Stem couple pushing to build ‘dream home’ near town center

A Stem couple continues to push toward a goal of building what they call their “dream home” near the intersection with the flashing light at the center of town despite town officials’ development plan that calls for commercial uses in that location.

Stem resident Tracy Parks frequently cites the quietness of Stem as a reason she and her husband like living in the small town.

But now their dreams of building a new home have run up against the town’s plans to promote commercial development in what town officials have begun referring to as the “town center.”

“We want to build our dream home here,” Tracy Parks told the Stem Planning Board at its Aug. 14 meeting.

The planning board voted 2-1 at that meeting to recommend that the town’s board of commissioners reject the Parkses’ petition to rezone the property residential in order to clear the way for them to build a new house on their property at 105 Tally Ho Road.

The next step in the process will be for the town commissioners to hold a public hearing on the rezoning petition. That hearing is expected to be on the agenda for the town board’s regular meeting in September.

Citing an inclination to favor rights of propery owners, planning board member Thomas Gaul cast the lone dissenting vote against the motion to recommend keeping the commercial zoning in place for the Parks tract.

Chairman Robert Harris and board member Colleen Rigan voted to advise the town commissioners to maintain commercial zoning at the site.

All three planning board members expressed some angst in regard to the decision, with Harris at one point using the word “stuck” to describe his dilemma.

Roman Acosta, the town’s zoning administrator, told the planning board he had received a permit application to build a new single family home at 105 Tally Ho Road, and was unable to issue the permit under the current zoning for the tract, which is community commercial. In response to the permit denial, the property owners filed a petition to rezone the property from community commercial to R-1 (residential), which would clear the way for construction of the home, Acosta explained.

A residence is not a permitted use in the community comercial zoning district. Examples of permitted uses in that district include a small restaurant or small convenience store.

The question for town officials right now, Acosta said, is what they would like to see at this location in the future. He said there are no other areas in Stem where commercial development is planned for the future, and he recommended keeping the community commercial zoning in place to foster commercial development and community gathering spaces.

Acosta said town officials recently completed an economic development assessment and have said they would like to see more commercial development downtown.

The town does not have a traditional downtown area currently, but does have a couple of small stores in the vicnity of the intersection of Tally Ho Road and Creedmoor Road. The Parkses currently live in a historic house near the intersection on Creedmoor, and wish to build a new home on land behind their current residence. The proposed site for that new home is 105 Tally Ho Road.

Tracy Parks said in her presentation to the planning board that the couple bought the property in Stem in 1996 and live in a house that was built in 1856.

“I chose Stem because I love this town,” she said.

Most Stem residents don’t want commercial development, Parks told the planning board. She also said that construction of a new single family home would not prevent commercial development on other nearby tracts that are zoned community commercial, and she pointed out that the area includes a mix of houses and small businesses.

Most residents are “happy not having the conveniences,” she said.

But Acosta said some families do want places in Stem to meet and gather.

The Parkses both said that regardless of how the rezoning petition fares, they will not sell their land for commercial development.

Tracy Parks said they are looking to build about a 2,300-square-foot home.

“We want to build an absolutely gorgeous single family home and make this our retirement home,” Parks said.

An additional wrinkle in the matter is that the Parkses insist they never were informed that the property was being zoned commercial.

“I have no idea when they rezoned,” Parks said. “I never would have bought commercial property.”

Acosta and the members of the planning board said that none of them were involved in any previous zoning of the property, so they could not speak to what was done at that time. But Acosta indicated he had no reason to think that proper notification procedures would not have been followed.

Harris acknowledged that uncertainty about previous zoning actions posed a difficulty for him.

“It’s tough for me because our facts are unknown with the history,” Harris said.

Harris mentioned that traffic in the area could become an issue in the future.

Acosta emphasized that the planning board’s task is to look to the future.

Planning board members were in general agreement that the “town center” area around the Creedmoor-Tally Ho intersection should be set aside for commercial development. But they also said the understood the Parkses’ concerns and desire to build a house on their land.

Acosta told the planning board its needs to be careful that decisions to rezone are made on the basis of sound community planning principles.

“If rezonings become too easy, everybody is going to want to rezone,” Acosta said.

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