At the top of the Wake Forest Town Board’s work session Tuesday night, Commissioner Brian Pate said he had been “kind of disappointed” about the board’s three to two vote on Nov. 15, denying a requested waiver of $249,496 in development fees for The Retreat at Renaissance project, 85 townhouses between Franklin and Brooks streets which would also build the missing section of Brooks.
The request was made because the developer, Stanley Martin, had found a plume of contaminants underground, riding on the water table. They are just above the level necessary for a brown-field requirement, no one is sure where they originated or their composition, but SM has reached a brown-field agreement with the state which requires an impermeable barrier between buildings and the ground.
Calling it a “project of merit,” Pate said he had called all the other commissioners after the meeting and said they “seemed consistent on what could get passed. I just think this project is a catalyst for the downtown.” He said Stanley Martin has agreed to a figure that is half the original request, $125,000, and then made a motion to approve that fee waiver, which leaves Stanley Martin paying fire, parks, recreation and cultural resources impact fees. He also said town policy does allow the board to waive fees.
“What policy are you quoting on this?” Commissioner Margaret Stinnett asked. “Where is it located?”
Pate deferred to town attorney Eric Vernon, who said it is in the Renaissance Plan.
Stinnett then said she had read the Renaissance Plan, “and I never saw anything about waiving fees when I read it.” (During the Nov. 15 meeting, Planning Director Chip Russell, who was not at Tuesday’s meeting, said that the Renaissance Area is a redevelopment area and therefore the board could waive fees at its discretion.)
Stinnett said she would truly like to see a town policy that addresses mitigation because the issue is going to arise again in that area. “I personally can’t vote yes for it tonight, but I would like to see a policy that addresses mitigation.” Mayor Vivian Jones said that would be a good subject to discuss at the board’s winter planning retreat.
Commissioner Anne Reeve said she had voted against the waiver at first “because I didn’t have enough information.” She said in the future the people preparing information for the board should “be a little bit more diligent. Give me something I can make a decision with.”
The vote was four to one to approve the waiver with Stinnett dissenting.
After that, the board heard about the state Department of Transportation plan to install on-ramp signals at Falls of the Neuse, Six Forks, Creedmoor and Leesville westbound ramps on I-540 to alleviate congestion and other traffic problems.
There was a short halt to the meeting while Commissioner Jim Thompson presented Pate with a Wake Forest High cap in recognition of Wake Forest’s win over Heritage High the previous Friday. The two had a bet that involved wearing the other team’s cap.
Then 16 of the 26 applicants for the planning board, board of adjustment, design review board and cultural resources board made short presentations about their candidacy.
The last agenda item was a presentation by the architectural team from ClarkNexsen about the future community center at E. Carroll Joyner Park, a presentation about several options for the location and orientation of the building and the parking lots the building will need.
Jones said her concern was it seemed the parking lots were being moved away from the existing amphitheater. “I don’t want to walk a mile to go to a concert.”
There was also a discussion about the need for a second entrance to the park and its possible locations.
5 Responses
Thanks Brian Pate for spearheading the request. Actually over the past 18+ years much more has been spent of taxpayer funds on “what is needed to preserve and grow the historic downtown”. All the studies, every one of them, concludes downtown needs more permanent residents to support arts, entertainment and food services. The Town has already expended funds for a walkable downtown and the attitude of the Commissioners to encourage development of the Renaissance area is welcomed. Survey after survey shows Wake Forestonians actually pick the downtown as #1 or 2 in what makes the town so charming and livable.
Hi Shirley,
In this instance, we created what I consider to be a win/win by having the town contribute, the developer contribute and the builder contribute.
In actuality, the items that are being waived are staff time and not additional tax payer dollars as they are covered in the salaries of those doing the inspections.
The money we retained in the deal are the impact fees for the fire department, parks and rec and cultural resources.
As a result, there are no “additional” monies from the taxpayers.
Hope that helps explain it.
Why isn’t the owner of the property paying to get the land in a position for sale rather than using the citizens’ tax dollars?
I really wish that the second phase (or any additional phase for that matter) would be thrown out. Any building, playground, or sports fields will destroy the beauty and tranquility of the park. Once the squeezing in of ‘amenities’ such as these occurs, our town will have lost it’s only scenic, relaxing place to enjoy.
I agree 100% with Alan Brown. The Town of Wake Forest has a jewel in Joyner Park. Please don’t destroy it by turning it into just another ball field or recreation center. Doing so would ruin what makes Joyner Park so special.