Once again residents have to fight Zebulon development

Webster defines "fiasco" as something that is a complete failure, especially in a ludicrous or humiliating way.

Once again, the residents of Stone Edge and Ashford Park subdivisions will have to defend themselves from another attempt by developers who want to construct a large box commercial project in one neighborhood and across the street from another.

I say shame on Southern Pines Corporation, Sierra Development, Inc., for wanting to make a financial gain to the detriment of hundreds of homeowners living in an area zoned R-AAA. It is hard to blame the seven property owners whose homes front on Zebulon Road for wanting to sell when someone offers them much more money than their property is worth. However, those homes are located in the Stone Edge subdivision. Nobody wants a commercial project inside their neighborhood and the good folks in Ashford Park should not have to look across the street and see large box buildings, banks, shops and restaurants in an area zoned R-AAA.

There are several of these projects already completed and all of them are in areas where it is OK to have them constructed -- across from Mercer University, downtown, on Bowman Road and on Thomaston Road. None of them are in a subdivision or across the street from another subdivision. None are in a R-AAA area.

A study was done on traffic (on a Monday morning) and it stated that about 3,000 more cars per day would flow into an area that is already too congested. It will become less safe for children attending Sonny Carter Elementary School and for those in the neighborhoods. It will lead to major traffic jams and more accidents. Cars cut through Stone Edge and Ashford Park day and night, and it is almost impossible to get out of the subdivisions now without risking your life.

Many years ago, Southern Pines and their attorneys met with homeowners in the area and an agreement was reached that there would be no more commercial projects beyond the church (now Northway Church) and Sonny Carter School. Hart's Mortuary was denied construction at Bass and Zebulon roads as was Capital City Bank. Both did the right thing and moved their businesses down the street into the commercial area. An Alabama developer was somehow approved and residents were forced to file a lawsuit. A local judge said, "it never should have been approved by Planning & Zoning in the first place." He reversed the decision and returned the zoning back to its proper R-AAA status.

Now, here comes Southern Pines trying to break the promise that was agreed upon in order for them to develop commercial properties all the way from the agreed upon line to Interstate 475. Approval of this project will indeed be a fiasco. It will open a Pandora's Box for more commercial ventures down Zebulon Road, Bass Road and Foster Road, all the way down to Forsyth Road.

This property is zoned R-AAA. It would be a complete failure on the part of Planning & Zoning to rezone it in order for two high profile companies to profit by destroying our neighborhoods. There are too many other properties already zoned for this kind of project.

Approval of this rezoning would be humiliating to all the good people who live in the area. Instead of enjoying the beautiful and peaceful wooded area we do now, we will be forced to look at four large big box buildings complete with more people and cars along with the noise and congestion it will bring to our neighborhoods. Property values will drop to next to nothing and it will be almost impossible for someone to sell their home should they need to move.

Our hopes and prayers now rest squarely on the shoulders of the P&Z board and then on the actions of the P&Z Coommission. Our desire is that the board will recommend that the project be denied because it is R-AAA and never should have been changed according to the judge's ruling.

Finally, we will feel foolish and ashamed if the commission once again approves a residential subdivision to be changed in order to accommodate two commercial companies to profit by causing an early death of our neighborhoods.

Billy Hester is a resident of Macon.

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Once again residents have to fight Zebulon development ."