Few speak at city hearings
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on March 20, 2008 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council will return to its historic chambers in the old City Hall at its next meeting. The council met Monday night for the last time in the City Hall Addition.
The century-old City Hall has been undergoing renovation for months but has now reopened for business.
Council members expected Monday's meeting to be a long one, with nine public hearings on the agenda. But only three people spoke.
Two of the hearings were held on requests from downtown bars -- the expansion of an existing bar and the operation of a new one.
The first was held for the Flying Shamrock on the west side of North John and Mulberry streets. Owner Wayne Turner has applied for a conditional use permit to allow for the operation of a bar area in the newly renovated spot next door. The new space will include seating for 96 people, three pool tables, storage, offices and restrooms. Turner spoke in favor of the request.
The second hearing was held for a conditional use permit for property on the east side of North Center Street between Walnut and Mulberry streets. The proposed bar would be called Redmon's on Center Street Pub and Grill. Maximum occupancy for the site would be 50 people. Councilman Chuck Allen was excused from the hearing since he owns the building in which the bar would be located. No one spoke for or against the proposal.
Two more conditional use permit hearings were held, both involving child care facilities. The first was held for property located on the north side of Royall Avenue between Wayne Memorial Drive and Jefferson Avenue where 35 children will be served by the operation and a large outdoor play area is included as part of the site plan. No one spoke for or against the proposal.
The second conditional use permit hearing for a child care facility was held for property located on the north side of West Elm Street between H.V. Brown lane and the Seaboard Coastline Railroad. The site is currently utilized by Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and has an existing day care center that serves 50 children. The church has proposed to use the property to add onto the east and rear of the church building for classrooms, accommodating an estimated 36 more children. Pastor Kenneth Tate of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church spoke in support of the facility, saying that his church "not only encourages the educational side but also the religious side."
Four hearings were held for rezoning requests, the first of which was for a proposal by the Family Works Psychological Center to change the zoning of property on the southwest corner of East Ash Street and North Andrews Avenue from residential to office-residence. The property will serve as a doctor's office. The office-residence zoning district is designed for low-intensity business uses that are next to and compatible with existing residential neighborhoods. No one spoke on the issue.
The second hearing was held for property located on the east side of Thoroughfare Road between Central Heights Road and Millers Chapel Road. Keith Mitchell is requesting to change the property's zoning from residential to office and institutional. No one spoke.
The third hearing was held to consider rezoning property located on the south side of East Ash Street between Carriage Road and Meadow Road from a single-family residential and noise overlay zone to a more dense, multi-family residential unit residential and noise overlay zone. With the square footage of the property, up to seven residential units could be constructed on the property. Again, no one took to the podium.
The last rezoning hearing was held on a proposal by Briarwood Investments to change property on the south side of East Ash Street between Barrow Court and Malloy Street from residential and office and institutional to neighborhood business conditional district. The applicant hasn't yet indicated a use for the site, but a conditional district has been requested. A partner in Briarwood Investments, Phil Baddour Jr., spoke in support. He told the council that there were "no immediate plans" for the property and that the company wants to sell it.
The final hearing was on a Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships programs. No one spoke.