FRIENDS OF WEDDINGTON!
ASK WEDDINGTON PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS AND WEDDINGTON TOWN COUNCIL TO REJECT TOLL BROTHERS FUTURE PLANS FOR A PRIVATE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM FOR THEIR 93 HOME DEVELOPMENT "DEAL LAKE"** DO NOT DONATE to Change.org, as 100% of donations go to Change.org and not our fight.**
Please sign and share our petition! https://www.change.org/NoDealWeddington
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What we know:
Located off HWY 84/Weddington Road, a 182 acre farm with open pastoral views, owned by the Propst and Deal families, has remained preserved in time, untouched by five generations, as development has slowly crept in around it.
Toll Brothers, a national tract home builder, went under contingent contract to purchase five parcels of the Propst/Deal farmland (167 acres) on HWY 84, for a proposed development “Deal Lake”, zoned as a residential conservation development (RCD). The Deal farmhouse and 15 acres of land it sits on, will not be included.
Toll Brothers is in the preliminary planning stages for "Deal Lake" and has not brought final plans before the planning board or Weddington's town council. Sketch plans were submitted to Weddington's Town Planner sometime in November.
November 28, 2023: Toll Brothers held an “on-site visit” and design charrette meeting for adjacent property owners, passing out copies of their sketch plan. Adjacent neighborhoods to the proposed development are: Aero Plantation, Weddington Hills, Lake Forest Preserve, Stratford on Providence and Lochaven Estates. *See attached sketch map.
"Community wastewater treatment plant/septic disposal field"
At the November design charrette, Toll Brothers passed out their "Deal Lake" sketch plans. When neighboring residents inquired as to why the plans showed "community wastewater treatment plant/septic disposal field", Toll Brothers stated that it shouldn't have been written that way, but in fact, it would be a community septic system.
Toll Brothers was trying to promote this as a community septic system, because of the leach field component. After two months and many direct questions from some Aero Plantation residents about their wastewater plans, Toll Brothers' and their engineer have now stated it will be a "community wastewater treatment plant/septic disposal field", just as they originally stated on their sketch plans. At a recent planning board meeting February 26, 2024, Weddington's town planner stated "Toll Brothers, Deal Lake, has plans for a "community wastewater treatment plant". *Update on March 6, Toll Brothers discussed with us over the phone, both wastewater treatment system options but couldn't tell us the specific details of either system, or which one they will decide to go with.
Private Community Wastewater Treatment Systems
Option 1:
The community wastewater treatment plant/leach fields would be located on a 10 acre slope right above neighboring Aero Plantation's lake and near the active eagles nest. The wastewater treatment plant will pretreat over 30,000 gallons per day of black and gray wastewater, where the treated effluent will go into subsurface drip pipes underground into leach fields, a method rarely used for residential development in North Carolina. This system has never been approved in Weddington or Union County.
Sketch plan details: “Community wastewater treatment plant/with septic disposal field” serving 93 homes, 4-5 homes bedrooms on slab, lots averaging 15,000 sq. ft., price range for the homes is $1-1.5 million dollars, 62 homes on the west side of HWY 84, adjacent to Aero Plantation, 31 homes on the east side of HWY 84, adjacent to Weddington Hills. The wastewater treatment plant will be housed in an above ground structure. The sketch plans indicate "grinder pump" lots. Wastewater for the 31 homes on the east side of HWY 84 will be pumped under HWY 84 by force main. Per the sketch plan, homes will be clustered together while half of the remaining land will be left as natural conservation space, per the RCD guidelines. 10 acres is reserved for the wastewater treatment system on the conservation land.
Option 2
Centralized large residential "Community Septic" - one large centralized community septic system with leach fields on a 10 acre slope above Aero Plantation's lake and near the eagles nest. 30,000 gallons of black and gray wastewater would go into a large community septic tank and then dispersed into leach fields in close proximity to our lake. This type of system is rarely used in North Carolina for large residential subdivisions. A system of this size has never been approved in Weddington or Union County.
We want to be very clear, based on our research over the past three months, neither of the wastewater treatment systems Toll Brothers has discussed with us, are acceptable for Weddington. We oppose a community wastewater treatment plant/sanitary disposal field AND a large community septic system. We oppose any and all private alternative wastewater treatment systems that are not public sewer or conventional septic systems on individual lots.
Deal Lake’s homeowners association and a third party operator will be responsible for management and operations of the private community wastewater treatment system. The plant operator will be required to do on-site visits, monitor, repair, clean and truck out sewage as needed. The private wastewater treatment management system will be indicated on each homebuyers deed.
More than half of Weddington's citizens are on conventional septic systems. The rest of Weddington is hooked into sewer.
Both private wastewater treatment options Toll Brothers is proposing, allow for homes to be placed on much smaller 1/3 acre 15,000 square foot lots compared to one acre lots for conventional septic.
