Chatham says 'No' to 90-home project

PITTSBORO -- The new Chatham County Board of Commissioners unanimously denied an application for a new subdivision Tuesday night -- something that hasn't happened in this county for years.

"This has been a long time coming," Commissioner Patrick Barnes said after the vote against the Lystra Road Subdivision.

Commissioners said the 144 acres off Lystra Road is not a suitable piece of property for the 90-home subdivision that the Dornoch Group wants to build.

They said the hills are too steep to build roads, and nearby streams would be affected by runoff.

"The slopes are built for billy goats," Barnes said. "This land is good for nothing but holding the Earth together."

Commissioners also expressed concern about increased traffic created by another subdivision in northeastern Chatham.

After the vote, the packed district courthouse erupted into cheers. Elaine Chiosso, with the Haw River Assembly, gave a standing ovation.

Just before the board voted to deny this subdivision, it approved a different one, 4-1, and Barnes expressed his disappointment.

The previous Board of Commissioners "never saw a development they didn't like," he said. "I just want to know when it's going to end."

But the other commissioners said the RLA Development Co. had gone beyond county's requirements in its application for the Parker Springs Subdivision, which consists of 50 lots on 87 acres off Mount Gilead Church Road.

"We've never had a developer volunteer for an environmental impact study in my recollection," Commissioner George Lucier said. "In addition, their stream buffers are 100 feet, ... so in current form, I support it."