Planning Board OKs subdivision in crowded school district

SMITHFIELD — The largest subdivision on their agenda prompted no questions from Planning Board members.

But plans for 63 lots on nearly 81 acres on N.C. 96 near N.C. 231 did elicit an editorial comment from board Michelle Pace Davis, who’s also a County Commissioner candidate.

“I would just like to make a note on the record about the enrollment and the capacity numbers for this area,” she said.

Davis was referring to the community’s schools — Corinth-Holders Elementary, Archer Lodge Middle and Corinth Holders High. Enrollment at all three schools exceeds their brick-and-mortar classroom capacity. Corinth Holders High is over capacity by 488 students.

“We have definitely approved a lot of subdivisions in the past six months that are also in this school district,” Davis said before giving the developer some credit. “I do appreciate it being 63 lots and not 80.”

Lest anyone think otherwise, the Planning Board can’t deny a subdivision because of school enrollment capacity.

Planning Board member Will Letchworth issues that reminder at every meeting. “The vast majority of land in Johnston County is zoned agricultural-residential, which means you can farm it or build houses on it,” he noted again at the board’s June meeting. “Subdivisions are not up to our purview to determine if they’re appropriate for a specific area, purely that they meet our codes and ordinances.”

And plans for those 63 lots on 80.64 acres did just that, and the Planning Board quickly said yes to the request.

Speaking for the developer, surveyor Alsey Gilbert said the subdivision had been a simple one to lay out. “This one’s a kind of surprising subdivision,” he said. “In this area of the world, normally the soils (have) a lot of rock and stuff. It’s surprisingly great our here.

“I don’t know of any other one I’ve ever had that laid out as well as this one did. This one’s been a pleasure to do.”

But what about the subdivision’s name — MacLehose at Little River?

Gilbert had the answer. “The developer spent a good portion of his life in Hong Kong,” he said. “That is the name of the last governor of Hong Kong, British governor. They’ve got a huge park there named after him.”

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