Deadlocked Avent Ferry rezoning heads to Holly Springs (NC) Town Council meeting on Tuesday (8/18)
Council will also consider more than $2 million in contracts, including a $1.4 million parking project, and a five-year Oracle software deal worth about $1.2 million.
Holly Springs, NC, Aug. 17, 2026 — A divided rezoning on Avent Ferry Road, more than $2 million in contracts and spending, and a major replacement of the town’s financial software highlight items on the agenda (agenda packet) for tomorow night’s Town Council meeting at Town Hall (directions). The agenda also includes two proclamations, the Fire Department’s first formal annual report and a vote to fill a Planning Board vacancy.
Avent Ferry rezoning reaches council after 3-3 vote
A proposed development at 2420 Avent Ferry Road (map) comes to council without a recommendation from the Planning Board after an unusual 3-3 vote last month.
The applicant is seeking to rezone 32.3 acres from Rural Residential to a mix of Suburban Residential and Neighborhood Mixed-Use. Rezoning case 25-REZ-08 (document) would allow 53 single-family homes and a commercial building of between 5,000 and 16,000 square feet.
Prior HSU Coverage - Rezoning Proposal for 2420 Avent Ferry Road in Holly Springs Outlines Vision for Residential Community with Commercial Space (July 31, 2025)
The Planning Board considered the case on July 28th with three members absent. A motion to recommend denial failed 3-3, leaving the board without enough votes to recommend either approval or denial.
Josh Prizer and Craig Kessler voted for denial, citing the location and safety concerns related to the commercial portion of the project. Van Crandall also voted for denial because of access concerns but later indicated he wished he had voted the other way. The board did not revote. Kathy Stamper, Joanna Holder and Rick Madoni voted against the motion to deny.
Town staff recommends approval, finding the proposal reasonable and in the public interest. Wake County Public Schools has also indicated that existing schools have sufficient capacity for the development.
Council held a public hearing on the rezoning July 21st and will now make the final decision.
More than $2 million on the Consent Agenda
Eight items are on Tuesday’s Consent Agenda, where routine or previously reviewed business is generally approved in a single vote unless a council member asks to pull an item for separate discussion. The financial actions included in the consent items total more than $2 million.
The largest is a roughly $1.4 million rehabilitation of the North Main Athletic Complex parking lot. Portions of the lot, which was built in 2015, have shown accelerated deterioration since 2022.
Fred Smith Company submitted the lowest of five bids opened on July 22nd and is in line for a $1.08 million construction contract, with another $162,000 set aside for contingency. Bolton & Menk would receive about $158,000 for construction administration and inspection, with an additional $24,000 contingency. Work is expected to run from September through November.
Council will also consider spending about $287,000 on a Caterpillar 320 Hydraulic Excavator from Gregory Poole Equipment Company. The new excavator would replace a 1996 machine that has nearly doubled its recommended 15-year service life and now needs engine repairs.
Another $155,000 would go toward renovating the kitchen at Fire Station 2, including cabinets, countertops, flooring, and electrical and plumbing work. The town originally budgeted $50,000 for the project in fiscal year 2025. Savings from five completed town projects would cover the balance, meaning no additional operating-budget money is needed.
Other consent items include an approximately $102,000 annual increase in the town’s landscape maintenance contract with Greenscape to cover new medians on Holly Springs Road and at the Operations Campus. Council will also consider reallocating $48,000 in unused centrifuge rental money at the Utley Creek Water Reclamation Facility.
Holly Springs plans replacement of 20-year-old financial system
The town could also begin replacing the roughly 20-year-old software it uses for financial management and utility billing.
Council will consider a five-year agreement with Oracle that includes about $457,000 in one-time implementation costs and $140,000 in annual cloud subscription fees. That puts the five-year cost at about $1.2 million, assuming the annual subscription price remains unchanged.
The Oracle system would replace the town’s New World platform. Tyler Technologies, which owns New World, is no longer developing the system.
Implementation is expected to start in late fall and take about 18 months. Financial management would move to the new system first, followed by utility billing.
Three seek vacant Planning Board seat
Council will also consider three applicants to replace Planning Board member Tanner Davis, who resigned.
The vacancy is for an extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, seat, meaning council will recommend a candidate to the Wake County Board of Commissioners, which makes the appointment. ETJs are areas outside municipal limits where a town has certain planning and development authority.
The applicants are Michael Anderson, an Enrolled Agent and owner of a local tax firm; Kristi Melby, a real estate agent; and Hannah Peptis, a nurse practitioner. The term runs through Feb. 28th, 2029.
Peptis disclosed a potential conflict involving a development proposal near her property and said she would recuse herself from that matter if appointed.
Fire Department to present first annual report
Tuesday’s meeting will begin with proclamations recognizing September as Firefighter Appreciation Month and Emergency Preparedness Month. The firefighter proclamation recognizes the Holly Springs Fire Department’s 85 members.
The emergency preparedness proclamation points to an active year for severe weather. Wake County has already recorded six Flash Flood Warnings, 42 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, two Tornado Watches, two Winter Storm Warnings, one Extreme Heat Warning, and 12 Heat Advisories in 2026, along with one Flash Flood Watch.
Fire Chief LeRoy Smith will follow the proclamations with the department’s first formal Annual Fire Rescue Department Report, covering July 1st, 2025, through June 30th, 2026.
The Holly Springs Town Council meets tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 128 S. Main Street in Holly Springs. Residents are encouraged to submit comments to the council in person or in written form. Details on the process can be found on the town’s Public Comment page at https://www.hollyspringsnc.gov/2242/Submit-a-Public-Comment