"Looking Back to See Ahead": Why Commissioners Must Reject Fearrington Preserve on Nov. 16
Following the Chatham County Planning Board’s decisive 8–3 vote on October 6 to recommend DENIAL of the Fearrington Preserve Conditional District Rezoning (Case CD-CC-2026), our coalition is entering the final, most critical phase of this campaign. On Monday, November 16, 2026, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners will hold the final vote on this proposal.
To ensure every resident and decision-maker understands what is at stake, Smart Chatham and the Briar Chapel Community Association (BCCA)—representing nearly 2,500 homes in Baldwin Township—have just published a joint op-ed: "Looking Back to See Ahead: Why Chatham County Must Reject Fearrington Preserve."
👉 Read and Share the Full Joint Op-Ed on SmartChatham.org
Taking Our Message to the Highways: New Campaign Billboards
If you have been driving around Chatham County this weekend, you may have already spotted our new campaign billboards! Thanks to the generous contributions of supporters across our coalition, we launched billboard designs that directly mirror the message of our new op-ed—recognizing Commissioners Karen Howard and Franklin Gomez Flores for their prescient 2021 "No" votes against expanding the Compact Communities Ordinance boundary map, and calling on the entire Board to follow their lead by voting NO on November 16th.
In Case You Missed It: Read the Joint Op-Ed
(You can read and share the permanent version of this briefing on our website here, or read the full text below.)
Looking Back to See Ahead: Why Chatham County Must Reject Fearrington Preserve
By Jeremy Rose (Smart Chatham) and Carole Houk (Briar Chapel Community Association)
Five years ago, on December 20, 2021, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners stood at a critical land-use crossroads. On a narrow 3–2 vote, the Board approved a 184-acre expansion of the Compact Communities Ordinance (CCO) boundary map along Parker Herndon and Morris Roads.
That evening, Commissioners Franklin Gomez Flores and Karen Howard cast courageous "No" votes. They saw through the speculative promises and warned that expanding high-density zoning boundaries into rural Baldwin Township without guaranteed wastewater solutions, adequate road networks, or plan consistency was a grave mistake. (Watch the 2021 BOC Meeting Video)
Today, as the active 2026 Fearrington Preserve Conditional District Rezoning (Case CD-CC-2026) comes before the Board of Commissioners for a final vote on November 16th, history has proven Commissioners Gomez Flores and Howard completely right.
The developer’s plan, which seeks double-density Conditional District Compact Community zoning for 630 units on 365 acres, exposes every flaw warned about in 2021:
- Severe Traffic on Rural School Corridors: The project is projected to dump over 6,500 new daily vehicle trips onto narrow two-lane collector routes, specifically Andrews Store, Parker Herndon, and Morris Roads. These exact roads serve as daily lifelines for four local schools: Chatham Grove Elementary, Margaret B. Pollard Middle, Woods Charter, and Willow Oak Montessori.
Wastewater & Watershed Risks: Lacking public utility connections, the applicant proposes a private Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) wastewater plant and 35+ acres of effluent spray fields on tight Vance and Helena clay subsoils upstream of flood-prone Pokeberry Creek. Furthermore, the developer’s claimed stream restoration "benefit" collapsed after the adjacent Briar Chapel HOA passed a unanimous August 2026 resolution refusing to participate in the Pokeberry Creek Mitigation Bank and Restoration Project associated with Fearrington Preserve. - Erosion of Public Benefits: Rather than fulfilling the spirit of a true walkable Compact Community, the developer treats community benefits as an afterthought. To satisfy the county's affordable housing mandate, the applicant proposes donating land that was the site of a former hog lagoon, relegating future affordable housing residents to compromised acreage while reserving prime land for market-rate units. Simultaneously, they are asking to waive core ordinance rules by slashing required commercial space by ~77% and cutting roadside viewshed buffers by 50% along Parker Herndon and Morris Roads.
On October 6, 2026, the Chatham County Planning Board thoroughly audited these 2026 updates and voted 8–3 to recommend DENIAL. Their recommendation echoed the exact principles Commissioners Gomez Flores and Howard stood for in 2021: high-density sprawl does not belong in sensitive rural watersheds on overburdened school roads.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Commissioner Franklin Gomez Flores and Commissioner Karen Howard for having the vision to vote "No" on the original 2021 map expansion. As the Board of Commissioners prepares for the final November 16th vote, Chatham County residents hope we can count on their continued leadership, and that the entire Board will join them in voting NO to deny the 2026 Fearrington Preserve rezoning application.
Chatham County deserves progress, but progress must follow the rules, protect our schoolchildren, and preserve our natural heritage.
How You Can Take Action Before November 16
We have come too far to let up now. Here are three immediate steps you can take to help us cross the finish line:
- Share the Op-Ed: Forward this email or share the direct link to our Public Briefing & Op-Ed on your neighborhood listservs and social media pages.
- Mark Your Calendar for the Final Vote: Join us on Monday, November 16, 2026 (6:30pm), when the Chatham County Board of Commissioners convenes to vote on Case CD-CC-2026. A packed room is our strongest message.
- Keep Our Billboards & Advocacy Running: Our billboards, technical reviews, and community outreach are 100% funded by neighbors like you. Contribute to the Smart Chatham Campaign Fund to help us sustain our visibility through the November 16th hearing.
Thank you for standing up for due process, watershed protection, and responsible planning standards across Chatham County.
In solidarity,
The Smart Chatham Coalition Team