Another project for Wake Forest’s downtown Renaissance Area will be the subject of a joint public hearing before the Wake Forest Planning and Town boards Tuesday, Feb. 4, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in town hall.
Wake Forest resident Mark Iafrate, president of Franklin Street Apartments, proposes to build 108 apartment units on 6.63 acres in the northeast quadrant of the N.C. 98 bypass (Dr. Calvin Jones Highway) and South Franklin Street. He is planning five dwelling buildings plus a clubhouse with an outdoor pool. The only entrance would be on Franklin Street toward the north side of the property that will align with Yellow Poplar Avenue. To the west of the property is a creek, Spring Branch, which would be protected by 50-foot Neuse River buffers, and a wooded area. Homes in the Deacons Ridge subdivision back up to that wooded area. There is another wooded area north of the site.
The hearing will be for the master site plan for the project. This will be a regular public hearing; those wishing to speak for or against the plan can offer facts, opinions and personal observations.
Eleven people attended the required neighborhood meeting on Nov. 21 in town hall.
The traffic study provided by Ramey Kemp & Associates indicated there would be an acceptable level of service on Franklin Street and the nearby intersecting streets to the west without any improvements.
The planning board is expected to make a recommendation about this project to the town board, which will take the final vote at its Feb. 18 business meeting.
Tuesday night the planning board members will also consider a request by the town planning staff to recommend approval of several text changes to the Unified Development Ordinance. The new Design Review Board has held several public hearings to review major architectural design, and the board is recommending Section 15.8.5 be changed to allow processing of small recreation facilities to be processed under the minor architectural review process.
The state Department of Environment & Natural Resources has also reviewed the UDO and “identified several sections involving erosion and sediment control, storm water, administration, violations, definitions and design that were in need of revisions/clarification.”
