news-record.com

ELON — The Board of Aldermen will have a hearing for a special-use permit at 6 p.m. Monday on an apartment complex that would straddle the Gibsonville-Elon border.

Blue Ridge Cos. plans to build a 294-unit apartment complex called The Legacy at Elon behind Phoenix West Apartments on Cook Road.

The public can speak at the quasi-judicial hearing, but all speakers must be sworn in. Testimony must be based on fact, not opinion.

The board will listen to facts presented by Blue Ridge Cos. and decide whether the project meets the following criteria: meets all required principles of the land development plan, is visually and functionally compatible with the surrounding area, won’t materially endanger public health or safety and won’t injure the value of adjoining properties.

Blue Ridge Cos. first brought the plan to Gibsonville and Elon in 2006. The site was going to be a mixed-use development that included 90,000 square feet of commercial space. But after neighbors complained, the developer returned with a different plan, one solely for apartments.

Elon staff said the plan didn’t meet the town’s zoning rules. The board of adjustment ruled in favor of the town, but Blue Ridge Cos. appealed to the N.C. Superior Court and won. The ruling requires Elon to treat the plan as if it is permitted in the zoning district, said Town Planner Sean Tencer. The town’s technical review committee has approved the apartment complex.

Gibsonville town ordinances do not require the developer to contact any town board. However, a technical review committee made up of town staff will have to review the apartment site plan.

Gibsonville’s mayor and planning board leader have expressed concern about the apartment complex. All of the water runoff from the 19-acre complex will drain into Gibsonville town limits, which is the low-lying land on the property, and only 54 apartments will be in Gibsonville.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610.