Belmont City Council approved the development of an 809-home senior community and 13-acre retail center along Armstrong Ford Road Monday night.
After much discussion revolving around environmental aspects of the project, council members unanimously voted in favor of rezoning land for the South Fork Senior Community, a 462-acre development by Pulte Homes Inc. to be completed in three phases through 2029.
What has been approved
Del Webb, a brand under Pulte Homes that specializes in developing 55-and-up communities, has committed to building 809 homes, ranging from 1,700 square-feet up to 3,000 square-feet, just east of the South Fork River. Del Webb expects the community, which will include a future road connection to Nixon Road to South Point Road, will have little to no impact on nearby schools.
Lack of infrastructure
“It doesn’t make sense what we were trying to put people though,” said Wil Neumann, who lives in the Timberlake neighborhood on the west side of Armstrong Ford Road – a two-lane road without a shoulder or turning lane – located in the town limits of Cramerton. Timberlake sits across the street from the proposed Del Webb community, named the South Fork Senior Community.
Neumann, a former North Carolina house representative who serves as chairman of Cramerton’s zoning board, isn’t against the proposed development, but rather the future traffic congestion in the area if more developments are green-lighted.