Goldsboro City Council will take look at zoning rules for annexed areas
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on September 14, 2008 10:55 AM
With city residency comes new zoning rules.
The Goldsboro City Council will hold six public hearings at its meeting Monday night and will set another hearing then to allow the city to hold property along Buck Swamp and Salem Church roads up to city zoning requirements starting Sept. 30.
The area was part of a four-year annexation legal battle between residents and city officials that ended after the state Supreme Court refused to hear the residents' appeal last month.
Currently, all of the properties in the soon-to-be annexed area are zoned residential. The Goldsboro Planning Department is proposing to change zonings for the area to include two residential zonings, an office and institutional zoning and a neighborhood business zoning, since there are three current commercial properties -- a day care center, a gas station and convenience store and a small shopping center.
The first of six public hearings on Monday will deal with a zoning ordinance amendment that would change requirements in the office-residence sign area. The current ordinance allows one sign that isn't illuminated and is under 4 feet in height with a maximum size of 10 square feet for both freestanding and wall signs. The proposed change would allow an increase in freestanding sign size to 32 square feet for offices fronting Ash Street, east of Jefferson Avenue, but the area for wall signs would remain the same.
Another public hearing will allow the public to review the city's Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report regarding Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership funds the city received. The CAPER provides information on how the city used these funds during the previous year. Both areas of funding are to develop the viable urban communities and to expand economic opportunities aimed toward people with low and moderate incomes. A draft of the CAPER has been prepared and is available through Sept. 23 in the Office of the City Clerk, Planning Deptartment, Community Development Office, Goldsboro Housing Authority Main Office, Eastern Regional Housing Authority Office and the Wayne County Public Library.
Two public hearings will be held for other rezoning requests, the first being requested by Jenny Aycock to change property on the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 117 North and Belfast Road from residential and watershed protection to neighborhood business and watershed protection. The second will cover a request made by United in Christ Church to change property on the east side of Patetown Road between New Hope Road and Tommy's Road from a single family residential zone to office and institutional conditional district.
Hearings will also be held regarding a conditional use permit for the east side of U.S. 117 South between Sherman Street and Veterans Drive to allow for the operation of a used car lot as well as the closing of a portion of Pineview Avenue.
The council is also likely to approve the condemnation of five dilapidated dwellings at 507 S. Slocumb St., 608 Simmons St., 705 Third St., 1208 N. Center St. and 439 Elm St.
Council members will discuss the establishment of a capital projects fund ordinance for the Paramount Theatre, a technicality necessary after establishment of the loan before the building is purchased. The fund ordinance will be established in the amount of $4.5 million.
In other business, the council will discuss other budget amendments, a rezoning request by Juanita Mansour to change property from the north side of East Ash Street between Ridgewood Drive and Spence Avenue from shopping center to general business, a site and landscape plan for Life Inc. for property off of Royall Avenue, accepting the state League of Municipalities Green Challenge and the sale of city property.