On Thursday, Summerfield Town Council members voted 3-2 in favor of a text amendment that paves the way for mixed use housing. The controversial decision comes in the wake of a pending de-annexation threat. The vote went against the wishes of residents determined to preserve their quiet bedroom community on the outskirts of Greensboro.
The conflict between developer David Couch and Summerfield residents and officials has been years in the making. The town council turned down Couch’s proposal earlier this year to develop 978 acres of land he owns in the town’s center — there were questions about town limits, infrastructure demands, and concerns over high-density housing. But then Couch ally Senate leader Phil Berger threatened to pass a bill to de-annex that land — essentially handing it to Guilford County to oversee — unless the two parties negotiated to find a compromise.
There were roughly 100 people in attendance at Thursday’s joint public hearing at First Baptist Church Summerfield. It began with the town’s planning board reviewing text changes made in the building proposal. Residents were not convinced, and passions were high.
Kyle Stalls works in civil engineering and land development. He, his wife and two small children recently moved to Summerfield to escape the city, and he fears a return to the stresses of city life with the new proposed development. He was one of some 16 residents who voiced opposition to the proposed development.
"I can tell you from my experience things like this are cancer on small communities," he says. "From the moment development begins, every rule will be bent, every exception will be made, heads will turn the other way, and slowly and steadily you will erode the character and the quality of this town."
Former Summerville Mayor Gail Dunham was also in attendance and addressed council members.
"You gave the developer everything he wants and nothing for us. You’ve done nothing to protect our wells, nothing to protect our water," says Dunham. "You hired five different law firms but you don't even have an environmental lawyer for us."
The planning board eventually recommended that council approve the text amendments. After a brief intermission, Mayor Tim Sessoms opened a second public hearing session during which more than a dozen residents spoke out. He pushed back on some who questioned the transparency of the negotiating process, and he strongly refuted the suggestion that officials in Raleigh were bluffing.
"All the attorneys that we have hired and all the lobbyists we’ve hired— every single one of them has in turn has said this is very real and if Phil Berger wants it, it will happen," says Sessoms. "So, I do not view it as a threat. I view it as reality."
In the end the text amendment passed 3-2. Town Manager Scott Whitaker says it’s the first significant step in compromising with Couch, and one that he hopes will provide a land use path forward to avoid de-annexation.
The next step will be a rezoning request brought forth by Couch. Whitaker says that process could take a few months.