Council to vote on bid for site
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on October 6, 2013 1:50 AM
Goldsboro City Council is expected to accept a bid on the site of the former Arts Council of Wayne County building and to decide a rezoning issue at its meeting Monday.
Council members will decide whether to accept The Little Bank's offer of $700,000 for the former Arts Council of Wayne County property, which the city originally purchased in July 2011 for $500,000 to use for an Air Force museum.
When city leaders learned that the cost of such a project could be about $8 million, the plan was scrapped and the building put up for sale.
The building, which was determined to be full of asbestos and in need of major repairs, was later demolished, leaving the site open for a potential business.
The city has more than $935,000 invested in the building between acquisition costs, a museum feasibility study and demolition and operational costs.
Also Monday, council members will decide whether to approve a request to rezone about 680 acres at the Busco Beach and ATV Park property along Bryan Boulevard as a General Business Conditional District.
The issue of the zoning arose after a Bryan Boulevard resident reported alleged deficiencies in the operation of the park to state officials.
The N.C. Department of Public Safety contacted the city of Goldsboro about the complaints in February. Officials found no permits had been issues for any additional structures besides the original 1994 approval for a recreational lake and clubhouse.
A cease construction order was handed down to owner Smart Investors, LLC, while the matter was sorted out.
Deficiencies included buildings constructed without "no rise" certifications, which assert that the flood plain will not rise due to any construction in the area, which is in a floodway; campers on the property, which is entirely in a floodplain, for more than 180 days; truckloads of fill sediment brought to the property and grading done without approval; and fencing on a county-owned parcel of land that was leased by Busco Beach.
After three months of meeting to balance the considerations of the business and Bryan Boulevard residents, a proposed agreement has been submitted by Smart Investors to City Council.
The revised zoning ordinance would eliminate overnight riding between 12:01 and 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and limit riding on Federal Emergency Management Agency buyout properties to crossing the tracts on established trails.
Also up for discussion is the possible expansion of Elmwood Cemetery and a report on the U.S. 70 controlled access monument project undertaken by Public Works to beautify the U.S. 70 corridor in Goldsboro.
Council also will discuss a variety of zoning issues ranging from a proposed hookah lounge on Ash Street in the former Kwik Stop Food Store location to a proposed gathering hall in the former Party Central location on Corporate Drive.
A hookah is a waterpipe used for smoking flavored tobacco.
Other businesses up for approval are Mattress Firm and Sasser Home Builders locations on Berkeley Boulevard and a 98-room hotel adjacent to Ruby Tuesday on North park Drive.