A Henley Street connection for the proposed Morganton Road development was the main topic of discussion for the Southern Pines Town Council Monday.

At the Douglass Community Center, the council heard comments from Southern Pines Planning and Zoning Board Chairman John McInerney and David Woodruff on initial plans for commercial development in the Morganton Road Overlay District. They spoke during the public comment period of the council’s regular meeting.

The council had reviewed plans for the project at its work session Aug. 23. At the time, several council members said they would like to see Henley Street, which will serve as the project’s main entrance on U.S. 15-501, connect to Morganton Road.

The plans showed Henley Street beginning at U.S. 15-501 and then stubbing off on the property in a way that would allow a future developer to make the connection on the adjoining property.

McInerney expressed reservations about potentially moving forward on the plan without an extension of Henley Street to Morganton Road.

He said to not make the connection would signify “poor planning” from the town because the development would route heavier traffic on the project’s planned additional connections at Short Road via Murray Hill Road and Southern Road via Brucewood Road.

Traffic Concerns

McInerney specifically mentioned current traffic buildup between the Murray Hill Road and Saunders Boulevard intersections on U.S. 1 and the lack of a left turning lane on Brucewood Road.

“This would only aggravate that,” he said.

He added that the current plan offers no direct way for Southern Pines residents to get to the project.

“I think the town deserves better,” McInerney said. “I think you all can do better.”

Council member Mike Fields told McInerney that he shares this concern, but he asked what the board could do about it. Fields said the connection could be made if the adjoining property owners, the Van Camp family, were also involved in the process.

Woodruff agreed with McInerney’s remarks, saying that he was under the impression that the Henley Street connection was always a part of the original plan. He said the board could lessen the requirements necessary for the connection, while allowing the property owners to negotiate an extension that would benefit all parties.

Town Manager Reagan Parsons said the current requirements specify that Henley Street is the same length or depth as any development that is approved for the property, in addition to secondary access roads. There is no requirement that Henley extend all the way across the property in the project’s first phase.

Parsons said there was a possibility that the issue could be worked out before plans for the project are ever submitted.

Parsons said the N.C. Department of Transportation is doing a full study on the intersections that McInerney mentioned, in addition to other intersections in the area, and that the results from the study could affect the plans.

“Ultimately, what I would be looking for in that would be that magic bullet number where the connection to Morganton is going to be a requirement,” Parsons said.