YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
WeekLy edITIOn
marCH 18-24, 2026 vol 48 No 12 | 1 Section | 6 Pages
Council hears D.R. Horton development update The Jamestown Town Council held a special work session on March 12 to hear an overview of the status of the D.R. Horton development. The property along Guilford College and Mackay roads has been the subject of citizen complaints and disapproval since Diamondback Investment Group originally planned it in 2020. Diamondback sold the property to D.R. Horton in July 2021 after being denied a PUD rezoning request. Now that homes are being constructed in the development that Horton calls Kinsley, Town staff felt the Council, most of whom were not serving during previous discussions, needed to be updated with what Town Manager Matthew Johnson called a “general update … so they can better understand where things stand today and what the next phases of the development will look like. “The Development Agreement and the zoning approvals that are
associated with this project were previously reviewed and approved by the Town Council, following our standard planning and public hearing processes,” Johnson said. “[Now] the Town’s role is to administer the Development Agreement and to ensure that constructure proceeds in accordance with the approved plans and applicable ordinances. “Tonight’s discussion is not intended to revisit those prior approvals or reopen policy decisions that were made at that time.” Johnson said the goal was to provide informational updates. Brad Yoder, land acquisition manager for the Carolinas with D.R. Horton, provided an overview of the project followed by Jamestown Planning Director José Colón. “Their presentations should provide a helpful snapshot of where the project stands today and how the Town continues to monitor and administer the development as it progresses,” Johnson said. The Council had been asked to submit questions in advance for the speakers but Johnson did not
receive any. He said that if questions arise which could not be answered on the spot, the Town would follow up with information after the meeting. The Council was able to ask questions after each presentation. Yoder was the first presenter. “Kinsley has done well,” Yoder said. “It’s been a long time coming to the point where we’re now vertical [Phase 1A]. We have yet to finish our model homes but before that, we’ve already made sight sales, which is outstanding for any community. There’s a tremendous interest in living in Jamestown.” He mentioned good interest rates and the national demand for housing. “To date, we’ve started 25 single-family homes and 9 townhomes. We expect this to move very swiftly. We’re currently priced in the mid-to-high $400,000s. We’re also in design for both Phase Two and Phase Six.” Phase two will have the amenities like clubhouse, pool, etc. along Guilford College Road. “It’s going to blow you away,”
from rusty antique machinery to beautiful home décor By CaROL BROOks FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com
Yoder said. “It’s going to help everything with the community. That’s going to be the “wow” factor. We’re hoping to get to it next year. Phase Six will include higherend homes in the back. “The blanket perspective is that we’ve got a winner here. D.R. Horton is extremely happy.”
Mayor Susan Dickenson and Councilmember Pam Burgess visited one of the open homes in the Villas section. They learned that quality of materials of that home is in the mid-range. Yoder said these homes would not be one of the higher-priced ones, selling see COUnCIL, PAGe 2
Fifty-year reunion brings former and current scouts together By nORMa B. dennIs FreeLANCe WrIter ndworddesign@gmail.com
If you are looking for a funky, hand-crafted designed piece of furniture, look no farther than The Rustic Factory and its owner Chris Lutzweiler. You must like heavy furniture, however. “I would describe them as authentic industrial furniture classics,” Lutzweiler said. “While anyone can walk into a higher-end furniture store and purchase a replica crank table or desk, my creations are for the person who wants authenticity. They want to know it’s an American made unit that was likely originally cast over 100 years ago — several were done so nearby in Greensboro. They Photos courtesy The Rustic Factory Chris Lutzweiler want to know the story behind it, where it was found, where it came from, what it took to bring it back to life. They want to see the scars and weathering of decades and imagine the generations of factory workers working beside it day in and day out. As one customer in Texas referenced a table with several deep cuts and pitting in the iron: ‘the more character, the better.’” Lutzweiler has made his creations since 2018 but did not advertise until 2021. “I spent most of the time building more woodrelated rustic or trendy or farmhouse or barn related tables or desks for friends or referrals to fund my new industrial furniture habit,” he said. “I got into this because I absolutely love the industrial style of furniture and furnishings. Many of the industrial style pieces sold in higher-end furniture stores are reproductions of actual industrial pieces or equipment from the early 1900s, but they are see deCOR, PAGe 2 egg chair
Machine table
Photo courtesy of Town of Jamestown
Map of the phases of d.R. Horton’s kinsley development.
drafting table
Boy Scout Troop 68 has been meeting at Jamestown Presbyterian Church since 1975. Boys have come and boys have gone and, in the process, 150 of them have obtained the rank of Eagle Scout. On Feb. 28, many former Scout leaders, Scouts and their families, along with current members of Troop 68, met in the church’s family life center for a 50-year reunion. As imagined, there was a lot of reminiscing about times past, comparisons of changes and similarities and catching up on current activities in each life. “I was impressed to see how much Scouting still means to the old troop members,” said Jacob Tipton, age 17 and the oldest Scout of current Troop 68. “Many of the former leaders gave me a broader perspective (of Scouting) than I’d ever thought about before. “The best thing about the reunion was how much I enjoyed seeing Scouts who were older when I started in the troop. I hadn’t seen them in a while and didn’t realize how much I missed them. I also got to see a friend who moved and just came back for the reunion.” David Barksdale, son of the first Scoutmaster and the fourth Eagle Scout from Troop 68 spoke to the group, sharing a bit of its history. “My dad had been a Scout as a youth and a leader of a troop in Florida before he married,” Barksdale said. “When our family moved to this area, he became friends with Max Foust, the pastor at Jamestown Presbyterian Church. Although we did not go to that church, members there were interested in starting a Scout troop and Dad was interested in leading one. About 30 boys joined as charter members and we were ‘off to the races’ so to speak,” Barksdale said. Barksdale was just shy of 11 years old, the starting age for a Boy Scout when the troop was organized. He was allowed to join the newly formed troop, however. He stopped Scouting when he went to college. But after graduating in 1986 he became involved as an
Everyone likes GOOD NEWS and the Jamestown News wants to print a column focused on sharing good things seen happening in the community. To make the column work, you need to participate. email ndworddesign@gmail.com with your observations of a person or group being helpful to others. norma dennis will print them on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
Photo submitted
david Barksdale spoke to those gathered for the 50-year reunion of Troop 68. His father started the troop and david was the fourth member to obtain the rank of eagle. scouts today use a red kerchief, but for the occasion, david wore his yellow one that members of Troop 68 originally used.
assistant Scoutmaster for a troop in Raleigh where he lived at the time. His involvement with Scouting continued through the years and he is currently immediate past president of the Old Hickory Council in Winston-Salem, a registered troop leader in Winston-Salem and serves on National Finance and Fund Development in the area of fundraising. Throughout the reunion, current Scouts had to mingle and talk to former Scouts about their experiences. Information gleaned could be used toward a Scouting Heritage Merit Badge. A Scout bingo game also required questioning others to fill in the spaces. There was a station focused on past Eagle Scouts, a memorabilia table showing patches available throughout the years and a display of equipment used by Scouts in different decades. The skills of older and current Scouts were put to the test with a knot-tying contest. A continuous slide show highlighted events in which different groups had participated. “Each generation loved seeing their pictures,” said Heather Tip-
50¢
By CaROL BROOks FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com
see sCOUTs, PAGe 4