Title
Vote to approve a request by Clay Matthews on behalf of Greenfield BW, LLC for subdivision First Plat review and approval of Bramblewood, consisting of 60 lots on 123.74 acres, located off US Hwy 64 W, parcels 82230 and 96352
Abstract
Introduction & Background:
Zoning: R-1
Water System: Public
Sewer System: Individual Sepic
Subject to 100-year flood: Floodable areas within the development.
General Information: The subdivision process is a four (4) step process: Concept Plan, First Plat, Construction Plan, and Final Plat. The applicant has completed the community meeting and the Concept Plan review. The minimum lot size requirement for the project is 40,000 square feet of usable area. The Planning Board has two (2) meetings in which to act on the proposal.
Discussion & Analysis:
The request is for First Plat review and recommendation of Bramblewood, consisting of 60 lots on 123.74 acres, located off US Hwy 64 West. A vicinity map showing the property location can be viewed online. Per the Subdivision Regulations, Section 5.2C(4), a Public Hearing shall be held at the first Planning Board meeting to receive comments on the proposed subdivision. Item (b) states that following the Public Hearing, the Planning Board shall review the proposal, staff recommendation, and public comments and indicate their recommendation for approval, disapproval, or approval subject to modifications. As stated above, the Planning Board has two (2) meetings to act on the proposal.
Roadways: The road is to be built as a 20-foot-wide travel way with a 60-foot-wide public right-of-way and is to be state maintained. A right turn lane into the project will be proposed.
Historical: The applicant contacted Sy Robbins with Chatham County Historical Association (CCHA). Mr. Robbins provided an email dated December 11, 2025. The email stated a trace of the old stage road crosses the northern end of the tract. Landrum Creek located along the southern border of the properties increases the probability of Native American habitation. Mr. Robbins recommends a baseline/existing conditions map prepared for the site that includes the existing farm buildings, the old road trace, and other items of interest identified during site surveillance activities.
Schools: Notification of the proposed development was provided to the Chatham County School System and was received by Randy Drumheller.
Environmental Impact Assessment: Due to the number of lots, and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was required to be submitted and peer reviewed. The EIA, dated October 8, 2025, was prepared by Inver Environmental Consulting, LLC and peer reviewed by Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. (JMT). JMT provided a letter dated October 13, 2025, that stated our comments have been compiled utilizing the ERAC EIA Review Checklist format. JMT reviewed the EIA for completeness in accordance with the most recent version of Chatham County Subdivision Regulations. In our opinion, the EIA satisfies the requirements of the regulations and should be considered complete.
A letter dated July 8, 2025, from North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Natural Heritage Program to Chatham County Land & Water Resources Division for review. The letter states “A query of the NCNHP database, indicates that there are no records for rare species, important natural communities, natural areas, and/or conservation/managed areas within the proposed project boundary. Please note that although there may be no documentation of natural heritage elements within the project boundary, it does not imply or confirm their absence; the area may not have been surveyed. The results of this query should not be substituted for filed surveys where suitable habitat exists. In the event that rare species are found within the project area, please contact the NCNHP so that we may update our records.
Rare species and natural communities that have been documented within a one-mile radius of the property boundary. The proximity of these records suggests that these natural heritage elements may potentially be present in the project area if suitable habitat exists. No Element Occurrences are Documented Within a One-Mile Radius of the Project Area”
A letter dated June 27, 2025, from North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources states a review was conducted and they are aware of no historic resources which would affect the project and have no comments.
Community Meeting: A community meeting was held on September 4, 2025, at Chatham County Public Library, Pittsboro, NC. Approximately nineteen (19) people attended the meeting. Some items discussed during the meeting included the following:
• Will there be individual septic fields per lot
• Will the septic fields in the higher elevated lots, runoff to the downhill lots
• What is the plan for when Hwy 64 becomes a freeway
• Will lights be placed on Hwy 64 intersection
• Who is the developer
• Will the developer build the homes
• Will the septic fields be built into the flood plain, and will the owner of the property have to pay a fee to fix the septic field that sinks
• Could a park be built near the flood plain, instead of lots, due to the area flooding
• Are the soils suitable for septic
• Are there any plans to do an endangered species/environmental study
• Any plans to developer anything else nearby
• Has there been any soil testing to check for sewage sludge runoff or other harmful bacteria
• Has any environmental report ever resulted in a denial for development
• Are there any lighting requirements/will this affect the star visibility
• Will wildlife be negatively impacted by this development
• Will the natural environment be preserved
• Will the rural character of the area change due to the development
• Will the project have any community spaces or services
• Will there, or has there been, any stormwater analysis that has taken place
Technical Review Committee: The TRC met on January 14, 2026, to review the First Plat submittal. Mr. Clay Matthews and Mr. Mark Ashness with LJA were present and gave a brief presentation. Items discussed included the following:
• Standard setbacks will be required for each lot
• Any lighting will need to be reviewed by Zoning
• Any subdivision sign will require a permit
• Add a note on the plat, clarifying that the riparian buffer extends beyond the mapped floodplain limits and callouts be included at every specific point where this condition occurs
• Provide signage at SCMs with verbiage provided by Watershed Protection Dept.
