Clover Ridge agreement moves forward amidst pushback

The Burke County Commissioners’ decision to enter an agreement with the City of Morganton and Western Carolina Developers to expand the Clover Ridge subdivision received resident pushback on Oct. 19, with concerns raised about flooding from a nearby creek.

The proposed expansion would add 25-30 homes in the Clover Ridge community along Latimer Lane, northeast of downtown Morganton and off St. Mary’s Church Road. The homes will cost about $300,000 on average, intended to attract median-income earners and working families, according to County Manager Brian Epley.

The central piece of the package is a $300,000 grant the county would provide from the Housing Inducement Fund, extending sewer and water service to the development. Once approved, the grant would leave about $2.5 million in the fund for future projects.

Upon approval, the developer will be responsible for roads, water, and sewer installation within the development.

However, public commenter Michelle Gregory, who lives on Latimer Lane, said potential purchasers could be in for a rude awakening when hurricanes and tropical storms roll through the area, and she believed the vote should be postponed until more information could be gathered.

“(What I’m) more concerned about is the creek that actually runs behind my home and the property drainage,” Gregory explained. “The creek is not dry. … Over the past two years, we have seen firsthand how hurricanes, tropical storms, and extreme rainfall can drastically affect Morganton and the surrounding communities.”

“The water has to go somewhere, and I can tell you right now, it runs through my backyard. Homeowners should not be left to bear the consequences of inadequate planning.”

Gregory said she was surprised to learn the project had been under consideration for nearly a year, dating back to when surveyors visited her property, because a sign announcing the public hearing had been posted in the community only two weeks earlier.

Kevin McCloy, another resident on Latimer Lane, echoed the concerns. McCloy had appeared at Morganton’s city council meeting in early October, where he spoke on the lack of notification from the city on the public hearing surrounding the work.

“We weren’t absent because we didn’t care; we were absent because we were never notified,” McCloy said to the city at the Oct. 5 council meeting. He explained that he didn’t believe he should have to purchase a subscription to a local newspaper to get notifications about public hearings in the city.

At the County Commissioners meeting, he thanked them for the notification and emphasized that the runoff was a huge concern, and that some areas in the vicinity of the development were a “swamp. It is a morass of wet ground. It does not drain.”

“My concern is, has anybody in the public service walked that land before you approve of this project? Do you know what’s going to happen when these houses and this neighborhood are built? I echo Mrs. Gregory, and I would ask you to postpone your vote until something can be done,” said McCloy to the commissioners.

Michael Brown, a co-owner and manager of Western Carolina Developers, explained that the Clover Ridge subdivision was started in the 1990s and development stopped in the early 2000s. Western Carolina Developers purchased the undeveloped property.

“We haven’t changed any of the layout of the original approved subdivision,” Brown said. “We’re looking to continue what’s already in place.”

Brown said the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality would monitor runoff from the site and determine how construction could proceed following a review by a local engineer.

“I don’t know that there’s anything that the city or the county will do, other than lean on the state to make sure that we’re following all the guidelines,” Brown said. “If something’s out of whack, the state won’t issue us a permit in order to do it, and thereby, the city won’t as well. … We’re very early on. No digging has started yet. So, we’re just getting started.”

The commissioners closed the public hearing and Chairman Jeff Brittain reiterated that the county was only passing the vote on the agreement and not making any decisions on zoning or planning at that time.

According to Brittain, Clover Ridge falls under the jurisdiction of Morganton, making the city responsible for planning and zoning needs in the future.

The four commissioners present voted unanimously to enter the agreement.

The county included a clawback provision requiring the developers to repay $12,000 for each of the 25 homes not completed within three years of sewer service becoming available.