Phase 2 of Retreat remains a ‘briar patch’

8:13 p.m. Sept. 2, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

The Moore County Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 2, again tabled a development proposal for The Retreat at Whiskey Creek after a lengthy discussion that addressed access issues, subdivision standards, and the timing of the developer’s preliminary submittal.

The debate centered in part on how The Retreat at Whiskey Creek development connects to surrounding roads. Commissioners raised concerns about safety at the proposed entrance, which feeds into a residential area.

Highway Department Superintendent Shannon Cauble pressed for a designated construction entrance, stressing the dangers of using the current access point.

“It is a development,” she said. “It’s not safe to have the entrance where it is now [a shared drive off Main Street].”

Rance Frye, COO of Oakstone Land & Capital, acknowledged the concern and stated that they were willing to consider solutions such as restricted access, gates, or limiting deliveries to specific days with flaggers – an approach they had successfully used on projects in North Carolina.

Still, Cauble remained wary of using the shared drive as a construction entrance. “It’s not a safe place to have an entrance for the development.

“We’ve tried that in this county before. People say they’ll have flaggers, and they don’t. It’s a no, and it’s probably going to be a no,” she replied.

The developer agreed to have engineers revisit the entrance design and committed to sharing their findings with county staff.

Developer’s Defense: Legal Access, Track Record, and Timing

Frye sought to clear the record on several points. He explained that when the property was initially purchased, it came with legal access – though subsequent land acquisitions created new questions about how that access would function.

“We bought a property that had a legal access. So, I was like, ‘Well, I’ve got access now, I can get in and out of this thing,” he said. “We should have sat down and talked about some safety things before.”

Fryae added, “It’s kind of a briar patch, and I’m trying to figure how to walk through this briar patch with a few pricks as I can get.”

He emphasized that the group intends to create revenue-generating projects, not add permanent residential density, and pointed to their track record at Monteagle and Tracy City – more than 300 lots developed, with only one lawsuit that has since been settled.

“There’s always someone in an HOA with an ax to grind,” he said. “But the proof is in the pudding – go look at what we’ve done.”

Frye also highlighted the timing of the project’s submittal. He argued that their preliminary plat was filed before the county’s updated R-1 standards were finalized, making the dates “important at this point.” The county recently adopted new standards – half-acre lots – which would not suit the proposed 14-lot addition.

Technical details about the site’s topography were also reviewed. According to lidar mapping, most lots have a grade of less than 15%, with only one slightly steeper. Frye acknowledged that their surveyor should have included topographical data in the initial submission and committed to providing updated maps.

Commission to seek legal counsel’s guidance

Still, chairman Dexter Golden noted that under the new subdivision standards, “the lots are too small by the book.” Jeff Ross added that if construction had started two years earlier, the issue might have been avoided.

Frye urged the commission to keep the proposal “on the table” rather than deny it outright. At the same time, county legal counsel will review whether the project should be held to the older or newer standards. “We’re trying to work with the county on a solution that works for everyone,” he said.

“Compromise sounds like everybody’s given up, but solutions are something that gives us what we need, gives y’all what you need, and something that will work for the county.”

The commission ultimately agreed to table the matter once more while awaiting legal counsel’s guidance.

Oakstone Land & Capital asserts that it is committed to the project and to collaborating with county officials. “We plan on staying here and being part of the community,” Frye concluded. “I appreciate the conversation and the chance to work toward a solution.”