The Southern Pines Planning Board will continue grappling with the proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning district at a third work session at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

The board will meet at the Douglass Community Center. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The developers of the Pine Needles Village have asked the town to create a PUD category in the zoning ordinance and then rezone nearly 1,000 acres between U.S. 1 and Camp Easter Road to the new district. The proposed development would have more than 1,100 residential units -- a mix of single- and multi-family -- shops and other retail businesses, a hotel and offices.

After holding a second work session Sept. 19, the board decided to hold a third special work session on the zoning district after hearing a presentation from consulting firm LandDesign Inc.

At the last work session, Meg Nealon, designer with LandDesign's Charlotte office, reviewed proposed procedures in a PUD application process with the advisory board.

A PUD is intended to be flexible to accommodate different, large land-use projects, she said. It also allows for every stage of development following town approval of a master plan to be handled in a series of "incremental" plans, to be submitted as detailed site plans.

Board Chairman Chris Arnold said that after this next work session, he hoped the board could schedule a public hearing. The board called off a hearing Aug. 24 after Kelly Miller, CEO of Pine Needles and Mid Pines, withdrew the rezoning request until the PUD is worked out.

Check ThePilot.com for updates on this developing story.