Developer and councilman at odds over Holly Springs road

A portion of Green Oaks Parkway was supposed to be paid for by the developers of the new 12 Oaks Golf Community.

The 1001 Green Oaks Lane project came to a halt when contractors violated a permit by working in an environmentally sensitive area, town officials said. Then the developer experienced money problems so the town stepped in.

So far, town officials say the road has cost Holly Springs more than $200,000.

"Based on the numbers that I have seen, it is not $200,000, it is $642,000.,"Councilman Vinnie DeBenedetto said.

At a Town Council meeting Tuesday evening, DeBenedetto made a motion to hire an attorney to look into the town's agreement with the developers. 

DeBenedetto said he wanted to find out if the town could recoup the money owed, plus interest, and also be reimbursed for hours town workers spent on the project.

"Every contract we ever enter into in the future is going to come up for question because we can't trust the Town Hall because once they go into an agreement, one of the councilmen is going to say, 'Well that agreement isn't any good anymore,'" Councilman Chet Vanfossen said in response to DeBenedetto's motion.

The Town Council voted three to two not to hire an outside attorney.

According to the town's contract with the developer, the money will be paid back eventually with development fees for each home built.