The second phase of a development expected to bring a total of 68 new homes to Derby Park was given final approval last week by the New Bern Planning and Zoning Board.
Athens Acres Phase Two, which was formerly known as Derby Park Phase Seven, was approved by the board on July 5. The planned 23-lot development will be located on approximately 10.04 acres off of Medina Spirit Street at the end of Elizabeth Avenue.
The project first received general plan approval from the Planning and Zoning Board on August 5, 2021. Athens Acres Phase One, which encompasses 45 lots, was green-lighted at the beginning of this year.
The 36-acre tract for the new Athens Acres development is owned by Phoenix Derby Park, LLC, which bought the land from Eastern Land Holding LLC of New Bern in May 2022 for $1.3 million, according to the Craven County GIS map.
According to John Thomas of Thomas Engineering, Adams Homes, which does construction projects throughout the southern U.S., will be the builder for the Athens Acres project.
The site plan submitted for Phase Two work by Thomas Engineering shows the average lot size for Phase Two development is 9,074 square feet. Approximately 4.10 acres of the new development will be given over to a common area/open space.
A sign at the site says the new homes will go on the market for around $300,000.
Seth Laughlin, land and community development coordinator with New Bern Development Services, said the subdivision will be served by City of New Bern utilities. He said city staff have already completed their inspection of the site’s infrastructure and found it to be acceptable.
The new Derby Park construction site’s adjacent to a 41-acre plot and a 215-acre plot owned by Weyerhaeuser that intersects with the West New Bern development on NC 43. The Athens Acres project was initially delayed when some area property owners objected to the loss of vegetation behind their properties. The plan now includes a 20-foot wooded buffer around the development site.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.