Tuesday night, after 20 town residents at times passionately and at times factually defended the idea that the watershed for the town reservoir should be kept as a watershed, the town commissioners voted to apply conservation subdivision zoning to the entire Comprehensive Plan amendment area, which includes the areas near Oak Grove Church Road and Gilcrest Farm Road. This is for the future, because Wake County now controls the watershed; it has never been annexed to Wake Forest.
It was clear from the discussion that a majority of the commissioners wanted to also fund a study about the watershed to be included in the revisions to the Unified Development Ordinance now underway. There was also reference to providing more zoning classifications because the town has fewer than other nearby towns and no conservation classification. Planning Director Courtney Tanner said that zoning in the future would be based on design, not density.
The Wake Forest Planning Department asked the commissioners to vote on a plan that would “classify the land as Conventional Residential” to stave off “incompatible residential or commercial development” and any homeowner in the watershed from requesting an extension of water and sewer.
The 584 acres in the watershed are mostly owned by Heritage developer Andy Ammons of Raleigh, 247 acres, and Randy Willis and his wife, 110 tree farm acres. Tanner said Willis’ wife had promised her grandmother she would never sell the land. Willis reiterated the no-sale promise Tuesday night and spoke fondly of the trees, animal life, streams and waterfalls on the land. Ammons has not been active in Wake Forest in recent years, but his 2003 plans for the watershed had only 50 to 60 houses perched on the hills, leaving the slopes and creeks untouched.
Some highlights of the comments Tuesday night included Kate Olsen, who said, “Give the Wake Forest residents exactly what they have been asking for,” “We can have forests that we protect,” and “FIX IT!”
Laura Bowlin, who asked God to give townspeople the courage to follow another path than the one town officials have been following and to remember the children in schools crowded with pupils because of the recent growth.
Debbie Ludas said she was speaking for the wildlife in the forested area and the trail, a wildlife corridor, they follow along Smith Creek and the reservoir. She also asked, “How many times recently have you heard a mother say, ‘Just go outside and play?’ “
Her husband, Marty Ludas, showed slides of the tree canopy disappearing through the years with only the watershed steadily showing green trees.
There was the man, the editor could not catch his name, with a petition about the watershed with 400 names and the last speaker, a woman, who talked briefly about the benefits of nature and said, “Just consider the quality of life.” There was the woman who lives in the Rusted Oak subdivision with acre lots who said the stream on her property is drying up because of heavy building east of her home.
In other action,
Town Manager Kip Padgett announced at the end of the meeting that the town has the land for its eastside fire station after two or three years of searching. The town is purchasing two adjacent parcels of land at 1621 and 1701 Wait Avenue from David Boone for $1.5 million for the 4.48 acres.
The Stadium Drive project — 307 apartments, 19,300 square feet of commercial largely the first floors of the apartment buildings, and 20,000 square feet for a medical practice — was approved three to two with Commissioners Nick Sliwiniski and Adam Wright voting no. This is the heavily forested triangle of land where Stadium Drive meets Capital Boulevard and has been owned by the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, some of the large acreage it purchased from Wake Forest College, which had been part of the 658 acres Dr. Calvin Jones bought for his corn plantation.
The developer has promised $50,000 to the Public Art Commission to install public art, additional buffering from Staffordshire, planting lots of trees and providing an entrepreneurial atmosphere. DOT will not agree to a traffic signal there but may agree to a crosswalk to the shopping center across Stadium.
The fees proposed for the new waste/storm water administration were provided to the commissioners. Because of other problems, the Gazette will provide those in next week’s edition.
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6 Responses
I spoke at the hearing and I can tell you there was no loud minority pressing their concerns about anti growth in the watershed adjacent to Royal Mill Road and Gilchrist Road. We tried to make a point that Wake Forest could benefit from housing development that features estate homes on 2 plus acres of land (rural residential) that could be built without destroying the tree canopy and impacting water runoff into the Smith Creek Watershed. R3 and more housing units are developed with bulldozers and retaining walls, look around, it’s everywhere farms were converted to .25 acre projects. At some point, pro-growth Wake Forest visionaries need to recognize that we are not obligated to provide housing for everyone who wants to move here. Look from the skies folks, there is one large wildlife corridor remaining, 3.4 miles, and it extends from the reservoir dam to Youngsville. The proposed R3 plan will cut that last remaining forest area in two and that was what we were trying to point out. Smart thinking before smart growth. And this area in question, it’s actually in Wake County where you can find beautiful rural residential homes on two plus acres.
Way to go Commissioners Wright and Sliwinski. This is a sign of things to come. Commissioners who are anti-growth and listening to the loud minority who want to take Wake Forest backwards vs. moving us forward.
Maybe the “loud minority “ is actually the majority and are in favor of smart growth while moving forward.Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.
The Commissioners were elected by a majority of WF residents who voted for smart growth.
Give the new group a chance to do what’s right for our town.
The new commissioners have not yet been sworn in.
This Board of Commissioner’s is on the way out. Let the new Board vote on this very important matter because it will affect our watershed area, our reservoir and our delicate ecosystem. We want smart growth and since this is our last continuous forest area, we need to be educated about the decision. What is this hurry to rezone this area as possibly one of the most densely populated areas in the city? It makes no sense.