Morrow Mill Proposal Details

A developer has proposed a 541-unit subdivision to be built on the historic Morrow Farm in Southeast Alamance County, currently referred to in documents as "Morrow Mill Subdivision".

Below are proposed well locations for the high-density "Morrow Mill" subdivision plan (navigate between images with the arrow buttons):

BACKGROUND

On Morrow Mill Road and Austin Quarter Road in Alamance County, developers are proposing a subdivision with 541 lots, with a lot size of 8,000 square feet (0.18 acre). If approved, this development alone could generate an estimated 5,410 added daily car trips on country roads with active farm use. The properties are in close proximity to Saxapahaw, Orange County, Cane Creek and the Haw River.

Alamance County Planning Department records describe the proposal as follows: 

• “Morrow Mill Subdivision” - A concept plan by Sasser Properties of Gibsonville, NC for a 541-lot subdivision on a 440-acre parcel at 7941 Morrow Mill Road, with six to twelve wells

Located in the unincorporated county, the property has no access to municipal water or sewer lines and would require drilling wells to draw an estimated 216,400 gallons per day for the subdivisions’ household water use. High volume wastewater systems would dispose of waste on the land. If approved, community water and wastewater systems at this scale would be permitted by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. 

The property backs up to the landfill, which has monitors that have detected the presence of PFAS.

According to a UNC School of Government report, Alamance is among a small minority of North Carolina counties with no countywide zoning. Zoning is a crucial planning tool to preserve low density in rural areas and direct high density development to locations with municipal services and transportation. Without zoning in Alamance County, subdivision proposals do not trigger requirements to notify nearby property owners or hold public hearings where board members review plans, receive public comment and vote to approve or deny. Instead, subdivision applications in Alamance are handled by staff in an administrative process. The county Planning Director decides whether to approve based on a checklist of Unified Development Ordinance requirements, without considering a plan’s harmony with surrounding uses or citizen input. 

In August 2025, the Alamance County Planning Director presented a draft land use policy for commissioners to adopt zoning. They have not yet voted on it. The policy includes a draft Rural Preservation Ordinance that appears to allow cluster subdivisions with minimum lot sizes of 8,000 square feet in agricultural and rural zoning districts. The proposed Rural Preservation Ordinance includes an exception for “family subdivisions,” allowing land owners to give a small piece of property to children and grandchildren. Agricultural uses, including bonafide agrotourism, are also allowed. 

Farmers, rural land owners and concerned citizens oppose massive, misplaced cluster developments that threaten places we love and resources our community has worked hard to protect: farms, rural community, open space, locally-grown food, water, forests and wildlife. High-density cluster development is detrimental to rural areas and farms and is incompatible with safe country roadways, farm operations, water access and clean water and air. Time limited moratoriums on the types of developments in rural and agricultural areas are similar to recent local government moritoriums on data centers in nearby counties such as Chatham and Orange, deemed necessary to fully review the long term impact these types of new developments will have on the health, safety and welfare of the communities they are entrusted to lead and protect.  https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article315417048.html