City Council Update (May 7th, 2024)

Written By David Knight

Afternoon Meeting:

  • Councilor Christina Jones was absent

  • David Eatman from Transportation and Transit introduced Bruce Holloway, the North Carolina Public Transit Association's 2024 Driver of the Year. Holloway, a retiring employee of RP Dev, was honored for his 33 years of service, million-mile safety driving record, perfect attendance, and zero customer complaints.

Report and Recommendation of the Planning Commission:

  • Four items are recommended for public hearing on June 4, including a commercial mixed-use development on 4020 Tryon Road, a residential development on Spring Forest Road, a 14-acre development on Barwell Road, and a development on Holden Road. Councilor Patton acknowledged that the Holden Road applicants are not present and asked that the public hearing be postponed until the next meeting.

Special Items:

Rezoning Z-92-22: New Bern Station Area Planning

  • The council debated building height recommendations and whether to include the gas station parcel at 400 New Bern Ave. in the TOD and discussed the implications of doing so.

  • Council Member Patton made a motion to change height recommendations from 7 stories to 5 stories. The motion was passed unanimously.

  • Unanimously approved authorization for text change to align allowed building types in Green Plus with TOD.

  • Unanimously approved base and height recommendations for Middle Stations

Rezoning Z-40-23: 13120 Strickland Road

  • Unanimously approved motion to set public hearing date for June 4th, 2024.

Downtown Municipal Service District:

  • Reviewing exclusion requests

Municipal Election Changes:

  • Tiesha Mosley from the Office of Community Engagement presented the findings from the public engagement sessions regarding the proposed municipal election changes.

  • The current framework, established in 1973, was reviewed in 2020, leading to recommendations such as transitioning from 2-year terms to 4-year terms, adopting staggered terms, increasing compensation, moving elections to even years, and directing staff to implement a voter engagement program.

  • The implementation of some of these recommendations, like increasing the council size to nine members, was met with agreement from the public. However, the idea of transitioning from 2-year terms to 4-year terms and adding a large at-large seat were met with disagreement. In 2022, the office conducted a public input survey with about 1,200 participants.

  • The survey showed that a majority supported adding district seats and staggered terms, while fewer were in favor of adding at-large council members and serving a four-year term instead of a two-year term.

  • Council Members Black and Harrison agreed that moving to 4-year staggered terms would be ideal.

  • Councilor Black believes that the decision should be put up to voters to decide on a referendum.

  • Council voted 5-2 (Councilors Patton and Black against) to move to 4-year terms with a primary beginning in 2026.

Evening Meeting

  • Councilor Christina Jones was absent

Blue Ridge Municipal Service District:

  • May 14th is the due date for property owners within the proposed MSD to submit written exclusion requests

  • Option A: Council could direct staff to review all written requests for exclusion from MSD

  • Option B: Or bring requests directly to Council

  • Councilor Forte stated that she wants the BR-MSD to be consistent with other MSDs

  • Public Speakers

    • 14 For / 2 Against

Non-Contiguous Petition Annexation - AX-38-23: 5116 Needham Road:

  • Recently rezoned from R-4, SHOD-1 to R-10, SHOD-1

  • 1.27 acres

  • Councilor Patton moved to approve with a delay to 6/30/2024

  • Unanimously Approved

Contiguous to Satellite Annexation:

  • Zoned CX-3-CU and RX-3-CU (37.1) acres

  • Looking to construct 222 condos/apartment units and 29,500 sq ft of commercial

  • Does not meet NFPA standard response time

  • Councilor Patton moved to grant approval with delay to 6/30/2024

  • Unanimously Approved

Rezoning Z-46-23:

  • Request to rezone .39 acres from OX-3-DE w/ NCOD to OX-12-UL-CU (remove NCOD)

  • Planning Commission sent to RCC with no recommendation

  • No building on property would be greater than 10 stories

  • $80,000 would be provided to city’s affordable housing program in lieu of affordable housing units

  • Consistent with the Comprehensive Plan

  • If approved, Future Land Use Plan would be updated accordingly

  • Inconsistent with Future Land Use Map and DT transition areas

  • Councilor Harrison stated concerns of the NCOD

    • Councilor Harrison moved to approve

    • Unanimously Approved

TC-7-23 - Mordecai NCOD:

  • Citizen-initiated request

  • Proposed modifications to the existing Mordecai NCOD

  • Planning Commission voted to deny 7-0

  • Denied Unanimously

David Knight
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