City decides to use $250,000 grant for recreation center
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on September 3, 2008 1:45 PM
The city of Goldsboro will receive $395,617 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this year, and $257,151 of that will go toward the new Community Recreation Center, City Council members decided Tuesday night.
More than $59,340 of the money will be used for after-school enrichment and other public services. The remainder will be used for administrative expenses such as salaries, consultant services, training, operational supplies, contract services, fees and dues and office supplies.
The city will also be receiving $263,746 in HOME Investment Partnerships Programs from HUD. More than $107,370 of those funds were allocated to housing rehabilitation and $30,000 were allocated to the city's home buyer assistance program.
In other business, the council also approved the condemnation of six dilapidated dwellings at 1002, 1007 and 1008 Ivey St., 402 W. Oak St., 808 Orchard St. and 103 N. Slocumb St. Although the council condemned the property, members agreed to allow the owner of the Ivey Street properties to fix the two dwellings at 1007 and 1007 Ivey St. and to demolish the house at 1002 Ivey St.
Also, a public hearing was held regarding a contiguous annexation request by Auto Investments LLC for property located on the southwest corner of U.S. 70 East and North Oak Forest Road. No one spoke at the hearing.
Council members also approved two rezoning requests, two conditional use permits and five site and landscape plans including one for a proposed Fairfield Inn and Suites beside Ruby Tuesday on North Park Drive between Cuyler Best Road and South Harding Drive. The proposed property will be a three-story, 86-room hotel.
Planning commission members weren't sure whether the land would accommodate that large of a hotel structure, but the logistics of the building and the structure itself will be up to the engineers of the project, they said.
The plan was approved by the planning commission with several modifications, including a decrease in the number of necessary parking spaces and about a 7-foot difference in the requirement of space from the front of the building to the road. The commission did not approve a requested modification to waive interconnectivity -- easily accessible off-street traffic flow from one business to the next -- of the site with Ruby Tuesday.
The council didn't approve the requested modification to waive interconnectivity.
Council members approved a request made by Auto Investments LLC to change property located on the southwest corner of North Oak Forest Road and Summit Road from general business to highway business, allowing for commercial uses aimed toward those traveling through the area and would permit a high-rise advertising sign.
Kathy Woodard also requested a zoning change for property located on the north side of East Ash Street between Piedmont Airline Road and Oak Forest Road from residential to neighborhood business, which the council approved.
A request made by Bobby Reavis to amend a previously issued permit to move display vehicle and customer/employee parking spaces associated with the used car lot to the adjacent lot to provide additional parking for other uses was approved by the council, as was the site and landscape plan associated with it.
A request made by William Painter for a conditional use permit to allow the operation of a child care facility in conjunction with First Assembly Church located on the south side of Summit Road between North Oak Forest Road and Berkeley Boulevard also was approved.
Council members approved changing the name of Spring Court to Granville Place, three other site and landscape plans, a final subdivision plat for Carolina Forest and budget amendments.
The council removed two requests from the meeting's agenda to be reviewed at the next council meeting -- a rezoning request made by Juanita Mansour to change property on the north side of East Ash Street between Ridgewood Drive and Spence Avenue from shopping center to general business and a site and landscape plan for Life Inc., on the north side of Royall Avenue between Spence Avenue and Sunburst Drive.
The next City Council meeting will be Sept. 15.