Tuesday night the Wake Forest Planning Board unanimously turned down a request for a planned unit development for some commercial and 211 townhouses on Star Road.
The reason, though not stated in the damning staff report, the applicant did not answer the planning staff’s questions. The stated reasons, 12 of them, are that the plan submitted which had no details and did not rise to the status of a master plan, “. . . is generally inconsistent with the relevant policies in the Comprehensive Plan, and Denial of the zoning map amendment is reasonable and in the public interest.”
Among the reasons, aside from not following the Comprehensive Plan, are that it would not result “in a unique, high-quality development;” that it does not provide improvements to Star Road as the Unified Development Ordinance requires; that it has no active park spaces; that the open space the submitted plan identifies are stream buffers, stormwater ponds and buffers, all required by state law or local standards; that it does not comply with the tree protection requirements in the UDO; and that it does not comply with the Natural Resources and Environmental Protections in the UDO.
Speaking for the applicant Chuck Walker of Site Property Development in Raleigh was Don Frazier. He pointed out that the property, which has a substantial amount of land in a stream and stream buffers and the CSX Railroad on its eastern boundary, “. . . has been on the market for years and even decades as a commercial property. The developers thought it might be more desirable as a mixed-use area.
Frazier also noted that the new plan for Capital Boulevard would limit access to Star Road by taking away the two access points along the current Capital Boulevard and leaving the only access from South Main Street.
He also said that the developer would be happy to make improvements to Star Road as required, that the developers consider stream buffers as part of open space, and that there would be more detail in the master plan.
Wanda Mukherjee with the Wake Forest Committee for the Preservation of Open Space said the group was opposed to the plan and the planning board should take “a strong look at the reasons for denial.”
During the regular business meeting which followed after the joint public hearing, Chairman Joe Kimray said he had never seen since he has been on the board so many instances in which a plan did not meet the Community Plan.
Karen Kuropas, the vice chairman, said the town has so little land zoned commercial that it would be a shame to reduce the amount further. And Michael Hickey said there was not enough detail in the submitted plan to make a decision.
All six members presented voted not to recommend this plan to the town commissioners; Thomas Ballman was absent.
Next on the agenda was voting for chairman and vice chairman. Ballots were passed out, both Kimray and Kuropas said they would like to continue in those positions and they were unanimously elected.
Planning Director Courtney Tanner presented retiring member Colleen Sharpe with a certificate of appreciation for her two terms on the board – “You made my job easy.” – and reminded her she could apply again after a year.
Tanner then told the board that the David Smoot townhouse subdivision on South White Street would be the last joint public hearing – the planning board and town board – under the old state law and town ordinance and it would be a quasi-judicial hearing.
Wednesday Tanner clarified how rezoning requests will be handled in the future under the new state law. “All rezonings submitted on or after 7/1/21, will have a public comment session with the Planning Board and Public Hearing with the Board of Commissioners.”
Finally, the Wake Forest planning staff intends that its comments about a submitted plan be taken seriously and be followed. This week Tanner made the following comment in an email whose topic was the zoning for the former Wake Forest Country Club: “Currently, staff is not recommending approval of the SUP and rezoning request since it does not address staff comments.”
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2 Responses
The infamous Wake Forest Planning Board should have turned down more projects. Namely the “Wedge” Project” as we call it here in Traditions. Townhomes literally squeezed in on Traditions Grand Blvd. It will back a group of homes in Bridgewater subdivision.
The planning board does not turn down projects. They only make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners. Only the Commissioners can turn down a project.