Council to revisit solar farm request
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on September 19, 2016 9:53 AM
The Goldsboro City Council will have a public hearing tonight for a solar farm proposed along Thoroughfare Road that was denied by council in February.
The public will have the chance to offer comment during the hearing, which will be held during the regular city council meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 214 N. Center St.
Heights Solar Farm is requesting that 43 acres, between 3013 and 3025 Thoroughfare Road, be rezoned from a single family residential district to a residential conditional district, which would limit property use to the solar farm.
The company proposes adding solar panels to 32 acres that will be surrounded by wooded areas and a 6-foot high chain link fence, topped with barbed wire.
The request is identical to a rezoning that went before council in February but denied, following concerns voiced by area residents. The planning commission recommended the rezoning, but city staff recommended denial due to land use incompatibility with the city's comprehensive land-use plan. City plans suggest the property be used for medium density residential development.
Planning staff materials provided to the council do not provide a reason for the request being submitted again. In February, council voted against the solar farm by a 4-3 vote. Councilmen Bill Broadaway, Mark Stevens, Gene Aycock and David Ham voted against the rezoning, while Mayor Chuck Allen and Councilmen Bevan Foster and Antonio Williams voted for the proposal.
The public hearing will take place before the rezoning request is reviewed by the planning commission on Sept. 26. The commission will make a recommendation to council that will be considered for final approval on Oct. 3.
The council will meet for its 5 p.m. work session in the City Hall Annex, 200 N. Center St., where meeting items will be discussed and other city business. Items planned for discussion include the city's bond referendum, streets, communication plans, the multi-sports complex and the W.A. Foster Center.
During the 7 p.m. meeting, the council will hold a public hearing allowing residents the chance to comment on the city's draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for entitlement grantees receiving Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership funds. The report is connected to federal funding the city received, including $314,687 CDBG and $149,935 Home Investment funds.
The council will also consider for approval:
* A rezoning from general business to office and institutional for 515 N. George St. The applicant, David Perry, is interested in using a portion of the building, formerly Smith Hardware, for a school.
* A $38,750 contract for a Goldsboro turning movement count inventory with VHB Engineering that involves tracking traffic movement counts at 125 signalized intersections.
* A $125,000 contract with the T.A. Loving Co. to install a 475 kilowatt emergency generator at the Neuse River pump station.
* A $27,000 contract with A/K Grading and Demolition for abatement and demolition of an old golf pro shop at 407 Eden Place.
* Conditional-use permits for tattoo parlors at 1923 N. William St. and 605 E. Ash St.