Home Care In Summerfield, NC

SUMMERFIELD, N.C. (WGHP) — The future of Summerfield came down to a 3-2 vote.

During a Thursday night public hearing, the town council approved a change to its current zoning designation ordinance.

The change would scale down the minimum number of acres developers needed to build a project, which would allow developer David Couch, who proposed building apartments and retail stores, to build the project on his nearly 1,000-acre property.

During the meeting, more than two dozen Summerfield residents spoke against the change to the amendment that would reduce the minimum size of any future development that’s proposed to 450 acres.

Some people from Summerfield accused the town council of going against what the majority of residents have resisted for months.

After the meeting, Mayor Tim Sessoms said pressure from Sen. Phil Berger who pushed legislation to de-annex Couch’s property in the General Assembly, influenced the town council vote.

“We have said no and said no and we’ve tried to protect our town and keep it where it is and you know, now with the pressure from the General Assembly and the other forces that are lining up behind this to come after Summerfield, it’s time we’re going to have to make some changes. Some hard changes, and we appreciate our citizens being understanding of what we have to do,” Sessoms said.

Meanwhile, Couch’s attorney Tom Terrell says the town is in good hands.

“If this project does go through as proposed by the internationally known planning firm Dover Coal, it will be a project that this town is immensely proud of,” Terrell said.

It’s unclear whether the vote will keep the General Assembly out of the town’s business.

Senator Berger has said in the past he won’t move the de-annexation bill forward if Couch and the town make progress in their negotiations.

According to Mayor Sessoms, the original amount of acres developers needed to propose a project was 750. He says the Summerfield Town Council changed that to make it more fair for other future developers.

The state Senate voted Wednesday to remove nearly a thousand acres from the Guilford County town of Summerfield.

The deannexation bill was requested by developer David Couch, who wants to build apartments and other housing on the property despite objections from the suburban town's leaders.

Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, represents the area. He's pushing the legislation sought by Couch after he said the two sides couldn't compromise over the development.

"I feel like we gave the property owner and the town of Summerfield an adequate amount of time to try to work something out," Berger said. "They were unable to do so."

Summerfield is blocking affordable housing and needs to develop a water and sewer system for fire protection and environmental issues, he added. The town is known for requiring large lots for new homes, creating an unusually low density community in a region outside Greensboro that's seeing major population growth.

"Summerfield the largest municipality in the state of North Carolina that is exclusively on wells and septic tanks," Berger said. "As far as fire protection, you're dealing with fairly significant property improvements, where the fire department in many respects is dependent on ponds for the water necessary to fight fires. And I believe that the council in Summerfield has failed to take reasonable steps to address some of those issues."

Berger noted that Guilford County leaders will be responsible for land use and zoning decisions after the bill becomes law.

The town's mayor said this week's Senate action came as a surprise, and he wants to continue negotiations with the developer.

"I'm working to secure a direct meeting with Sen. Berger to correct any misunderstandings about the town's persistent and clear efforts to affect a better outcome for all parties," Mayor Tim Sessoms said in a statement posted to the town's Facebook page. "Our council takes public safety, land use and property rights seriously and these are at the core of trying to solve this critical development issue."

The controversial development is located about 10 miles from the site of a proposed casino in nearby Rockingham County. Supporters of that project, including Berger, have argued it will bring growth and economic development to the area, but Summerfield is one of the neighboring municipalities that have passed resolutions opposing the casino.

Several of the lobbyists representing the Baltimore-based casino developer, The Cordish Companies, are also representing Couch's development company at the legislature.

The bill that passed Wednesday includes other local legislation. It would also extend a meals tax in Mecklenburg County and require Buncombe County to study merging its school districts. And it settles confusion over the location of the county line that separates Granville and Franklin counties.

Final votes on the bill are set for next week in the House and Senate.

There has been a long and involved war going on in Summerfield over plans by farmer and developer David Couch to create a 973-acre residential and mixed-use development – The Villages of Summerfield Farms – in the town of about 11,000 people in northern Guilford County.

On Monday, Sept. 18 – in an attempt to stave off a de-annexation of Couch’s property from the town by the NC General Assembly – the Summerfield Town Council held an emergency meeting. After a nearly two-hour closed session, the councilmembers came out and voted unanimously to give Couch what he’s been asking for from the town for a long time.

Since a vocal faction of Summerfield residents are concerned about more development in the area, there has been a lot of opposition over the past two years to Couch’s proposal.

A rezoning request of the 973 acres was denied in April 2023.

However, at the Sept. 18 meeting, the Town Council voted to support zoning and other changes that will now allow the project to move forward.

About 20 spectators attended the hastily called meeting held in the main room of the Summerfield Community Center. Unlike some prior meetings involving Couch’s proposed development, there were no boos or angry shouts from opponents as the Town Council conducted its business.

Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms did most of the talking as the board moved swiftly from one item to another – each vote pledging to give Couch what he’s been asking for, including a special “Open Space Mixed-Use Villages” zoning designation – or OSM-V – and the removal of some scenic corridor restrictions that conflicted with the planned development.

The Town Council pledged to make other zoning moves needed to advance the project as well.

One resolution reads, “NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Town Council on behalf of the Town of Summerfield, North Carolina, pledges a reconsideration of the OSM-V District text amendment and a new consideration of the rezoning of necessary land as presented during the last text amendment case and furthermore pledges support of approval of both steps needed to bring The Villages project to completion as designed.”

