(The transmission from Channel 10 went down Tuesday night about 5:50 p.m. as the town board’s work session was underway so much of the information in this article came from Town Manager Kip Padgett and the PowerPoint presentations.)
The Wake Forest commissioners and mayor have discussed the problem of vacant buildings in the historic South White Street downtown and elsewhere in the Renaissance Area.
Currently, Downtown Development Director Lisa Hayes said Wednesday, there are 10 vacant spaces. The Gazette editor knows that two of those are prominent buildings that have been vacant for decades, the former Holding drugstore at the corner of South White and Jones Avenue and the triangular building next to Roosevelt Avenue across from the CSX Drug store.
Tuesday Hayes and Senior Planner Patrick Reidy shared a PowerPoint about three possible actions the board could take, starting with the present tools which are to establish standards for maintenance, sanitation and safety which can be managed and enforced by the planning and inspections departments as well as the Façade Improvements Grant Program which gives matching grants of up to $15,000 to owners for repair, maintenance and special projects.
State statues would allow the town to require vacant buildings to be registered to allow for periodic inspections and/or an ordinance requiring owners to “eliminate any evidence of vacancy” in their buildings.
The town could pass an ordinance asking for but not requiring vacant buildings to use the works of local artists or any artists to cover windows with the artwork. Another possibility is to require all commercial buildings in the designated area to maintain a prescribed set of standards for maintenance, a procedure which would mean substantial investment of time and money by the town. A third is to pass a vacant window display ordinance, which would require vacant buildings to display art or items in their windows to make it seem as though they were occupied. Hayes and Reidy provided the board with samples of such ordinances from several towns and cities.
“My recommendation would be not to go into a strict enforcement” at this time, Hayes said, because the pandemic and economic downturn have seriously hurt local businesses.
Commissioner Adam Wright suggested an ordinance which would take effect after the pandemic fades and the economy begins to recover, but Town Manager Kip Padgett said the ordinance would have to have a date.
“I think we have to have something enforceable,” Mayor Vivian Jones said. She suggested the middle course of window displays that would be less stringent than the maintenance requirement and said business owners could use local art in them.
Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon said business owners would be reluctant to pay much at this time. She suggested a hybrid approach that would begin by giving the owners a brochure about the town’s plans.
“I’ve seen how this works in other municipalities,” Commissioner Chad Sary said, and said he leaned toward the vacant window approach for now.
The mayor said that the stringent building maintenance ordinance might be necessary at a later date.
“We’ll see how it goes and reassess when we are through with COVID,” Wright said.
The board directed the staff to prepare a vacant window display ordinance for them to consider.
Next Assistant Public Works Director Allison Snyder gave the board an update on the changes in the way the department wants to handle solid waste – everything a Wake Forest household throws out, from recycling to trash to yard waste to the outdated sofa you take to the curb.
The town will begin charging $21 a month for recycling and trash pickup in January 2021, and Snyder began by saying the town wants to educate the residents and provide options for paying the fee which will appear on the Raleigh Water bills that month. Snyder said the town could provide financial assistance through ChurchNet or an annual budget item. Another possibility is Wake County’s tax relief programs.
There is a lengthy outreach program, which includes an update to the Solid Waste Guide as well as mailings, information in Our Town newsletter, website update and social media posts.
The department is proposing two free bulk or junk collections each year, increasing the limits for large limbs and the weekly bag limit and scheduling unlimited pickup of unbagged yard waste.
In the future, there will be new routes for the pickups, the department is considering a fee for large yard waste as well as providing a one-yard waste cart for each residence.
The board voted unanimously to approve three petitions for contiguous annexation that had been on the July 15 agenda.
Commissioner Liz Simpers was on vacation.
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There was only one item on the Wake Forest Planning Board’s agenda, an update to the Unified Development Ordinance, and Chairman Ed Gary said it was approved unanimously and will now go to the town board for final approval.
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8 Responses
Did any one forget the town owns a vacant building? The suntrust buliding? It has remained vacant since they bought it. Hiw many of the vacant buildings do they own?
$ 21 monrht fee. Ifi the fee takes effect in Jan, why does my tax bill reflect a 5.3% (?) rate foro the tax yr- 7/20-7/21. Or am I reading something incorrectly. Or will we be getting something back–yeah as if that will happen
The $21/month trash fee starts in January. It amounts to a $252 per year tax increase for the Town of Wake Forest. This was previously paid out of the general fund. They are calling this a fee so they do not have to call it what it really is..a tax increase.
As for real estate taxes, the appraisals went up by 15% to 30%. The tax rate dropped by 4%. That makes the average homeowner pays 11% to 26% more in real estate taxes. Add real estate taxes to the $21 per month trash pick up fee, ad that is a massive tax increase the town is giving us. Wake county also have a tax increase (which we also pay), but it was much more modest. Also, Wake County did a fair job of cutting expenses. The Town not only did not cut, but they added expenses.
Why is the answer to all problems simply to reduce taxes? All towns and municipalities will be stretched to the limit with the ordeal the Covid 19 has handed us. Not to mention state coffers. So the automatic answer is reduce taxes at the same time great funding gaps due to businesses being shut down will have to be dealt with. It’s a good thing we can rely on Covid just going away like President Trump said yesterday. That is his Covid plan along with even more tax cuts. At least he finally quit saying it’s a democrat hoax. Progress. As for the buildings downtown, the owners should be ashamed of their appearance and that goes way before the 2020 virus.
Doesn’t anyone care about the taxpayers, who in many cases have had hours reduced or lost jobs? Doesn’t anyone care about the small business people, who in many cases have had months of greatly reduced income with expenses still needing to be paid? Their businesses were forced to close or be open with costly restrictions through no fault of their own. Many small business people will soon be going out of business and/or filing bankruptcy. They will lose years of their hard work and life’s savings. Doesn’t anyone care about seniors on fixed income who see their cost of living going up with no increase in income? Of course, their taxes have to go up.
Average people must tighten their belts in times like these. Governments at all levels need to do the same. But, the WF government just increased taxes to homeowners by 15% to 30% once you consider the significantly higher real estate appraisals plus the $252 per year added charge starting in January for trash pickup. The trash pickup cost was previously paid out of the general fund, now, each resident will have it added to their water bill, making it nothing but a hidden tax increase. The Town Commissioners are not even calling this what it really in, a tax increase.
The Holding building has been an eyesore for many years and owners should be made to repair and maintain it – even if not occupied!
Why does my comment need moderation?
I’m replying to the comments made in your column re vacant buildings and how to bring them up to town’s standards!
The Town of Wake Forest would have a better chance of filling up downtown if they reduce taxes instead of raising them. Soon they will be killing to goose that lays the golden egg, residential development. Hard times are starting, and will get worse. High taxes is the opposite of what is needed. Streamline government is badly needed in this high tax community.