We are a growing group of homeowners who are concerned with the rezoning of residential properties in the Starmount Forest & Hamilton Lakes area.
Our mission is to stop the rezoning of the property at the corner of Friendly Avenue and Holden Road. The current owner plans to develop this wooded 2.5 acres into an office complex, bank and other facilities.
If he is successful nothing will stop the other surrounding houses on both Friendly and Holden from rezoning to retail and offices. This could create a domino effect of non- residential development in our quiet, residential neighborhood.
How does this concern me?
Currently, single family residences line the Friendly Avenue thoroughfare all the way from the old Ham’S Restaurant property at the edge of the Sunset Hills Neighborhood to Muir’s Chapel Road near Guilford College. For 50 years until 2007, consistent with a 1957 Starmount/Hamilton Lakes covenant established by the NC General Assembly, any development, other than single family residential, has been prohibited on the south side of Friendly Avenue.
What is being done about it?
A group of your neighbors is hard at work to oppose this effort and has had several meetings over the past few months, the most recent being a meeting at First Lutheran Church on Sunday, June 27th to share information. We have organized email lists, have a website, and established a neighborhood network. Collectively, we have a wealth of expertise and are preparing a professional presentation of coordinated speakers to oppose the rezoning at the July 12th Zoning Commission meeting. We are encouraging everyone who opposes this to attend the July 12th meeting! We are also prepared to attend the August 2nd City Council meeting, if the property owner appeals the Zoning Commission’s decision, if the ruling is in our favor. We are prepared to take our case, in large numbers with civility and professionalism, to the City Council meeting. We are also preparing a city approved Protest Petition that will be filed with the City Council regarding this appeal.
Can one neighbor really make a difference?
Yes! We hope you will work together with your neighbors to help keep your neighborhood single family residential and not allow “business/commercial creep” & “spot zoning” to develop along Holden Road and Friendly Avenue. We must work together NOW to stop this rezoning and prevent the beginning of a trend that will erode the edges of our single family residential neighborhoods.
Property requesting zoning change
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