Pittsboro residents are fighting mad about Chatham Park, a 7,100-acre mega-development that would explode their tiny town from 4,000 to 60,000 people. Preston Development got the rezoning approved in 2014, but locals immediately sued, claiming the project violates land use plans. The planning board just rejected parts of it for being incomplete and confusing. Environmental groups jumped into the legal battle too. The developer’s offering some open space, but nobody’s buying what they’re selling anymore.
When a developer wants to turn your sleepy town of 4,000 people into a sprawling mini-city of 60,000, you’d expect some pushback. That’s exactly what’s happening in Pittsboro, where Preston Development Company‘s massive Chatham Park project has sparked a legal firestorm that’s been burning since 2014.
The numbers are staggering. We’re talking 7,100 acres of development that would multiply Pittsboro’s population by twelve. Preston Development, based in nearby Cary, calls it the single largest master plan development in North Carolina history. Locals call it something else entirely.
The Pittsboro Town Board gave the green light to rezone 7,000 acres back in June 2014, despite residents practically begging them not to. The developer threw them a bone—1,300 acres for open spaces. How generous. The Triangle Land Conservancy had actually recommended preserving 2,400 acres for open space, nearly double what the developers offered.
Town Board approved 7,000-acre rezoning while residents begged them not to—developer’s consolation prize was 1,300 acres of open space.
Within two months, Pittsboro Matters, a nonprofit residents group, slapped the town with a lawsuit. Their beef? The whole thing allegedly violates local land-use plans and zoning ordinances, plus it conflicts with Pittsboro’s own recently adopted land use plan. That’s supposed to be illegal under North Carolina law, by the way. The lawsuit also claims the master plan contains unenforceable regulations that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place.
Jeffrey Starkweather, one of the plaintiffs, didn’t mince words. People moved to Pittsboro for its small-town charm and rural vibe, not to watch outside developers bulldoze their way to profits. Residents want promises in writing, not handshakes and crossed fingers.
Fast forward to October 2025, and things got uglier. The Pittsboro Planning Board unanimously told Preston to take a hike on their South Village Small Area Plan. The submission was incomplete, confusing, and missing vital financial impact analysis.
The governance language kept mentioning “staff-level” approvals with zero consistency about who actually makes decisions. Even better, the plan’s own disclaimer admitted the conceptual design wasn’t finished.
Environmental groups jumped into the ring in January 2026, filing their own challenge against South Village. The project, modeled after Research Triangle Park and sitting near Jordan Lake, faces mounting opposition from people who simply want their town to stay their town. Imagine that.