Few comments at City Council hearings
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on February 24, 2005 1:51 PM
The Goldsboro City Council held nine public hearings Monday night, but only one had much "public" in it.
Eleven people spoke at, and more than 100 attended, the hour-long hearing on the proposed unified development ordinance, the city's attempt to consolidate and streamline its rules about development.
Afterward, most of the crowd left. The other hearings had only five speakers, combined, and no protests at all.
Nearly all of the issues will be reviewed by the Goldsboro Planning Commission at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall and then come back to the council for possible action in March.
The exception was a voluntary annexation request by Douglas and Carolyn Core for their property on Piedmont Airline Road. The council voted unanimously to take in the property, less than an acre and contiguous to other city property, effective next week.
Three hearings concerned requests for rezoning.
Oak Forest Development is asking that property on the south side of New Hope Road, between Patetown Road and Catherine Street, be rezoned to allow denser residential construction.
The developer is expected to submit plans for a subdivision on the five-acre tract. If the rezoning is granted, up to 36 units could be constructed.
Pediatric Play Therapy wants 3.5 acres, including a house, on the south side of Tommys Road, between Hare Road and Green Circle, to be rezoned from residential use to office and institutional.
Pediatric Play Therapy serves special needs children from birth-3 years old. All services are provided in the children's homes or other "natural environments," so the house would be used only for administrative offices, the company's owner said.
Wayne Community College asked for a zoning change that would allow a tower to be built at the rear of its property. U.S. Cellular plans to build an 180-foot tower.
Two hearings concerned special-use requests.
Wheels of Goldsboro wants to relocate to the east side of U.S. 117, between Arrington Bridge Road and Old Mount Olive Highway. Its current building was cut off by construction of the new U.S. 117, which has hurt business, said Steve Kirby.
Its new building was previously a car business, but the special-use permit had expired.
Gary Gregory asked for a special-use permit for 1.7 acres on the east side of N.C. 111, just south of the U.S. 70 interchange. If the permit is granted, an Auto Zone will be built on that site.
The hearing covered plans for the building's design and landscaping.
No one spoke on a proposal to close Miller Place and Thomas Place, two unopened streets off Randall Lane in the Ravenwood subdivision, or sections of East Mulberry Street, North Durant Street and Stoney Creek Lane, which run through city-owned property off Ash Street, near Stoney Creek.