Chatham County commissioners paused consideration of the Riverbend Estates at Laurel Ridge first‑plat on Oct. 20 after a long public comment session that raised archaeological, traffic and private‑road easement concerns.

The 622‑acre subdivision application (proposed 107 lots) prompted multiple residents, tribal representatives and professional archaeologists to urge additional study before the county approved any final plats. Speakers said the Mitcham site — a documented palisaded Native American village investigated by university archaeologists — and other unrecorded cultural deposits in the Haw River corridor deserve more detailed survey work than was included in the developer’s environmental impact assessment (EIA). Several speakers asked the board to require a full phase‑1 archaeological survey rather than rely on the reconnaissance materials submitted with the EIA.

Planning staff and the planning board told the commissioners that the county’s peer‑review process and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) review had classified the EIA as complete and that SHPO had returned a "no effect" comment for the proposed footprint. Nonetheless, the planning board issued a 7–3 vote recommending approval and provided a three‑member minority report urging the board to require additional work on archeology, road easements and floodplain/protection measures.

Separately, residents of Rock Rest Road said Riverbend’s private‑road alignment and a proposed new paved connection could create pressure for subdivision traffic to use a long, narrow private portion of Rock Rest Road. Developer representatives said they modified the plat after the planning board meeting to move paved travelways and to keep the existing gravel easement intact; they also proposed signage and other measures to discourage through‑traffic. The developer said Lot 26 would connect only to the paved road and that portions of new access would remain unpaved to discourage shortcutting.

After more than an hour of discussion, commissioners voted to defer the first‑plat action so staff and the developer can produce additional information and proposed modifications. The board noted its limited legal discretion over by‑right subdivision checks but concluded that additional clarifying material — including the revised plat showing the post‑planning‑board realignment and clarifying the scope of archeological review — should be provided. Planning staff said both plat items tied to the project will be brought back to the commission at the next available meeting; county counsel reminded the board it has a statutory window for decision-making and that inaction would be treated as approval under the subdivision timeline if no action is recorded within the ordinance deadline.

County and developer representatives agreed to resume the dialogue and to supply requested materials, including clear maps showing the new entrance geometry and a summary of which archaeological reviews were completed and where. Commissioners said they want the developer and staff to explore design changes that could reduce the risk of shortcutting onto the private portion of Rock Rest Road and to provide more detail about the EIA peer review and SHPO findings before a final vote.

This item will be continued to a future meeting so the county can gather additional documentation and, if feasible, work toward solutions that reduce local concerns.