ROCKINGHAM — The City Council on Tuesday approved the rezoning of 8.33 acres on Clemmer Road to potentially make way for a new apartment complex.
The request was made in January by Connelly Development, a South Carolina-based firm that previously built Fountain Pointe Apartments, to rezone the four tracts from Rural Residential to High-Density Residential.
Connelly is interested in constructing another multi-family development nearby, between Fountain Pointe and the First Assembly of God church.
There are currently two homes on the property in question, one of which is still occupied.
Andrew Rosen, a developer with Connelly, said during the public hearing for the zoning that the proposed $12.5 million Fountain Square development would feature 48 apartments on the eight acre-property, a playground and other amenities.
Those apartments would be one- to three-bedroom rentals, with prices ranging from $550-$900 per month, according to Rosen, which would meet a “huge need” in the community. There are currently 20 people on the waiting list for Fountain Pointe, he added.
Field Goodlett, another Connelly representative, said the company has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and crime for its tenants and has security cameras installed on the property.
“If we have a tenant that is causing issues, we have language in our contracts that they can be removed,” Goodlett said. “We’re really trying to keep the good ones in and the bad ones out.”
Connelly is in the process of applying for housing credits from the state. Once everything is approved, Rosen said construction should take about a year.
Assistant City Manager John Massey said the land was never rezoned after it was annexed by the city in 1995. He added that Rural Residential “is intended to be applied to areas outside the city limits where there are no municipal services.”
The property in question is within the city limits and has access to services, Massey said.
Massey added that the rezoning, which is past due, is consistent with the city’s land use plan and was recommended by the Planning Board in February.
Clemmer Road is slated to be upgraded as part of a State Transportation Improvement Plan project to connect U.S. 74 Business to U.S. 1, to give drivers a cut-through other than Long Drive. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
“The character of that section of Rockingham has been changing gradually in the last several years,” said Mayor John Hutchinson.
The intersection of Clemmer Road with U.S. 74 Business features an Aldi grocery store and Zaxby’s restaurant on one side and Sport Cycles and the local N.C. Department of Transportation engineer office on the other.
Across the street, Hwy 55 is building a standalone restaurant in front of a hotel currently under construction.
Last May, the City Council approved the annexation of nearly 52 acres across the street to provide water and sewer services for an office complex planned by Goshen Medical Center.
The only person to ask questions during the public hearing was Earl Key Jr., who is co-trustee of a nearby property — bought by his parents in the mid-’70s — with his brother.
Key’s main concerns were about property values and the tax base.
“When you up-zone property, it makes it more valuable,” Massey said, adding that it opens the door for the rest of the corridor to be up-zoned. “And it probably needs to be because the character of the area is just not consistent with the way it’s currently zoned.”
Massey said there is a lot of interest in development in that area, which is likely to increase when the road is widened and opened to more traffic.
City Manager Monty Crump said he had a similar conversation with the pastor of one of the two nearby churches and told him, “You’re not in the country anymore. The city’s growing…”
Prior to the vote, Massey reminded council members that they have to consider all possible uses for that zoning district and not base their decision based on the representations of the applicant.
“It’s the right thing to do … particularly with the continued development that’s occurring in that area,” said Councilman Bennett Deane, adding that the city needs more multi-family housing.
Hutchinson said it’s “exciting to see the interest and the growth” happening in that section of the city.
