The General Assembly charted the town in July 1999 and all state requirements for its incorporation were met despite the presence of the gates, according to town clerk Josann Campanello.
The Town of Bermuda Run, a gated community near Winston-Salem, was also incorporated at that time.
Campanello said that since incorporation, St. James has grown beyond the gated plantation and now includes a business park and municipal facilities along N.C. 211.
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Date posted: June 10, 2013
User-contributed question by:
Sam Fincher
I don’t technically have an issue with the gates, but with the implicit exclusion of certain persons from a public place based on arbitrary reasons.
Are the streets and sidewalks not public? Are the roads now under state maintenance? If they are, is there an implied easement based on the fact that the roads are maintained by public funds?
The town of St James has two residential communities within its boundaries: St James Plantation and Arbor Creek. Arbor Creek is not gated; their streets are public roadways maintained by the state. The streets within St James Plantation are not maintained by the state; they’re private roadways maintained by the St. James Property Owners Association. As private roadways, their access can be made limited by the presence of a gate.
The property in St. James Plantation is private including roads, sidewalks, parks, etc., governed by a property owner’s association.
Arbor Creek is not within the town’s boundary.
According to NCDOT maps, Arbor Creek’s streets are not state maintained. They are privately owned.