City Council Approves Buffalo Road Subdivision

The revised plan reduces the number of lots and increases their surface area

Last month, Smithfield City Council rejected a plan for a large residential subdivision on open land west of Buffalo Road, south of Holland Drive. The vote was 4-3. Last week, the council approved a revised plan for a large subdivision in the woods east of Buffalo Road, adjacent to the Bradford Park subdivision. That vote was also 4-3.

The new plan that was approved at the July 9 council meeting reduced the initial proposal of 220 lots to 170 lots for single-family, stand-alone residences, with minimum lot sizes increased from 4,200 to 5,500 square feet.

The 138-acre site is owned by the Lampe family, who agreed to donate 58 acres adjacent to Smithfield Community Park, on the east side of the Buffalo Creek Greenway, to the city.

“Your hope is for more space, my hope is for affordable housing,” Sagan Lampe told the city council as she presented the revised subdivision plan with lower housing density. She noted her family has owned the property for three generations.

In addition to fewer and larger lots, the new plan includes two stormwater retention ponds to address flooding concerns repeatedly raised by Bradford Park residents.

Another condition of the rezoning that won council approval is the preservation of trees, except where stormwater problems need to be addressed (and lots cleared for home construction).

In addition, fencing and landscaping buffer zones will be required between the lots in the new subdivision and the residences in Bradford Park.

Planning Director Stephen Wensman noted that specific grading and drainage plans that remain to be developed must be approved by city staff and council before construction can begin.

“I am now confident that a further review will be carried out with details,” Councillor Barbour said before voting in favour of the project.

County Raises Landfill Fees, City Raises Collection Fees
The City Council, at its second meeting of the month, approved City Manager Mike Scott’s recommendation Tuesday to increase the monthly trash collection fee by 34 cents to cover a $3-per-ton increase in fees the county charges for disposing of bulk trash at its landfill.

The standard rate for a single residential roll-off container will increase from $18.21 to $18.54 per month. The optional backyard collection fee for residents under 70 or without disabilities will increase from $23.21 to $23.55.

The new fees, which go into effect with the city’s August utility bills, are being added now because official notice of the new landfill fees had not been received from the county when council adopted the city’s 2024-25 budget last month.

City buys six vehicles for new school resource officers
The $257,760 cost is covered by a portion of a $450,000 state public safety grant to the city that was approved by the North Carolina General Assembly last year. The city has agreed to fund a portion of the police department’s expenses to hire security officers for all public schools in Smithfield’s jurisdiction. The Johnston School Board is covering most of that cost. The vehicles purchased under a state price contract from Ilderton’s dealership in High Point are Dodge Durango “Pursuit” models.

– Courtesy of the Smithfield Monthly Sun