Two developers have early-stage plans before Alamance County for separate single-family home projects in the county's southeast corner that call for a total of 956 homes within commuting distance of both greater Burlington and Chapel Hill.
Morrow Mill is the name given to a project by Sasser Properties of Gibsonville for a 541-lot subdivision on a 440-acre site of three main parcels at 7941 Morrow Mill Road, according to a concept plan submitted to Alamance County. The entrance is shown as on Morrow Mill just south of Lloydtown Road.
Density would be 1.23 units per acre with units grouped in three parts, known as Legacy, Reserve and Landing. It would be served by a community water and sewer system.
Hunter’s Ridge is proposed for 415 lots of about a fifth an acre each, to be served with community wells and remote septic, according to a preliminary plan filed with the county.
The Hunter’s Ridge parcel is addressed as Austin Quarter Road. The site is part of about 763 acres that sold for $7.74 million, according to a deed recorded Dec. 17. The buyer is listed as Higher Ground Farm East LLC of Durham, an entity associated with Jeffrey Fisher, founder of Arcadian Land and Water, a land-conservation firm.
Fisher said in an email to the Triad Business Journal that he and partner Chris Brewer own the property but it is under contract and they are not developing it. They were involved in the acquisition and subsequent sale in December of some 800 acres adjacent on the south to the Hunter's Ridge site to Alamance County for extension of the Haw River Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail and for other park and recreation use.
The property is known historically as the Alston Quarter property, which is named after the family that lived there during the time of the American Revolution. Arcadian Land and Water was described by a county official as an intermediary between the county and the Cameron family, which previously owned the property.
Developers for both have told county planning staff both plans are early and subject to change, according to Planning Director Matthew Hoagland.
The proposals come as Alamance County continues to be among the fastest-growing parts of the Triad, often credited to housing spillover from the western Triangle.
Both sites are close to N.C. 54 and less than 20 miles from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, where the median selling price in April was $657,500, according to Realtor.com. It was $359,990 in Alamance County countywide, $375,000 in Mebane, $306,076 in Graham, $344,900 in Haw River and $386,885 in Swepsonville.
N.C. 54 is known as a significant east-west corridor between the eastern Triad and Triangle. A study published in 2018 said a 20.4 mile stretch of the highway between Old Fayetteville Road in Carrboro and the I‐85/I‐40 interchange in Graham is a regionally significant east-west corridor that carries an average of 6,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day.
With Alamance County having no countywide zoning or similar land-use law, the projects are likely to be subject only to staff-level review for compliance with county and state regulations. One likely major issue would be water and wastewater, as neither site is at or near municipal service routes.
Community well and wastewater systems are not unusual in North Carolina, but projects of a certain size will need state-level review, Hoagland said.
Nearby residents have expressed concern on various social media platforms regarding water use and other concerns such as vehicle traffic and effect on public schools.
According to the Alamance County GIS system, both sites are assigned to B. Everette Jordan Elementary, Hawfields Middle School and Southeast Alamance High School in the Alamance Burlington School System. However, the district is going through a revision of attendance zones for the coming school year.
At Morrow’s Mill, the concept plan is subject to refinement, with details such as unit mix, square footage and pricing under evaluation and will ultimately be shaped through the planning process and community input, Sasser Properties President Kevin Sasser said in an email to Triad Business Journal Wednesday.
“The location is attractive due to its proximity to regional employment centers, including the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, as well as access to major transportation corridors,” Sasser said. "We believe there is a need for well-planned residential communities that provide quality housing options while incorporating appropriate infrastructure.”
He added, “We understand there is strong community interest in this project, and we are committed to engaging constructively with stakeholders as the process moves forward.”
Though the sites are adjacent, Morrow’s Mill has no connection to Hunter’s Ridge, and the timing is a coincidence, Sasser said.