The developer's profit margins are higher developing with either of those two options versus developing with conventional one acre septic lots.
At the moment, the Mundys Run basin area, down HWY 84, does not have the sewer infrastructure needed to service that area.
We have Eagles
An active eagles nest has been spotted on the Propst/Deal farm, in very close proximity to the treatment plant site and Aero Plantation's lake. The eagle pair and the nest have been reported to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Toll Brothers will need a special permit to perform any work around the federally protected eagles, who have resided around Aero Plantation's lakes since the 1960's.
New Rules
New rules took effect January 1, allowing owners to utilize an Engineer Option Permit (EOP). An EOP allows an engineer to fast track their permitting and inspection processes, giving them full authority to approve all permits and inspections, accepting liability for the treatment plant. Toll Brothers has opted for an EOP. New rules: Wastewater Treatment and Dispersal Systems https://ehs.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oswp/docs/rules/15A-NCAC-18E-Color.pdf
Before the new EOP rule, the processing time for applications, permits and inspections, overseen by either the health department or the Department of Environmental Quality, would have taken 6 months to one year. The EOP fast track option could cut down the wait time to two months +/-. New EOP Rules: https://ehs.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oswp/docs/rules/GS-130A-336.1.pdf
Reasons to reject Toll Brothers proposed development are:
Environmental impacts due to system malfunctions and sewage leaks, putting residents and adjacent neighborhoods at great risk. Disruption and harm to wildlife, noise pollution due to the treatment plant, loss of nighttime sky, air pollution due to odor, negative visual impact for neighbors adjacent to the treatment plant.Health risks due to system malfunctions and improperly treated wastewater effluent, releasing antimicrobial pathogens, viruses, drugs and PFA’s into the groundwater, lakes, and in close proximity to neighboring wells. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus in lake causing algae blooms and fish kills.Negative impacts on property valuesIncreased traffic congestion due to an extra 93 homes on HWY 84.Increased burden on overcrowded public schools. *218 acres of land, located next to the Propst/Deal farm, recently purchased by developer Mel Graham, has the potential to add 200+ additional homes in the future on HWY 84.A wastewater treatment plant is not harmonious to Weddington’s land use plan.Homes clustered together on both sides of HWY 84, appearing as high density, not fitting with Weddington's rural character.If approved, it will set precedent for other treatment plants to be approved in Weddington.
We have met privately with Toll Brothers as well as having three conversations with them over the phone. We have advised them on two different occasions that they should develop "Deal Farm" with conventional septic systems, on one acre lots; where each home and lot has it's own specific septic system and leach field in the home's back yard.
A large community centralized septic system on 10 acres is not the same as a septic in someone's back yard. If one septic system system has an issue that's in one person's back yard.
If a large community septic system has an issue or starts leaking untreated sewage into the groundwater, thats 93 homes waste in one central area, leaking into the ground, into the groundwater and into Aero Plantation's lake.
The same applies for a community wastewater treatment plant. If the plant malfunctions and starts leaking untreated sewage, that is 93 homes waste going into the ground, into the groundwater and into Aero Plantation's lake.
Some History
In 2008, IB Development LLC submitted an application to construct a private wastewater treatment plant for a luxury home development "The Woods", on 218 acres, 200+ homes, priced at $1.5-3 million dollars.
In June 2008, Janice Propst and I founded a grassroots group "Friends of Weddington" to fight against the private wastewater treatment plant. Weddington’s townspeople rallied their support behind us, packing Weddington High School's auditorium, where Weddington Town council took a vote and rejected the private wastewater treatment plant as it was "not harmonious to Weddington's land use plan".
The Woods' land, located beside the Propst/Deal farm, was never developed. It was recently purchased by Mel Graham, whose website states they facilitate land deals with Toll Brothers.
What is next and what YOU can do:
Plan to attend Toll Brothers community meeting for "Deal Lake", which could be scheduled sometime in April.
Town of Weddington's website will post a 10 day notice announcing the date, along with a yellow rezoning sign placed on the farmland.Please attend and share your voice. Toll Brothers is required to write down all concerns and deliver them to Weddington's Planning Board for review. It would go on to Weddington Town Council for a vote.
Stay connected
To stay current and read more details on our fight, join us athttps://nodealweddington.blogspot.com/Also join our Facebook group No Deal Weddington! (Public)https://www.facebook.com/groups/nodealinweddington/editDon't forget to share this petition with family, friends and co-workers https://www.change.org/NoDealWeddingtonCheck out our Instagram @NoDealinWeddington and @Baron_PiperEagles for daily wildlife and Weddington photosCheck back here at our petition for updates as well
FRIENDS OF WEDDINGTON, WE MUST CONTINUE TO STAY UNITED TO PRESERVE WEDDINGTON TODAY, TOMORROW AND INTO THE FUTURE!
SKETCH PLANS FOR TOLL BROTHERS DEAL LAKE
*Eagle photo taken by Chad Emerine
