SUMMERFIELD, N.C. — Town leaders voted to clear the way for a developer to build The Villages of Summerfield Farms.
The project has drawn mixed reactions for years, but Summerfield leaders finally gave in.
Thursday night’s meeting lasted over three hours; during that time, the town's planning board and town council voted on changes that would allow the development of The Villages of Summerfield Farms.
They said that even the council's lawyers think the development was bound to happen. After the threat of de-annexation, Mayor Tim Sessoms felt the town didn't have a choice.
"Absolutely, I don't think we had an option but to do this," Sessoms said. "If it's not in Summerfield, it would be in Greensboro, and at that point, Summerfield has no voice and how it's developed, no voice and how it's done, and it also brings Greensboro right into the heart of Summerfield."
Although town leaders said they felt like they had to make this decision, community members stand strong on not wanting these villages built at all.
"They have heard time and time and time again that the citizens do not want this, and yet they keep approving it," said one neighbor.
"I don't know the compromises you think there are but I think you failed. It was a total failure. You gave the developer everything he wanted and nothing for us," said another Summerfield resident.
As for the next step, developer David Couch will have to apply for his property to be rezoned in this new district created Thursday. Then, the town and developer will begin negotiating a development agreement.