Holly Springs · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Holly Springs public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
1601 Avent Ferry Road mixed-use development
A family wants to rezone land at 2420 Avent Ferry Road for 53 homes plus a small commercial pod with a grocery-style store. Council likes the walkable shopping idea but worries about traffic on residential streets, the crosswalk across Avent Ferry, and the awkward commercial access point.
Carolina Springs Town Center Major Amendment
A major amendment to the approved Carolina Springs Town Center development plan was before the board. Amendments like this can change building layouts, uses, or site design in a key commercial area of town.
Piney Grove Wilbon Corridor development concerns
The Daventry project would displace about 65 mobile home households; Council member Foster pressed for relocation assistance and Larson questioned a project whose new signal mainly serves new residents.
Chandler Crossing apartment development
A 298-unit apartment complex is moving forward at 4500 Old Holly Springs Apex Road near Target. The council approved the detailed development plan after hearing sworn expert testimony on utilities, stormwater, and traffic improvements including turn lanes and frontage widening.
Housing Affordability Action Plan
The 2023 study found a 460-unit shortage of affordable rentals, home prices up 65% since 2019, and a 'missing middle' squeeze. Council wants updated data, grant options, and a predictable 'if you do X, you get Y' policy framework so developers know the rules — with a goal of producing a full Affordable Housing Plan.
Main Street sidewalk connector
A resident told the council uneven sidewalks — some damaged by street trees — are a real safety hazard; her friend broke an elbow in a fall. She wants inspections, a repair schedule and dedicated funding, and questions spending on festivals before sidewalks.
Daventry subdivision and mobile home displacement
A proposed 255-home development at 6725 Thrasher Road would displace an existing mobile home community. Council pressed the applicant on resident relocation and road safety improvements before voting later this summer.
Campaign sign clutter on roadways
A resident urged the council to restrict campaign signs on town-maintained roads, calling them an annual assault on the landscape. He asked for town legislation as a first step, since state roads are largely out of the town's control.
Nonprofit grant and rental discount policies
The town's share of upcoming Cultural Center renovations — lobby, roof, and mechanical systems — totals about $2.3 million spread over five years starting in FY27.
Panhandling ordinance
Mayor Pro Tem Drees wants the town attorney to review the panhandling ordinance for constitutional accuracy and current language. Council agreed.
Regional Wastewater Capacity with Cary and Apex
The Council authorized the first $140 million of utility revenue bonds to expand the plant from 6 to 8 MGD — a $219 million project partially offset by a $3 million EPA grant.
Community special events policy update
Special event requests are booming — 38 last year, possibly 60 this year — and the old 5K race policy doesn't cover concerts and festivals. The new policy would add blackout dates around major town events, cap major downtown road closures at two events per month, and standardize insurance and damage-recovery requirements.
Cemetery operations and columbarium
The cemetery's grave-opening contractor is quitting November 17, and a replacement is being negotiated. Council largely balked at spending ~$60,000 on a columbarium with only about eight years of plots left.
Downtown Investment Grant boundary expansion
Staff propose expanding the DIG program from the core downtown to the greater downtown area — about 200 more acres and 60 more eligible businesses — to help small local businesses afford upfits and startup costs. Council mostly liked it but wants core-downtown prioritization built in, and some worry about stretching a small fund thin.
Mayor's Monarch Butterfly Pledge
The committee's pollinator work continues: gardens at Sugg, monarch education and a Sept. 26 release, with seed giveaways and seed collection coming next.
Carolina Springs Greenway Game-Land Designation Change
Duke/NC Wildlife proposed changing the hunting designation near the Carolina Springs Greenway from rifle to bow hunting, similar to the American Tobacco Trail. The greenway is developer-built and not yet turned over to the town.
Greenway and Park Project Investments
Council endorsed four new priority greenway segments adding about 3 miles, plus ideas for community-sponsored amenities like benches, bike racks, and a rainbow bridge. The Oak Hall project bids came in $470,000 over budget and will be rebid.
E-bikes and Scooters on Greenways
After ten written comments and retreat discussion, police are revising the greenway ordinance, meeting with youth groups, and planning a public education campaign.
Festival Street Design
A design update for the Festival Street project was scheduled from staff, part of downtown improvements.
Voter Registration
Don't get left out of the upcoming local and general elections on November 3rd! You've only got until October 9th to make sure your voter registration is up to date.
Street and Sidewalk Bond
Tired of sitting in Holly Springs traffic? The Town Council is looking at putting a street and sidewalk bond on an upcoming ballot so you can vote on funding some much-needed fixes.
Potential 2027 or 2028 transportation bond referendum
Residents named traffic their top concern, and the town faces roughly $1 billion in identified transportation needs. A bond vote in 2027 would provide about $56 million of capacity; waiting until 2028 could yield $67–87 million. Most council members leaned toward 2028, with small projects possibly cash-funded early through a reimbursement resolution.
Safety and multimodal gaps in the transportation network
Council members repeatedly named safety the top goal of any bond, citing rapid growth in the Piney Grove corridor, missing sidewalks in pre-2006 neighborhoods, and rising e-bike use. Targeted fixes like turn lanes and restriping showed big delay reductions at low cost.
Potential 2027/2028 Transportation Bond
The town has about $100 million in borrowing capacity without raising taxes and must decide on a 2027 or 2028 bond referendum by roughly the June workshop. A 2027 vote offers a quieter election and earlier delivery; 2028 offers more data and a longer runway.
State Preemption of Local Development Rules
New state laws just took away Holly Springs' ability to set its own rules on parking, stormwater, and home businesses, forcing the city to completely rewrite its local ordinances. Your local leaders' hands are tied, so you'll start seeing state-mandated changes pop up in your neighborhood soon.