• It was discussed to extend the turn lane to parcel 66392 and NCDOT stated they will discuss this more with the developer and team
• Hawthrone Lane and Foxglove Run are duplicates names and cannot be used for road names.
• Mail kiosk area and any amenity areas, consider signage for pedestrians for the residents who may be using the areas.
Septic: A soils report and project layout were submitted to Mr. Carl Kivett, Chatham County Registered Environmental Health Specialist, for review. Mr. Kivett stated, “Everything looks okay to me on this project at this stage in the process.”
Water: Public water from Tri River
Road Name: The road names Bramblewood Way, Elderberry Court, Fern Hollow Lane, Thornfield Drive, and Meadowbrush Court have been approved by Chatham County Emergency Operations Office as acceptable for submittal to the Board of Commissioners for approval.
Development Schedule: One phase is proposed. Phase 1 final plat is to be submitted by April 30, 2031. This project shall have 36 months from First Plat approval to submit Construction Plan for Phase 1.
Water Features: Phillip May with Inver Environmental Consulting, LLC, submitted the Riparian Buffer review application along with a riparian buffer map to Watershed Protection Department. Phillip Cox, County Watershed Specialist, and Phillip May completed an on-site riparian buffer review on May 19, 2025, to verify the consultant’s findings. On June 13, 2025, Drew Blake issued a confirmation letter of the findings which stated two (2) intermittent streams, one (1) perennial stream, seven (7) potential wetlands, and three (3) ephemeral streams. A 30-ft buffer from top of bank landward on both sides of the feature for all ephemeral streams, a 50-ft buffer will be required beginning at the flagged boundary and proceeding landward on all wetlands, a 50-ft buffer from top of bank landward on both sides of the feature for all intermittent streams and a 100-ft buffer from top of bank landward on both sides of the feature for the perennial stream. The Jurisdictional Determination (JD) request has been submitted to the Army Corp of Engineers and is currently being processed. The JD will be required at construction plan submittal.
Stormwater and Erosion Control: Approximately five stormwater devices are proposed. As part of the stormwater permitting process, additional information will be provided to the Watershed Protection Department. A Stormwater Permit and Sedimentation & Erosion Control Permit will be obtained from the Chatham County Watershed Protection Department prior to the Construction Plan submittal. No land disturbing activity can commence on the property prior to obtaining Construction Plan approval.
Site Visit: Site visits were scheduled for January 29, 2026, for Planning Department staff and various board members to attend. CE Group representatives were present to walk the property with staff and Board members and discuss the project. Pictures of the site visit can be viewed on the Planning Department webpage at www.chathamnc.org/planning <http://www.chathamnc.org/planning>, Rezoning and Subdivision Cases, 2026.
Planning Board Discussion:
The Planning Board met virtually on February 3, 2026 due to the prediction of inclement weather forecasted the week prior to the meeting. The Planning Board Chair decided on January 29, 2026, to hold the meeting remotely. Planning staff mailed the first meeting notification letters to property owners within 400’ of the project on January 16, 2026. The second notification letter was mailed to the same property owners on January 29, 2026 to inform the property owners the Planning Board meeting would be held remotely on February 3, 2026.
Mr. Nicholas Robinson, Attorney and Mr. Clay Matthews with LJA were present on behalf of the developer. Mr. Robinson gave a brief presentation. During the presentation Mr. Robinson stated for legal context it’s always good to remember this is a by-right subdivision, no rezoning or special use permit is required or requested. The Board focus is entirely on whether the first plat meets the requirements set in the subdivision regulations. Mr. Robinson stated Planning staff have been involved during the entire process to ensure sufficiency of the application and has recommended approval. No stream crossings are proposed. The project meets the First Plat requirements, in accordance with staff recommendation, state law, and Chatham County Subdivision Regulations we would request the first plat be approved.
Public Hearing Input included the following:
• Concerns with traffic, light pollution, environmental impact, loss of farmland, noise, public safety and the development is detrimental to Chatham County's rural character or intended path of responsible development.
• This area is designated as agriculture on the comprehensive map. If this development goes forward, our county is going to lose 75 acres of prime farmland that will not go back to agriculture. This area in 20-years will be a version of Cary in Chatham County, with no stars and no farms.
