Brian Pate, chairman of the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s government Affairs Committee, started off the town board’s work session Tuesday, October 3, by telling the board about the fly-in trip the chamber is planning on October 24-25 to meet with members of North Carolina’s congressional officials – Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis and Representative Deborah Ross.
The main purpose of the trip, Pate said, is to establish relationships with those officials and with members of their staffs so that, when the time comes the town needs federal money or other help for a project our officials know who to call. The town and the chamber need to have a united front on the projects for the town.
The four commissioners – Commissioner Chad Sary was absent because of illness – agreed to send Town Manager Kip Padgett and Commissioner Adam Wright at a cost of $1,500 each.
The Joyner or old Wake Forest Country Club property was the 11th presentations of the night. Senior Planner Patrick Reidy reviewed the sixth plan revision since the plan was submitted by owner E. Carroll Joyner in 2021. It calls for 176 single-family houses and 110 multi-family buildings on the 125 acres. The request is for rezoning of the land to general residential 10 conditional use, Falls Lake Watershed Protection Overlay and Special Highway Overlay.
There were questions about the request from Mayor Vivian Jones and Commissioner Nick Sliwinski.
Both the town planning staff and the Wake Forest Planning Board recommended against approval by the town board because it is generally inconsistent with the 2009 Community Plan. It has only two housing types on same-sized lots, it does not have commercial uses integrated into neighborhoods. Also, townhouses are proposed along a service road that lies within the US 1/Capital Boulevard corridor. “Future residents of Wake Forest should not have a service road out their front door with a reduced streetyard as their only separation from the road,” the planners’ comment read.
The Joyner plan and property is on the town board’s agenda for its October 17 meeting when they are expected to take action on Joyner’s request.
Although other traffic problems remain, the town and HR Northlake LLC – the name of the current developer of Holding Village – will cooperate to provide additional traffic signals at the U-turns on the NC 98 Bypass after an analysis by NCDOT determined they are warranted. The total cost of the additional signals will be $399,300; the town and the developer will each pay $199,650.
Also, South Franklin Street from the still-under-construction part of Holding Village to Sheetz at Rogers Road needs to be four-laned at a cost of $5.4 million.
Assistant Engineering Director Monica Sarna said the town has its first contract for resurfacing the 143 miles of streets the town owns. That contract with Fred Smith is for $4.8 million to resurface 12.07 miles of several different streets. The town voters approved an $18 million outlay for bringing the town’s streets up to standard.
A study by Exult Engineering of the intersections of South Main Street and Burlington Mills Road with Capital Boulevard showed that changes to the two town roads would be expensive and would accomplish little without changes to Capital.
“There are no cheap solutions,” the town manager said, “but a lot of cost.” He said the town has to bring something more to the table, and Town Attorney Hassan Kingsberry has found one in a state law about impact fees that mentions thoroughfares. Padgett said Cary uses it. He said a study to determine how Wake Forest could have a thoroughfare fee would probably cost about $50,000. Mayor Jones said she wanted to know more about it before spending the money.
The town board will face those and other requests in two weeks, including other requests for rezoning.
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