Mount Olive planning board approves Bell Avenue apartments
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on February 15, 2006 1:45 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- A new apartment complex may be coming to the Bell Avenue area of Mount Olive.
Tim Morgan with Evergreen Construction in Raleigh asked the Mount Olive Planning Board on Tuesday to recommend that the town board of commissioners approve a special use permit to allow the apartments to be built. He said he wants to build a 24-unit complex that would include one-, two- and three-bedroom units at the corner of Bell Avenue and Old Seven Springs Road.
"We will build and manage it," he said. "We would be there for the long haul. We have our own property management division and would hire a local on-site contact."
Morgan said the complex would include a laundry facility, a maintenance shop and a manager's office.
He said the company has applied for a low-interest loan from the Housing Finance Agency and has agreed to rent to families with incomes up to 60 percent of the median income.
Rent would range from $250 for a one-bedroom apartment to $455 for a three-bedroom apartment.
Morgan said the company is building a similar project in Goldsboro, off Randall Road. The company has finished units in Knightdale, Greenville and Raleigh.
He said the plan is to build the complex in Mount Olive some time next year. He said the property is not bought yet, but it is under contract.
When Mayor Ruff Huggins asked him if he would agree for the property to be annexed to the town, Morgan nodded.
Huggins said he is sure Mount Olive already has a similar apartment complex, Northpointe Apartments. He said he would not mind living in Northpointe.
"A lot of people in Mount Olive are disadvantaged," said the mayor. "They live with space heaters and the water freezes in cold weather."
Chairman Wallace Horton called for a motion to make the recommendation to the town board of commissioners. Jimmy Bayles moved. Emil Cekada gave the second. The vote was 6 to 1, with Gina Knode dissenting.
About a dozen people who live in Bell Avenue neighborhood attended the meeting. They left apparently displeased with the decision.
Ms. Knode said she believes the town should do more research on the housing situation in Mount Olive, including taking a look at the demographic information about income levels of its residents.