Special Meeting
MINUTES
The Holly
Springs Town Council met in a duly-called special meeting on
Council Members Present:
Councilmen
Council Members Absent: Councilman
Staff Members Present:
Planning Board Members Present:
Chairman Vinnie DeBenedetto, Raymond Cordon, Joseph Fanjoy, Trip Belote,
Deidre Brice and Joe Signoretti.
Planning Board Members Absent:
Lisa Martin and Matt Johnson.
The meeting was called by the Mayor as a joint meeting of
the Planning Board and Town
As the meeting opened, Councilman
Dickson requested that it be placed on the record that he objected to the
meeting site. He said he was not
comfortable holding a public meeting in a private members-only club.
Councilman Atwell then began a discussion
that centered around an early-February meeting of Holly Springs Planning Board
Chairman
While councilmen in attendance
agreed that the resulting Planning Board presentation to the Council and
enthusiasm of the Planning Board were appreciated and to be commended, the
events leading up to the meeting with the Apex planners were troublesome.
During sometimes heated discussions,
the
Planning Board members expressed
surprise at the Council’s reaction, saying the Planning Board had discussed the
idea of meeting with Apex planners during the January 2005 Planning Board
meeting, at which the Town of Holly Springs Planning Director was present. Members said they did not feel they were
meeting without the knowledge of the planning director.
Ms. Bobber responded that she
realized that there was discussion about a possible meeting, but the actual
meeting was scheduled in the days after the Planning Board’s January meeting and
she did not know that it had been scheduled until a few days later when the
Apex planning director called her to ask her questions. She stressed that she is a strong supporter
of the SAP as a planning tool, but that she felt because the Council had
approved a set schedule for the completion of SAPs from July 2005 to July 2007,
that the Planning Board should receive Council direction before proceeding with
its investigation into amending the Council-directed priority list.
After much discussion, it was
directed by the Council that any future meetings among its advisory boards and
committees and their counterparts in other towns be scheduled more carefully
through proper channels and with more forethought as to the necessity of those
meetings. Council encouraged the
Planning Board to rely on
Regardless of how the Apex meeting
came about, councilmen said, they appreciated the initiative and enthusiasm of
the Planning Board members.
The Council and Planning Board then shifted
their focus to the topic of SAPs.
Planning Board members said they
felt that a Small Area Plan should be devised quickly for the area of
Council members explained that
development along major thoroughfares is going to be driven by the market, and
not by planning of any type beyond what is in the Town’s 10-Year Comprehensive
Growth Plan and the zoning regulations that are in place on the
properties. Council members added that
parcel-by-parcel plans are not appropriate, but general land plans that
identify public facilities and infrastructure are appropriate.
Councilman Atwell said in
example: A developer of a piece of land
is not going to look at a drawing on a Small Area Plan to find out what he can
do with a parcel. He is, instead, going
to buy the parcel with a project in mind that he believes will be successful in
the market and that will suit the Town and then he is going to approach the
Town and ask permission to do it.
Council directive on SAPs is
summarized: Members agreed that SAPs
should be conducted in such a way as to not identify specific uses or even
types of uses for specific properties.
Instead, an SAP should identify all acceptable uses for a general area
and then forecast street, water and sewer, parking and parks and recreation
locations.
With the Council’s vision for SAPs
determined, the Planning Board said such a plan should be devised for the
developing corridor along
Council members maintained that
Commercial and Local Business zoning and the 10-Year Comprehensive Growth Plan,
which identifies nodal community activity centers in this area to use as a
guide in considering rezoning requests, would suffice. They did agree that road connections
throughout the Middle Creek area should be studied, and they pointed out that
engineering staff is keenly aware of potential critical connections.
They also agreed that because the
I-540 Loop roadway alignment is not final and will not be finalized for a
number of years, it would be futile to try to place land use designations and
restrictions on properties at this time.
Councilman VanFossen added that the
“village atmosphere” is probably only realistic and appropriate for the
downtown core of
Council members and the Town Manager
explained that the Town’s priority list for SAPs, at this time, places all
gateway corridors leading into Holly Springs about fourth, behind Holly Springs
Business Park (completed); downtown; the West Holly Springs Road/New Hill Road;
gateways (including the Holly Springs Road corridor); and South Main
Street/Hwy. 55 Bypass.
All of these plans are scheduled for
completion between July 2005 and July 2007 in the recently updated Land Use
Element of the Comprehensive Growth Plan.
July 2007 through July 2009 SAPs are planned for
Ms. Bobber pointed out that the Land
Use Element implementation program also calls for an annual review of the Land
Use Element for possible adjustments to the schedule, at the discretion of the
Town Council.
Planning Board members questioned if
no development was taking place Downtown, why was this area a priority.
The Town Manager explained that
because no development was taking place Downtown is exactly why a SAP should be
done. Before development begins to take
place, public parking facilities need to be identified and secured; pedestrian
ways need to be planned; streetscapes and other public amenities should be
reserved now. He also noted that the
timing for an SAP for the Downtown area, which was previously-approved by the
Town Council to take place in July 2005, is perfect in light of two large
residential projects that have indicated plans to build downtown.
He explained that the two projects –
both multi-family in nature – would result in the next 2 years or so with as
many as 750 new residents living in the
Planning Board members agreed that
the Downtown SAP seemed to be more critical than they originally thought, but
said they did not know about the two multi-family projects. They said it would be beneficial if they were
more informed of this type of pending development.
After much discussion, it was
determined that a major concern of the Planning Board is increased
communication between the Planning Board and town staff by meetings held before
or after the regular Planning Board meetings, or with additional information
provided in their meeting packets.
The Planning Board also requested
that staff increase information provided to the Planning Board on the Town’s
long-range
In closing the discussion on SAPs,
the Planning Board asked the Council to keep an open mind to the idea of moving
the
Council members maintained that SAPs
are probably most effective in areas where the market is not going to so
strongly dictate what development occurs.
At this time, they said, they were not inclined to change the Land Use
Element of the 10-Year Comprehensive Growth Plan that was just updated. (The Implementation Phase of the plan lists
the SAPs that are to be conducted and when.)
They did, however, say they would
keep the SAP topic – for all areas – alive for discussions at its future
planning retreats.
In closing the meeting, Council
members said they were appreciative of the efforts of the Planning Board and
explained that the role the Planning Board historically has played is simply to
review plans and recommend approval, denial or suggestions for improvements to
the Council. They said they welcomed a
new enthusiasm and would remain open to suggestions, so long as members of the
Planning Board made those suggestions in keeping with a shared vision with the
Town Council.
Planning Board members pointed out
that this would be much easier for them if they knew precisely what the Council’s
vision is.
The Planning Board requested
quarterly joint meetings with the Town Council, with the next one to be
scheduled within the next three months; that the Planning Board’s minutes be
added to the Town’s website; that the Planning Board be provided with the
Town’s infrastructure plans; and that as development plans come in to Town Hall
and a time is reached when it would be appropriate to share the information
with those other than staff, that the Planning Board be among those who receive
the information.
All agreed that these requests were
reasonable and would improve the Planning Board’s supporting role of the Town
Council.
Adjournment: There being no further business for the evening, the
Respectfully
Submitted on
_________________________________________
Joni
Powell, CMC
Town Clerk