The development will need water too, so the Town Council is now all for that as well: “WHEREAS, negotiations have been underway to bring The Villages project to fruition and it is known that public water and sewer will be necessary to serve the project; and, WHEREAS, the water and sewer will need to be provided from a neighboring jurisdiction … NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Town Council on behalf of the Town of Summerfield, North Carolina, pledges advocacy for and facilitation of the efforts for the developer to bring said services to The Villages area.”

The Town Council made the moves in an effort to keep the 973 acres from being de-annexed from Summerfield – something a frustrated Couch had requested of state lawmakers. The vote to de-annex the land is scheduled to move forward this week.

The Summerfield Town Council has scheduled a Thursday, Sept. 28 public hearing and meeting, where the council intends to approve all the needed changes to allow the development provided that those changes are “substantively as presented to the citizens and Council leading up to April 2023, the last public discussion of the project.”

Local developer is one step closer to building proposed development called 'Villages of Summerfield Farms' in the Town of Summerfield. Residents are divided.

SUMMERFIELD, N.C. — Effort to push a controversial development project in Guilford County are moving forward.

Lawmakers in Raleigh appear primed to approve de-annexation, clearing the way for the project.

This proposed development, Villages of Summerfield Farms has drawn mixed reactions across the town.

At Summerfield's last Town Hall meeting, resident after resident spoke about keeping Summerfield rural but some people like the idea, like Kevin Kenjarsky.

"This is the one area where you might as well put a 'KEEP OUT' sign and frankly, that's not who we are in Summerfield. We want people to move to this area. We want people to enjoy this area and we want a good planned development. We want something that makes sense for everyone," Kenjarsky said.

RELATED: New developments in efforts to redevelop Summerfield Farms

Developer David Couch has proposed building residential and retail space on his land in the center of Summerfield. Apartments are included in those plans.

Jared Williams said opponents aren't so much worried about apartments being built but extreme population growth.

"The Town of Summerfield is not opposed to responsible growth. In fact, the vast majority of folks are in favor of responsible growth. What's being pushed forward is irresponsible development, where you're completely doing away with any reasonable density controls," Williams said.

RELATED: The future of Summerfield Farms could be decided by the General Assembly

When town leaders rejected the development, Senate Leader Phil Berger stepped in. He wrote a letter to the Mayor of Summerfield, Tim Sessoms, saying he wants the project to happen and planned to push de-annexation through at the state level.

It's already passed two votes in the state senate. This decision has Summerfield neighbors further divided.

"This whole process of de-annexation completely takes away the power of the local residents and local government," Williams said.

"I believe that the right decision is for the General Assembly to come in and de-annex the 973 acres. Primarily because of the Town of Summerfield leadership has weaponized the emotion of the community to not allow a land owner to do what he should be allowed to do," said Kenjarsky.

Both the house and senate are expected to make the final vote on this de-annexation next Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

SUMMERFIELD, N.C. (WGHP) — The town of Summerfield held an emergency meeting regarding a de-annexation bill making its way through the General Assembly.

Last week, the North Carolina Senate approved House Bill 5 after a second reading that would de-annex nearly 1,000 acres off of Pleasant Ridge Road, which is owned by developer David Couch.

Earlier this year, Couch proposed building a community called The Villages of Summerfield Farms. It would include nearly 600 apartments as well as other retail and amenities.

Members of the Summerfield Town Council turned down the proposal twice.

So Couch took his concerns to Senator Phil Berger, and now the House Bill is a topic of discussion in Raleigh.

During an emergency meeting Monday night, dozens of people showed up to learn what’s going to happen next.

After an hour-long closed-session meeting, the Summerfield Town Council passed three resolutions of good faith in negotiating with Couch.

Summerfield Mayor Timm Sessoms attributes to change of heart to House Bill 5.

“We’re under a great deal of pressure from the North Carolina General Assembly. Anytime you have to look at a de-annexation the size of 973 acres in your town, it would be the largest de-annexation in the state of North Carolina. It’s never been done before. It’s a very serious matter,” Sessoms said.

It’s a matter community members like Jared Williams oppose.

He says he’s disappointed it looks like the town council changed its mind after voting against de-annexation in April.

“It’s irresponsible level of development, and it has absolutely zero limitation on the residential density,” Williams said.

Long-time resident Jeffrey Johnson also thinks the town can’t handle a population increase.

“I don’t think that we have the infrastructure to support it even if the water and sewer comes in. There’s a whole lot of stuff that needs to be taken care of. The schools are busting at the seams … Something is going to have to be done because it’s going to be impossible to get around town,” Johnson said.

In the resolutions passed Monday night, the town approved the reconsideration of Couch’s text amendment regarding how many apartments he could build and a commitment to advocate for the water system in the town that relies on well water as well as a scenic coordinator to watch over Couch’s project.

As the town awaits the outcome of House Bill 5, Sessoms has a message for residents.

“We certainly understand the frustration of the people of Summerfield. We are always listening to them and their input. Ultimately, we are responsible to take care of the public interest and public safety. At this point, we’re trying to make the best deal we can for the town of Summerfield to protect our borders,” Sessoms said.

Sessoms says they will reconsider Couch’s amendment during another public meeting which is scheduled for Sept. 28.

The Senate has delayed the vote on House Bill 5 until at least Wednesday.