• This is a dense residential subdivision in an agricultural area, and is exactly the type of sprawling, death-by-a-thousand-cuts, farms-to-houses development that our county's residents do not want.
The first five goals of the Comprehensive Plan.
1. Preserve the rural character and lifestyle of Chatham County.
2. Preserve, protect, and enable agriculture and forestry.
3. Promote a compact growth pattern by developing in and near existing towns, communities, and in designated, well planned, walkable, mixed-use centers.
4. Diversify the tax base and generate more quality, in-county jobs to reduce dependence on residential property taxes, create economic opportunity and
reduce out-commuting.
5. Conserve natural resources.
• The EIA states that Shambley Meadows represent the area, this development is new and is developed by the same people. This project is one more domino followed by others.
• Sewage sludge being spread on the proposed parcels, this seems to be an environmental risk that wasn’t addressed in the EIA and this was mentioned at the September community meeting and the EIA was finalized in November.
Planning Board discussions included the following:
• What is the plan for Hwy 64 to become a freeway, and will there be lights installed? Response: Mr. Matthews stated it would be unlikely that lights would be installed, if a light was installed it would be placed near the driveway connection. To our knowledge there is no current plan to change Hwy 64 into a freeway, stated Mr. Matthews. Traffic is always a concern, and a turn lane is proposed for the project.
• Septic field concerns that were brought up during the community meeting.
• The location of Landrum Creek increases the probability of Native American habitation and CCHA recommends a baseline condition map, was a map prepared? Response: Mr. Matthews stated they have an existing conditions survey. This project required an EIA and per the EIA there was no evidence of Native American habitation historically or physically found on site. Landrum Creek is located 2,000 feet south of the project, the two streams within the project are small tributaries.
• Will they be looking for artifacts during construction? Response: Mr. Phil May, who completed the EIA for the peer review, stated yes. If any artifacts are unearthed, work will stop and the Historical Society and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office will be contacted. Mr. Robinson stated one of the requirements in the EIA that the plan be submitted to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office and they do both the historic preservation review and the archaeological review. There is a letter within the EIA from North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, and they said they have conducted their review of the project and there are no historic resources to be impacted by the project.
• The ERAC report stated they encourage an infiltrative measure as opposed to retentive structures regarding water runoff. Had there been any consideration for that recommendation for stormwater management? Response: Mr. Matthew stated bioretention which would be considered infiltrative measures, traditionally, has not been very successful within the greater Chatham County area. Generally, infiltration just does not work, and the ponds end up being oversized for what they need to be, which is why we usually end up in a wet pond situation. A development with lots of this size, we are generally able to minimize the amount of stormwater we need to account for because of the minimal amount of impervious surface that goes on these sites. By doing that, the stormwater ponds we show on this plan are not necessarily the final condition or the final size. Sometimes they can be reduced in size and sometimes we can do some treatment swales that tend to be much less impactful.
• It seems to be a slight contrast with Plan Chatham with 75-acres of farmland being developed. Response: Mr. Robinson stated the Comprehensive Plan that was mentioned during the public hearing is not a regulatory tool, but a policy tool and the applicant is not asking for special permission to do anything different.
• When was the last date this property was farmed? Response: Mr. Matthews stated the property was used for cattle up to a few weeks ago.
After the Planning Board meeting, staff received two comments from residents who received late notification of the remote meeting. One resident provided comments and was concerned about this area’s flooding and debris, especially after last summer storms.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan:
Plan Chatham was adopted by the Board of Commissioners in November 2017 and is a comprehensive plan that provides strategic direction to address the most pressing needs in the county. These properties are located in an area of the county identified as Agriculture on the Future Land Use and Conservation Plan Map (Strategy 5.2). The description for agriculture areas includes large-scale working farms and timberlands, related processing facilities, supporting commercial and service uses, and single-family homes.
The proposed conventional subdivision meets the adopted riparian buffer and stormwater control standards of the county. The developer also contacted the NC Natural Heritage Program to review their database for any rare species, important natural communities, natural areas, or conservation/managed areas within the project boundary, and none were identified in their records. It should be noted that Plan Chatham is not intended to be used as a regulatory tool but is a policy document. When reviewing subdivision applications, the boards can use the plan as a tool to identify future regulatory changes.
Budgetary Impact: N/A
Recommendation/Motion:
The Planning Department and Planning Board unanimously recommend granting approval of the road names Bramblewood Way, Elderberry Court, Fern Hollow Lane, Thornfield Drive, and Meadowbrush Court and granting approval of subdivision First Plat as submitted with the following conditions:
1. The county attorney shall review and approve the contract and performance guarantee prior to final plat recordation.
2. The following development schedule shall be submitted: Construction Plan submittal of Phase 1 within thirty-six (36) months of the First Plat approval with Final Plat Application submittal by April 30, 2031.