Council to eye change in rules
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on January 7, 2013 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council is expected to bring an end to months of discussions about the city's sidewalk requirements at its meeting tonight where members will consider an amendment to the city's Unified Development Ordinance, which will tie sidewalk construction more closely to the city's sidewalk priority map.
The amendment is part of a robust agenda of items slated to be approved by consent and removes two conditions that have historically meant a developer has had to retrofit a property with sidewalks.
If approved, sidewalk construction or the payment of the sidewalk fee will not be required in cases where the developer is seeking to change the use of a property or reopen an operation that has been closed for longer than a year.
Construction or fee payment would be required only in cases where a structure or use located on a roadway recommended for sidewalk construction is "expanded, enlarged or intensified."
Discussion of changing the policy, which was introduced in 2007 and amended in 2009, began when council members asked that St. Mark Church of Christ be waived fully from the requirements, bringing into question the necessity of requiring sidewalk construction or charging developers for sidewalk costs when sidewalk construction on their respective property is not considered a priority.
The rest of the consent agenda contains the following:
* A rezoning request for Woodhaven Enterprises, which is seeking to rezone its property at the southeast corner of the intersection of Wayne Memorial Drive and Gracie Place from residential to neighborhood business
* An acquisition of right-of-way on Berkeley Boulevard as part of that street's widening project
* A subdivision request by Jeffrey Allen Deese for his property on the west side of Thad Lane between U.S. 13 and Mull Smith Lane
* A modification to the setback requirements for Belfast Pentecostal Holiness Church, which is seeking to install a canopy over its handicap-accessible ramp
* A subdivision request by Glenn's Landing for property on the south side of Sheridan Forest Road between Mt. Airy and Sheridan roads
* Three measures -- an annexation request, initial zoning code and site plan -- for a proposed Sheetz convenience store location at the southeast corner of the intersection of N.C. 581 and U.S. 70 which aims to operate within the shopping center conditional district zone
* A conditional use permit for Phoenix T, which seeks to operate an Internet cafe on the east side of U.S. 117 between Arrington Bridge Road and South George Street at the former location of Teasers Nightclub
* The sale of surplus real property located on the northeast corner of the intersection of South John Street and Arrington Bridge Road
* The acceptance and appropriation of a $125,000 N.C. Department of Commerce grant to be used to intensify the city's bird harassment program, which seeks to protect Seymour Johnson Air Force Base aircraft from damage by dissuading the nesting of birds in select wetlands operated by the city
* Authorization for the city to contract with The Wooten Company to study bird harassment alternatives, using $20,000 from the aforementioned grant
* A resolution recognizing the efforts of The Friends of Willowdale Cemetery
* A budget amendment to use $15,000 from the Occupancy Tax Fund to promote the 2013 Wings Over Wayne Air Show, which will be held May 18 and 19
* A resolution showing the city's opposition to proposed legislation which would force cities to transfer their municipal water systems to metropolitan sewer districts
* Acceptance of $7,079 in federal property forfeiture and state controlled substance tax remittance.
The council will also discuss a revision, in the form of an update, to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was put together in 2012 by N.C. Recreation Resources Services.
The council will also hear from Public Utilities during the council work session, which begins at 5 p.m., concerning the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
The regular meeting, at Historic City Hall, begins at 7 p.m.