Smithson Critical of Council on Knollwood Rezoning

As of Friday, November 2, 2012

Southern Pines Town Council member Chris Smithson has called the rest of the council to task for "pushing" the notion that any concerns about a proposed major development will be worked out later.

"I believe this to be incorrect and irresponsible," Smithson said in a document posted to his website last Friday. "The danger here is in ignoring any concerns or reservations one has at the beginning in belief that 'everything will be taken care of' after the fact at the incremental plan stage.

"It is just not how the process was designed."

Council member Mike Fields took issue with Smithson's tactics.

"It's very frustrating trying to work with Chris," Fields said earlier this week. "He's just not very good at compromise. When he doesn't get his way, he resorts to personal attacks and name-calling, and tries to embarrass his fellow council members."

Smithson said he is simply seeking a rezoning application from the Bell family "that we can have a 5-0 vote on, and that application would largely reflect what they say their intent is. But there's a big gap between what they say they want to do and what they're asking for.

"They say they want to exceed the town's minimum standards, but the (current) application asks that they only be held to the minimums or be excused from the minimums."

The Bell family submitted a conceptual master plan last June as part of its application to rezone 558 acres adjacent to Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club from Planned Development-Conditional District (PD-CD) to Planned Unit Development (PUD).

The Southern Pines Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning last September.

The undeveloped land, known as the Knollwood Tract, is located near the intersection of U.S. 1 and N.C. 22.

It is the same tract that was at the center of a major confrontation five years ago when the proposed Pine Needles Village development failed to win approval.

Mayor David McNeill said he is pleased with the conceptual master plan.

"I think the proposal that has been submitted is less intensive than the project that was turned down several years ago," McNeill said. "At this point, I think the owners need additional flexibility to make sure the product they bring back at the incremental stage is not only an asset to the town, but to the entire region."

The Knollwood Tract is currently envisioned to include a 300- to 400-room hotel, an 18-hole golf course, up to 350,000 square feet of retail space, up to 100,000 square feet of office and commercial space, as many as 300 assisted living units, and up to 300 homes.

In addition to the golf course, recreation areas would include walking trails, horse riding trails and golf practice areas.

Fields said "people have known" for more than two decades that the property eventually would be developed.

"The 1989 Land-Use Plan and the 2010 Comprehensive Long-Range Plan both clearly state that the property will be developed at more of an urban level, not a rural level," he said. "It's not going to remain in its pristine state."

Fields added that he is confident the council will carefully scrutinize the incremental plan, if the project gets to that stage.

"If they come in with major changes from the conceptual master plan, we can reject it," he said. "We're trying to give them some tradeoffs here. I think for a parcel this big, you have to give them some flexibility because we don't know what the market will bear in the future.

"We want this project to be successful. We don't want it to fail."

Smithson said he remains "very concerned" about the responses to his questions, both from the Bell family and the council.

"In a way, I feel like the lone wolf in that I'm the only one asking any questions whatsoever," he said. "My fellow council members have questioned my questions more than they've questioned the application.

"Their attitude is, 'Don't worry about it. We'll fix it down the road.' It doesn't work that way."

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at (910) 693-2474 or tnatt@the pilot.com.

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CSmithson 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Mr. Fields is deflecting legitimate inquiry into a flawed process again by attacking me for doing my job- looking out for the people’s interests, not special interests.

TF121 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Kudos to Mr. Smithson for urging the Town Council to proceed more carefully and slowly on this project. This is a significant development. In total there could be as many as 800 homes, this in addition to 350,000 square feet of retail and 150,000 square feet of office space that is a given. By the way, the retail component is the first phase of this project. The project's developer is likely to bring in a host of national-brand retailers, potentially undermining existing retailers including the downtown district, as well as threatening the overall health, safety, and welfare of the community, when also considering the increased auto traffic and the strain on our limited water supplies and Town infrastructure including police, fire, and emergency staff. The Town's current development ordinance allows the Town Council to request "additonal documenation" from the applicant, documentation on the form of community impact studies, economic impact studies, traffic studies, water studies. Yet the Town Cocuncil is choosing to give the applicant a "pass" on all of this. Why?

geoffcutler 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Mike, as a fellow conservative, I find this quote somewhat disturbing in that it is a tactic both of us well know is one used by the left to deflect attention away from the issues at hand. Politicizing growth by getting personal is a trap, even if Chris appears to be a thorn in the rest of council's side. Clearly he is motivated by what he thinks is in the best interests of the town. As are you.

native 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Now is the time to question...not after the thing has been approved. Go Smithson

enixer 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Why did the taxpayers of Southern Pines pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to update the Town Plan and UDO's if they are not going to be used? Council member Smithson thinks we should follow these "laws" - what a concept!

packwilleat 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Chris ~ get out of the way. You're a typical bureaucrat. You act like they are going to open a South of the Boarder in SP. You're only delaying the inevitable, and keeping them from bring more people to SP for the '14 Open. People like you should never have a say in the private sector.

OldPilot 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Southern Pines Town Council would be a rubber stamp if it weren't for the dilligence of Smithson. Fields is a pandering tool/ doormat for developers, and the balance of the Council but for Smithson just background noise/support for Fields.

MonkeyJunction 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I like the Knollwood Project as presented, however I don't think any plan should be approved unless controls are in place to proceed with the project as conceptualized. There has to be a way for the council to say we approve of "this" project but not something else. Perhaps the Bell family should come back after a developer has been chosen and a "real" plan is presented

njc17 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Again I will comment on this particular project in that as the initial concept seems to be adding more unleasable square footage for commercial use. There is a tremendous amount of square footage of saleable homes and condominiums, and as I understand it the town or county is revisiting the land use and PUD issues which have not been updated and not very strictly adhered to. I do not like holding projects up, but at this time, I look at Whispering Pines and the Harris Teeter center and note how empty is is and the Food Lion shops further down the road, and I can see NOBODY is thinking, NOBODY is monitoring, developers seem to be looking for the quick buck and the economic times are not there. I want the Bells to be able to use their property, as THEY see fit, but , we need greater thought as to what is nmost useful and not be redundant. There is, as I understand it, no actual developer for this property and all is mere hopeful speculation. You all need to slow down, look at the zoning and PUD's in place and what the revisit of Zoning issues will be. Remember this area is mostly a senior retirement area and people come for the relaxed atmosphere and golf and what other amenities there are but you make the area as tense and traffic riddled like the areas these very people come from , they will find some other place to go, and you will have killed the goose.

geoffcutler 6 months, 2 weeks ago

"...and people come for the relaxed atmosphere and golf and what other amenities there are but you make the area as tense and traffic riddled like the areas these very people come from, they will find some other place to go, and you will have killed the goose." njc17

And that's it in a nutshell.

InTheRough 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Ironic how Mr. Fields does exactly what he accuses Chris Smithson of doing. I haven't seen any quotes from Mr. Smithson criticizing Council members by name. The facts are that Smithson is the only person on the Council asking any questions. How can someone sit on the Council and not have questions about a proposal as far-reaching as this? As I've said before, keep it up Chris -- you are speaking for a large number of us. Unbridled development will destroy what the vast majority love about Southern Pines. I have no problem with the Bells developing their land -- but can't understand the need for so much retail space -- especially with so much commercial space vacant now.

njc17 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Play with facts not innuendo.

handyssc2 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Wdd101st's theory doesn't make sense. Development across the street from Smithson's would make the land more valuable, not less. Commercial development begets more commercial development. Our highways are crammed with hotels, motels and fast food joints that spring up around factory outlet centers to capture some share of the traffic. Can't wait.

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