By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY —  With the first three phases of Shay Crossing on Earnhardt Road underway, developers anticipate selling more than a hundred single-family homes in October before beginning another phase of construction.

True Homes, LLC, a home builder based in Monroe, plans to use most of the 101 acres of land in the 600 block of Earnhardt Road to construct Shay Crossing, which will include 382 single-family units nestled between Earnhardt and Stokes Ferry roads.

Andrew McDonald, of Dependable Development, Inc./True Homes, LLC, told the Post prices will average around $250,000 but could vary significantly because of uncertainty in the housing market.

McDonald said the project is separated into phases 1-3 of the project and phase four of the project because the entire development spans two properties. Construction of 136 lots within the first three phases of the project began weeks ago. Phase four construction will take about two years, eventually providing 246 additional single-family unit homes.

The Salisbury Planning Board approved a request Tuesday from McDonald, along with Matthew Mandle and Skylar White of ESP Associates, Inc., to rezone three parcels on the property from urban residential and neighborhood mixed-use to general residential with mixed lots.

Tuesday’s rezoning request was to make the entire 101-acre plot uniform.

Moving to general residential is a “downzone” and more restrictive, said Teresa Barringer, the city’s Development Services manager. Rezoning the parcels reduces the maximum number of units permitted, or the density. While urban residential allows for 12 units per acre, general residential only allows six units per acre.

“When your impact (to the area) is lessened, that’s when it’s a downzone,” she said.

Included in McDonald’s request Tuesday was the voluntary annexation of parcels 065-008, 067-189 and portions of 058-088. The request goes to City Council next.

McDonald said True Homes is currently finishing developments in Landis and Kannapolis. A perk of being Rowan County, he added, is that True Homes provides local residents of the county with scholarships to Wingate University in Wingate.

“Moving to Salisbury is just going to continue our partnership in Rowan County,” he said. “It’s the culture that we have.”

Some nearby residents aren’t thrilled about the development, and they voiced concerns Tuesday related to privacy and traffic.

Michael Pryor, who lives on the 600 block of Earnhardt Road, requested the development include privacy fencing around his and his neighbor’s yard, which would measure 6 feet high and 350 feet long. McDonald said at the meeting that he was open to installing the fence, and the planning board made a motion to approve that request.

Cynthia Ledford, who recently purchased a home on the 600 block of Earnhardt Road, said the development will result in a lot of noise in an area she was attracted to for its rural appeal. She expressed concern about the potential installation of a Jake Alexander Boulevard right-of-way, which is being assessed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, as it would be near her driveway on the curve of Earnhardt Road.

McDonald clarified there will ultimately be at least 75 feet of distance from the center of Earnhardt Road and the development, with some landscaping included in that area.

To address some of the concerns raised, planning board member Bill Wagoner said he wasn’t necessarily advocating for or against the project, but the current zoning allowed the developer to build 12 units per acre, which would amount to a 912-unit development. Therefore, developers aren’t placing upon the neighbors a condition that’s “worse” than what could have been done, Wagoner said.

“They would’ve had no bite of the apple to appear and have any say,” Wagoner said. “Therein lies just a truth and a reality of any property owner on Earnhardt Road. It’s just a condition of the land around them that for years. They’ve lived with open land simply because the owner did not wish to use it as (urban residential) and put 900 units on it.”

Also nestled between Earnhardt and Stokes Ferry roads is Drummond Village, a project that was approved in 2002. That project included multiple phases that weren’t completed. While Shay Crossing will be within the same area, it’s a separate project from the existing Drummond Village.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.