Star Road project approved, South White denied

There was mixed action on two proposed projects Tuesday evening with the four commissioners splitting on both votes.

St. John Properties has been asking for a rezoning to allow six buildings on 30 acres on the east side of Star Road and, until a meeting with the town at the last minute, had refused to plan changes to meet the basics in town ordinances and plans.

The Wake Forest Planning Board unanimously agreed the Star Road did not meet town standards. Even after a public hearing where the flawed plan was discussed — but just before the town commissioners would vote on the plan — the owner and developer continued with the flawed plan.

Wake Forest Town Planner Patrick Reidy kept recommending that the town commissioners not approve the plan before and after the owner St. John Properties submitted some revised conditions after the public hearing.

Those new conditions included no roll-up or overhead doors in office buildings; that outdoor spaces for daycares be fenced in truck courts, that full-height sound walls be placed between daycares and other tenants, and restricts a day care in a commercial building or adjacent to an indoor shooting range; restricted outdoor storage yards; limited night club uses to 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.; and added $10,000 toward public art.

Commissioner Faith Cross noted there could be as many as 500 jobs in the buildings, and Commissioner Adam Wright praised the changes made.

The vote was 3 to 1 with Commissioner Adam Wright, Commissioner Nick Sliwinski voting yes and Commissioner Ben Clapsaddle voting no.

(Editor’s note: During the January town board retreat, Commissioner Wright while chatting with me said he was backing this plan because one of the principals had an in with Trader Joe’s and would help him bring the grocery store to Wake Forest. He said nothing about a secret and he told others the same thing.)

Both the Wake Forest Planning Board and Planner Tim Richards recommended approval of David Phillips’ plan for a four-story building at the intersection of North White Street and Royal Mill Avenue.

Phillips said the first floor would be commercial with a grocery store — he mentioned Trader Joe’s as a possibility — and other shops catering to the neighborhood. The other floors would be apartments, leaning toward one-bedroom units, with six percent being affordable for at least 10 years, five or six out of 56.

During the public hearing about this plan, Wright cited a recent accident at that intersection, said the traffic impact study was insufficient because it was not done in the summer when there were ball leagues playing at next-door Flaherty Park, said “If there is no light at that intersection, we are going to have problems,” and said “Let’s look at doing the safest thing.” Commissioner Cross said the traffic study “does not capture the true traffic at night at that site” when the fans and teams leave the Flaherty ball fields.

Clapsaddle motioned to approve the plan and there was no second. Instead Cross motioned to deny the plan.

The vote was 3 to 1 with Clapsaddle voting no.

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