, but not all interested Wake Forest residents, the Wake Forest town Board voted three to two last Thursday, Nov. 9, to deny the request to rezone 124.68 acres of the former Wake Forest Country Club. Commissioner Keith Shackleford, who had voted with Commissioners Chad Sary and Jim Dyer in October against denial, changed his vote to join Commissioners Nick Sliwinski and Adam Wright.
This week Shackleford responded to a request and sent this statement: “I continued to consider input from the applicant and residents, the application and conditions and staff recommendation after the Town Board meeting. After speaking with staff, the applicant and residents, I concluded the rezoning request was not in the best interests of the Town.”
Earlier, Shackleford disclosed a minor conflict. Someone who is with the law firm he is with was asked a legal question about the property. Shackleford said he played no part in the incident and does not know what the question was or if there was a payment. There was no need for him to recuse from voting.
After the vote, Sary said he was disappointed. Without a plan for development, he said, the property owner could take a number of avenues including building it out at the current zoning of GR3 or even cutting all the trees for lumber he could sell.
The property owner, E. Carroll Joyner, his son and the Green Timber Foundation, have been working with the developer, Mill Ridge Investments and the late Jim Adams, and the engineers, McAdams Company, for well over two years on development plans. In 2021 they submitted a plan for rezoning to residential use, and the plan has been revised at least six times in the following two years with the Wake Forest Planning Department turning it back for revisions five times.
The defeated proposed plan, apparently the sixth revision, continued to call for a change from GR3 zoning (three dwelling units per acre) to GR10, which allows townhouses. The Wake Forest Planning Board consistently recommended the town board not approve the different plans through the years. The Wake Forest planning staff with Senior Planner Patrick Reidy has turned down all earlier plan revisions. During the hearings for the latest plan the town planning department recommended the town commissioners not approve the plan and even included a possible statement denying approval.
Joyner and McAdams and their various plans have been opposed by a group, Concerned Citizens for Protection of Wake Forest Open Space, led by Richard Ostrogard. After last Thursday’s vote, Ostergard said in an email, “Keith was the swing vote. He called several of us today and came out in our favor. We don’t have any plan right now but to celebrate and enjoy our holidays. We’ll consider future actions next year.”
The town board’s work session was held on a Thursday, Nov. 9, because there was the town board election on the regular meeting, a Tuesday, which was the election for three town board commissioners to four-year terms
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2 Responses
I plan to send individual emails thanking the planning staff for their thorough review of the plans and their patience in educating us on process and procedures. Special thanks to Patrick Reidy, Jennifer Currin and Courtney Tanner. Patrick has been the work horse on this project and we are lucky to have him in our planning department. Of course we are thankful for the consistent support of Commissioners Wright and Sliwinski and the considered judgement of Commissioner Shackleford. We know that this property will be developed, but we are optimistic that it will be done a way respectful of the environment and the surrounding neighborhoods. One last Thank You to Carol Pelosi for publishing her informative newsletter and giving us a chance to speak. She is an excellent example of a concerned and involved citizen.
Richard, Thank you. And I’d like to join you in thanking all of the Wake Forest Planning Department staff. I always receive prompt, complete answers to my many questions. And thank you, Richard and your entire committee, for your persistence during the past two-plus years.
Carol