Summerfield de-annexation bill passes 2nd reading in North Carolina House, residents rally against it in Raleigh; 3rd reading to be held Thursday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — Dozens of Summerfield residents went to Raleigh on Wednesday to plead with lawmakers as a de-annexation bill passed its second reading 67-46 in the North Carolina House.

Inside of House Bill 909 is the de-annexation of nearly 1,000 acres in Summerfield. It passed the North Carolina Senate this week and was approved in the North Carolina House on Wednesday evening.

A third reading of the bill is set to take place on Thursday, according to House Speaker Tim Moore.

Developer David Couch released the following statement on Wednesday evening:

For nearly a decade, all I’ve wanted to do is use my private property – in a town that I love and call home – to construct new homes for people according to a beautiful plan created by the world-renowned design firm, Dover, Kohl & Partners. And for quite a long time, Summerfield’s government has manipulated its zoning code to only allow homes in a certain price range. It has most recently stopped at nothing to prevent me from using my private property for my intended purpose.

Our state is in the midst of a boom decade. We’ve been CNBC’s No. 1 state for business two years in a row, and thousands of new jobs are now moving into the Triad. The people who will fill those jobs – blue collar and white collar and any other collar – need places to live, or else housing will become even more unaffordable than it is right now.

I’m thankful that policymakers recognized the current dysfunction of Summerfield’s local government, and the importance of reasonable rules that accommodate new housing. It’s been an exhausting time in my life, and I’m hopeful now for a path forward.

David Couch

Couch wants to build an apartment community on the land, but some people in Summerfield do not want that in their small town.

“Do not do this to us. This is a gross overstep of legislative influence,” said Priscilla Olinick, a resident of Summerfield.

Summerfield residents have waited on a resolution for months. With the decision near, people said they had to come to Raleigh to see this through and take one final stand for Summerfield.

“At the end of the day, you have to do everything you can,” said Jonathan Hamilton, a councilman in Summerfield.

The town has been divided on the development, but elected leaders united in the fight for de-annexation.

“Mayor Sessoms and I aren’t always on the same page, but I think we are today, and I appreciate you coming out here,” Hamilton said to the mayor as he approached the podium at the rally.

“Me and this very council may differ on the route and final destination, but today we are here together for one cause,” Sessoms said.

Town leaders and community members went inside the General Assembly building to share their stories with lawmakers.

“My family property … We have been there since the 1950s. Adjoins Mr. Couch’s property. I’m raising my fifth-generation boys on that land, and it is very near and dear to us, and it is our community, and if we don’t stand up for ourselves, nobody will,” Olinick said.

What Couch wants to build would be called the Village of Summerfield Farms and would have hundreds of apartments, commercial opportunities and a grocery store all connected by streets and trails.

The proposal was turned down twice at the town council. That’s when Couch went to Senator Phil Berger.

“It is an issue that has bubbled up because of what looks to me and to other folks like abuse by the town of Summerfield … I believe it was time for the state legislature to step in,” Berger said.

Berger cited the housing shortage as a reason to move forward with the development.

“It is not unusual for the legislature to do de-annexations to make modifications to things that are happening at the local level. This is not something that is that unusual for the legislature,” Berger said.

Some residents question Berger’s intention with the bill after records from the North Carolina Board of Elections show Couch donated more than $11,000 to Berger’s campaign.

“This is not a Democrat versus Republican issue. This is regular people versus the almighty dollar, and I believe that is what this is: profit over people,” Hamilton said.

“This is an example of a badly behaving community, and I hope you’ll support the bill,” Representative Jay Adams said.

Representative Amos Quick serves Guilford County. He does not appreciate the de-annexation vote sliding into House Bill 909 instead of standing on its own. Amos said he had to vote “yes” because that same bill annexes part of Samet Drive into High Point, which is the city he pastored in for a decade.

“I know that the city of High Point needs to be able to use property so they can manage their growth, so I am voting for this bill in protest of the vehicle the bill has been delivered to us,” Quick said.

Those opposed to the bill are also concerned about ties to a potential casino.

“Remember when the casino came up? Many residents of Summerfield were concerned because the land owned by the developer is only a few miles away from the proposed casino in Rockingham County,” Representative Pricey Harrison said.

Harrison says the potential housing addition could double the population of Summerfield, and that’s another reason the de-annexation should not have been tacked onto House Bill 909.

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