Statesville City Council on Monday gave final approval to the rezoning and annexation for a subdivision of up to 48 homes on about 19 acres off Moose Club Road, reversing course on a project it turned down in September (via Iredell Free News).
Both requests for the Novel Holdings subdivision passed 5-3 on second reading Nov. 2, matching the first-reading vote on Oct. 19. Council members Trey Robertson, Kristi Pfeufer and James Pressly voted no.
This one took a winding route. The petitions were filed by Shane Seagle of North State Development, and the city's planning board held a courtesy hearing on the rezoning in June (City of Statesville). In mid-September, council deadlocked 4-4 on a 45-home version, and Mayor Doug Hendrix broke the tie against it, saying at the time that the right move was not to proceed, according to Iredell Free News.
The request returned in October. The rezoning moves the land from Troutman's residential suburban zoning and Iredell County residential agriculture to Statesville's R-8 conditional zoning, which allows medium-density single-family homes. Because the property sits outside city limits, it also needed annexation.
At the October meetings, the developer's attorney, Robert Irvin, said the homes would sell for around $500,000, and city staff said the developer might end up asking for 45 homes at that price rather than 48 at about $400,000. So the final count could land below 48. City planners have said sewer could be extended from the neighboring Wildwood subdivision.
The opposition wasn't really about the houses. Pressly said he supports the development but not the annexation, since the land is close to the Troutman town limits. He pointed out that the response time from Statesville Fire Station 1 to the site is close to seven minutes, against a goal of four, and warned the city could face the cost of relocating that station or building a new one. Robertson called this kind of satellite annexation financially irresponsible, while council member David Jones argued the request doesn't actually fit the definition of a satellite annexation.
City Manager Ron Smith also gave council an update on projects that matter to site and utility crews. Work has started on the Third Creek sewer extension, with blasting this week. According to the city's project page, the job adds about 9,600 feet of new sanitary sewer from the Briarwood subdivision to the Kennedy Drive lift station, along Third Creek and the Stamey Road corridor (City of Statesville). The lowest responsive bid when bids opened in May was $5,957,869, and the city says the project is covered by a state grant and the developer, at no cost to the city.
Smith said bids for resurfacing Tradd Street, Mitchell Avenue, Carolina Avenue, Signal Hill Drive and Medford Lane are expected to go out in 2027, with work in the spring. He also mentioned the police department expansion and its parking deck are on schedule, and construction of a hangar and an apron at Statesville Regional Airport is set to start in the spring.
Why it matters for Contractors
For residential builders and trades in Iredell County, an approved subdivision of up to 48 homes in the $400,000 to $500,000 range means real work over the next couple of years: site prep, utilities, foundations, framing and finish trades. The developer's team hasn't publicly named a builder, so it's worth keeping an eye on the project as plats and permits move forward.
The bigger takeaway for small paving and site contractors is the 2027 resurfacing list. Those bids aren't out yet, but now is a good time to make sure you're registered with the City of Statesville's purchasing office so you don't miss the posting. Past city bid notices, like the Third Creek sewer job, have run through the city's website.
And if you work around the Moose Club Road and Troutman area, the fire-service and annexation debate is a sign that utilities and services will keep shaping what gets approved out there.