Lee County: 127-home subdivision, Steel Bridge development and Tramway commercial project return for July reviews

Three development proposals, including a 127-home subdivision near Kiwanis Park, a renewed 27-lot subdivision on Pocket Church Road and a new commercial project with a dental office and coffee shop, return for review in July, raising questions about growth, school capacity and infrastructure strain.

Parkside Village

Applicant Beth Blackmon of Timmons Group in Raleigh proposed a residential development with 127 single-family detached lots with a reserved site for multi-family residential units and two road accesses to Wicker Street. She proposed a public greenway along Skunk Creek with open space and amenities.

Parkside Village would use city water, sewer and streets.

The property is across the street from Kiwanis Park.

The property does not need to be rezoned.

Mark Lyczkowski of Parkside Partners, LLC in Sanford owns the 60.4 acres, the site of the historic Reeves Ridge Farm.

Read Sanford Planning Board recommends 271-home subdivision on Wicker Street, replacing the Reeves Ridge Farm.

In the 2025-26 school year, JR Ingram Elementary School and West Lee Middle Schools were listed at 95% capacity. Southern Lee High School was listed as 90% to 100% capacity.

According to the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, the student generation rate, which is the average number of students generated by each home, a 127-home subdivision may contain 76 students. With the proposed subdivision across from the city park, it may attract more families with school-aged children.

Parkside Village was reviewedin November 2025 and rezoned to a site plan-specific zoning district in May 2026. For major subdivisions within Sanford’s jurisdiction, the preliminary review and approval counts as a preliminary plat approval, and if and when approved by the planning committee and the city, the project can move forward with site development.

The City of Sanford has 156 miles of roads, and a reduced allocation in the 2026-27 budget for road maintenance which will not even resurface a full mile.

The Cove at Steel Bridge Road

The proposed subdivision, The Cove at Steel Bridge Road, according to the SGA, would be home to about 16 students. It has the same school district as Parkside Village. Together, they would increase the capacity of schools with about 92 students.

On May 12, the Lee County Board of Education approved a resolution urging county leaders to require school impact studies for major developments while confronting more than $3.1 million in cuts tied to federal funding losses, insurance costs and rapid growth pressures.

Read Chairperson Sherry Womack’s resolution in Lee County School Board adopts development impact resolution.

Neither the City of Sanford or Lee County have stepped up to adopt the impact resolution to serve the area’s students.

Applicant Beth Blackmon with Timmons Group in Raleigh, proposed the residential development,The Cove at Steel Bridge Road, with 27 lots and 2 new roads on the south side of the Steel Bridge Road and Pocket Church Road intersection. The 24.504 acres are zoned restricted residential.

The developers proposed public water with private septic.

Cosmo Muti with LAMCO Custom Builders, LLC in Raliegh, (a company owned by Nelson Loureiro,) owns the acreage.

The project manager is Cosmo Muti with LAMCO Custom Builders, LLC.

This project was originally reviewed as a concept plan in 2021 and approved in 2022.

County Commissioners approved the preliminary subdivision plat in 2023.

However, the preliminary plat approval for this project has expired.

In Lee County’s jurisdiction, preliminary plat approval expires after three years when no final plat is recorded.

This proposal is for renewed preliminary plat approval so a new property owner may proceed with subdivision. The newly proposed plat contains 27 lots; the originally approved plat had 29 lots.

The next step for this project, if and when approved by the TRC, is a review by the Lee County Planning Board and the Lee County Board of Commissioners.

Tramway Commercial

Applicant Matt Lowder with Bowman Consulting Group, Ltd. in Raleigh proposed a commercial building with a dental office, commercial chain coffee shop and two undetermined spaces within the unit, Tramway Commercial. The 1.680-acre site is between Tramway Road and Marketplace Drive.

The applicant proposed private water and sewer.

This project was first reviewed in April 2026, and the uses are permitted in the general commercial zoning district.

If and when the next review is approved, the next step will be to submit a building permit application and begin construction.

July 3, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

Subscribe to Sandhills News and support this conservative flagship journalism with advertising.

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.

Sandhills News is plain-English local government reporting that explains how decisions affect your land, taxes, schools and rights.