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Board of Commissioners Special Meeting Materials-6:00 pm

Town of Pittsboro · 1. Board of Commissioners (BOC)
Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Quasi-judicial hearing Faith and cultural communitiesRoads and transportationSchools and educationStormwater and floodingSubdivision and site plansWater and sewer

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 2.IQuasi-judicial Hearing: PB-25-487 Haw River Christian Academy Approved 3-1 with nine conditions

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

Pittsboro's commissioners granted a special use permit on November 18 for the Haw River Christian Academy, a K-12 school proposed on 41.6 acres of vacant land off NC 902 owned by Pittsboro Baptist Church. The vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Bonitz opposed, after his motion to send the application back to the planning director for further work died for want of a second.

The school is not seeking annexation, rezoning or town utilities. It would run on an on-site septic system and a deep well, and a school is permitted by special use in the rural agricultural district.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Staff had a list of problems with the application. NCDOT requires a westbound left turn lane on NC 902 at the parent entrance with 1,250 feet of storage, and monitoring of the NC 87 and NC 902 intersection for signalisation in both phases — but the applicant's own justification statement said NCDOT would build the thoroughfare improvements, which staff said had to be corrected. The traffic study was done before the NC 15/501 reroute and did not account for it. Fire suppression was a concern without water and sewer. And the eastbound driveway access depends on an easement from the adjoining owner that had not been secured; without it, staff said, the traffic analysis and its recommendations would be void.

The permit was granted subject to nine conditions the applicant accepted on the floor: the NCDOT shared access agreement; a traffic study update accounting for NC 15/501 and the church's own impact, re-reviewed by NCDOT; completion of the NCDOT improvements required in both phases; identification of water, sewer and fire at site plan with designs at construction documents; compliance with the watershed overlay buffer and density limits including the cap on non-residential floor area; a flood study, required because the site exceeds forty acres and has a stream on it; and stormwater requirements carried through all future reviews.

The disagreement on the board was about what a quasi-judicial body may do. One commissioner wanted the application sent back for more work. Another said he could not second that because no opposing evidence had been presented, and separately argued that where staff had raised concerns without evidence against them, the board should not be ruling on those points or making them conditions. The applicant's attorney conferred with the engineer and the client and accepted all nine conditions.

How the votes went

Three unanimous 4-0 votes on the agenda and entering the hearing. The permit was approved 3-1 with Commissioner Bonitz opposed. An earlier motion to remand the application to the planning director received no second and failed. Two officials were absent and the mayor pro tem presided. The meeting adjourned at 10:16 p.m.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Pittsboro's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (1)

Public hearing · 1
  1. 2.I Quasi-judicial Hearing: PB-25-487 Haw River Christian Academy
    Public hearing Faith and cultural communitiesRoads and transportationSchools and educationStormwater and floodingSubdivision and site plansWater and sewer
    A special use permit for a K-12 Christian school on two parcels totalling 41.603 acres off NC 902, zoned rural agricultural and owned by Pittsboro Baptist Church, served by on-site septic and a deep well. Staff identified gaps: the applicant's justification statement wrongly said NCDOT would build required road improvements; the traffic study predated the NC 15/501 reroute; fire suppression capacity was unresolved without water and sewer; and the eastbound driveway depends on an unsecured easement. The permit was granted with nine conditions covering the NCDOT access agreement and improvements, an updated traffic study, water, sewer and fire at site plan, watershed overlay buffer and densit…
    Approved 3-1 with nine conditions

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