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After acquiring more land and reengineering the site, the developer of the Moore’s Pointe subdivision believes he can fit more townhomes than originally planned.

The site had been planned for 85 single-family attached units, but the applicant, Bob Arnette of Moore’s Pointe LLC, believes he can comfortably add another 17 townhomes. The townhomes, by proffer, have to be a minimum of 1,250 square feet.

That prompted him to want to amend the previously approved proffered conditions for property located at 117, 118 and 119 C Street in the eastern end of the city to remove the previously-established maximum density restriction and allow the maximum density permitted by-right in the residential urban district.

However, the attorney representing Arnette said during an Oct. 19 public hearing before the Planning Commission that Arnette doesn’t expect to reach the maximum that would be allowed.

“I don’t think we’re going to go all the way to what we could,” attorney Grier Ferguson said. “I think we’re going to probably add about 12 lots is what the new plan would show. But if we do, we would be permitted to.”

Following the public hearing, commissioners recommended removing the previously-proffered maximum density restriction by a 7-0 vote, with chairman Arthur Singleton absent. Council is expected to take up the matter at its Nov. 17 meeting.

Ferguson said the area for the homes already fits into the city’s inner growth circle.

“I think this is the kind of development that the city is looking for in this particular area,” Ferguson said. “And my clients are just trying to do the best they can to add to what has already gone on in that area right there as you enter the city from the east side.”

Ferguson said there is also a proffer of $2,548 per lot over 85, up to 102, to advance capacity as of January 2020 — when the application was first submitted — at King’s Fork High School, which is the only school zoned for the subdivision that is over capacity.

The staff report for the project said that when multiplying 17 attached dwellings by the high school student generation rate of 0.091 students per attached dwelling as outlined in the unified development ordinance, it equals 1.54 new anticipated high school students.

A right-hand turn lane of about 150 feet for traffic coming off of C Street onto Portsmouth Boulevard going toward downtown would also be installed.

City traffic engineering had already determined that conditions at the intersection did not warrant a stoplight, and that a turn lane to get onto Portsmouth Boulevard would reduce the delay by allowing both right and left turns at the same time.

Planning staff recommended approving the amended proffer conditions.