Waste Management Facility
Holly Springs just opened a brand-new, twice-as-large yard waste drop-off site to make cleaning up your yard a whole lot easier. If you've got branches, leaves, and yard clippings piling up, you now have way more space to dump them.
Police Advisory Group
Holly Springs is looking for three locals to join its Police-Community Advisory Group. If you want a direct line to help shape how local policing works in your town, now is your chance to apply.
Yard waste center relocation
The free yard waste drop-off moves to the Operations Campus at 3601 Bumgardner Drive on September 19 — double the size and more central.
Salem Ridge stormwater culvert repair
A $222,215 contract with BLD Services, LLC fixes the Salem Ridge culvert, with $22,225 in contingency.
Tree canopy preservation vs. housing incentives
Speakers proposed a one-time $45,000 climate resiliency assessment and a new environmental advisory board, citing a 10% tree canopy loss from 2010-2020 and $124 million in canopy value. Council took no action but the idea may return in budget discussions.
Condemnation for Holly Springs Road widening
Design work is starting on the final segment of the Holly Springs Road widening — four lanes, sidewalks, and bike lanes from NC 55 to Main Street — paid 80% by a CAMPO grant. Construction isn't funded yet.
WinterFest/Tree Trail participation
The committee was scheduled to decide whether to participate in WinterFest and the Tree Trail at the North Main Athletic Complex on December 4-5.
Possible environmental advisory board
With a new sustainability coordinator being hired, Mayor Pro Tem Drees floated creating an environmental advisory board or expanding the Tree Advisory Committee's charter. Staff will bring policy options back to a future workshop.
Town Hall lighting and art display
Council OK'd rainbow lighting for Pride on September 26, but after legal warnings about creating a limited public forum, agreed staff should draft a strict policy for future lighting requests.
Community engagement: Engage Holly Springs, neighborhood summit, 311
Mayor Kondratick wants a longer conversation about how the town manages community engagement, noting it will require staff resources. The council agreed to springboard the topic at the retreat and possibly hold a dedicated workshop later.
Fire department retains ISO Class 1 rating
The fire department kept its top-tier ISO Class 1 rating, scoring 49.03 of 50. Fewer than 1% of departments earn it, and it may help lower your property insurance.
Emergency vehicle access and fire-lane parking concerns in Bridgewater West
A written public comment from Marta Rothstein raised emergency vehicle access issues in Bridgewater West Townhomes, plus an anonymous note about parking in fire lanes.
Happy Hunting Hills rezoning concerns
A 50-unit rezoning off Avent Ferry Road drew concerns about traffic, limited neighborhood exits, drainage to lower lots, and buffering for townhomes backing up to private property.
Water Bill Round Up Program
Mayor Pro Tem Drees revived her idea to let utility customers round up bills to fund assistance for neighbors struggling to pay. Staff will bring back a feasibility report.
Rex Road area development pressure
Three rezonings near Rex Road Elementary could add roughly 170 homes. Council members flagged clear-cutting instead of true tree preservation, missing neighborhood amenities, school capacity, cul-de-sac safety, and walkability to the school.
LAPP transportation grant applications
The town will apply for federal funds to buy right-of-way for widening Holly Springs Road and to reapply for Utley Creek Greenway Phase 2 after delays cost it the original award.
Water and Wastewater Rates and Rate Study
Holly Springs' typical $93.92 monthly water/sewer bill sits mid-pack in Wake County because of rapid growth and costly infrastructure expansion. A rate study in the budget will examine whether businesses and multifamily customers pay their fair share, with results due at the annual retreat.
Replacing the Town's 20-year-old financial software
The Town's 20-year-old financial system is being replaced with Oracle NetSuite — the software that runs accounting, budgeting, utility billing, and purchasing. Residents will notice changes when the new utility billing portal rolls out around 2028.
Rezoning 25-REZ-08, 2420 Avent Ferry Road
A rezoning petition for property at 2420 Avent Ferry Road was scheduled for public hearing. Rezoning changes what can legally be built on the parcel, so neighbors may want to weigh in.
NE Gateway Plan and neighborhood connectivity
Residents from Wood Creek and Harvestwood pushed hard on northeast-side traffic: an 11-year-old asked the Town to drop the Harvestwood extension from the NE Gateway Plan over safety and wetlands, while a Wood Creek HOA leader said 872 homes feel forgotten and trapped. Council agreed to add a traffic signals discussion to the upcoming transportation meeting.
Data center moratorium and faster development reviews
The Town Manager explained the 12-month data center moratorium: the Town can't legally ban data centers, but it can regulate their character, quality, and location. A feedback portal is live on the town website.
Fire Department future needs
Chief Smith's first annual report showed nearly 2,900 calls last year — mostly EMS — and laid out what growth means for firefighting: two new stations planned on Rex Road and in the Northeast Gateway, plus rising apparatus costs.
Data center regulations study
State law keeps Holly Springs from banning data centers outright, so the town is studying where they should be allowed and what extra rules on noise, buffers, and building design should apply. A community feedback portal is launching so residents can weigh in before the committee makes its recommendation to Council.
Surveillance Technology
Did you know outside cops can sneak license plate readers into Holly Springs without local approval? It's a huge blind spot for town oversight and a sneaky hit to your privacy.
FY2026-2027 Operating Budget adoption
Holly Springs has the second-lowest tax rate in Wake County, but property tax growth is slowing and big costs are coming: Eagles Landing Park staffing in FY28 and new fire stations in FY29-33. Council is shaping the budget the Town Manager will recommend May 12.