“The requested re-zoning decreases the geographic footprint of the development and continues to preserve those areas previously identified,” the developers wrote.
D.R. Horton, a home construction company headquartered in Texas, took over the project after the death of Bob Atack of Atack Properties, which went before the commission in 2012 to secure approval for 650 homes. D.R. Horton removed a planned commercial component of the project in its request boosting the number of homes to 770, converting that space into parks and open areas for the county.
“We don’t believe adding 120 units will be a benefit to anyone but the developer,” said Roland “Dusty” Dowdy, president and general manager of Camp Holly Springs, a bottler of natural spring water.
Camp Holly Springs, which has been in business for almost 100 years, has an aquifer on site. The aquifer is near the proposed development, and Dowdy fears it could be damaged by construction. He has fought efforts to develop the area since at least the 1990s.
“Our concern for the area is that the natural resource, the aquifer we have, is not destroyed,” he said.
Developers said water quality could be improved in the area through expanding public facilities such as sanitary sewer and municipal water systems.
