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Quartz Properties withdraws from project

 

COLUMBUS—At its Monday night meeting at Town Hall, the Columbus Town Planning Board announced several important updates regarding the proposed Feagan property development.

A subdivision with approximately 50 new homes was initially proposed for the property, located just behind CVS in downtown Columbus. This led to some residents asking questions about capacity and infrastructure.

The property owner, Phil Feagan, shared that he is hesitant to rezone the area designated as Highway-Commercial to R-2 unless there is a clear assurance that the development will receive approval. Feagan expressed a lack of confidence in the current outlook for the project, leading to the decision to maintain a dual designation for the development: part R-2 subdivision and part Highway-Commercial planned unit development. The board encouraged residents to review Section 8.7 of the Unified Development Ordinance, which includes rules related to lot sizes, density, privacy, and other structure requirements for planned unit developments. The UDO can be found at columbusnc.com.

In a significant shift, the development has officially changed prospective developers. The former developer, Quartz Properties, has withdrawn from the project to focus on other properties, some of which were damaged in Hurricane Helene. 

The new developer, Billy Taylor Real Estate, based in Asheville, specializes in developments exclusively in Western North Carolina. Interested parties can learn more about the company by visiting billyttaylorrealtors.com. According to a tentative proposal, all residents within the development will utilize Gary Street for entrance and exit.

While waiting for the pending water and sewer study results, which are expected to be finished in the next few months, preliminary figures suggest that the development would add approximately 11,775 gallons per day to the local system. This increase is considered minimal compared to the treatment plant’s capacity of 800,000 gallons daily, with current consumption around 200,000 gallons per day. Additionally, efforts are underway to obtain a statement from the Board of Education regarding this development’s potential impacts on local schools.

The next Columbus Board of Planning and Adjustment is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, at 6 p.m.