Rolesville hopes to change pipeline route to save future homes, businesses

More than 100 acres of farmland along Rolesville Road, located near Rolesville High School and partly bordered by the unfinished Rolesville bypass, is slated to become a subdivision of 900 homes and several commercial businesses.

But the future development is in the path of a planned PENC Energy 23-mile natural gas pipeline.

“By designating this as a corridor, they kill the sale potential for this site,” landowner Cameron Shearon said. “Nobody would buy it with that corridor going through it.”

Shearon was among a group of landowners who met with Eagles and an engineering firm representing the utility company on Tuesday regarding changing the pipeline’s route, which is scheduled to be built in 2016.

The meeting comes over a month after PENC finalized the pipeline’s route, which will start near Franklinton and end near Wendell.

With the planned development being so close to the bypass and located near Wake County’s largest high school, its location would be a great draw for future residents, Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles said.

“It's economic development,” he said. “I mean, you start talking to restaurants and big boxes and things like that and they start looking at rooftops.”

A community meeting will take place in the near future regarding the pipeline, Eagles said.

“We’re going to ask the planners for the gas company to try to work with the community to try to find a less objectionable route,” Shearon said.