This week the five candidates for the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners were asked to answer a reader’s question: Slow growth – Yes or No.
After that the longer question is, how would you achieve which course you chose, slow growth or the current rate of growth? Please explain in detail if you can.
Finally, how are you campaigning — do you have a committee, yard signs, plans to purchase ads in The Wake Forest Weekly, and are you and others going door-to-door?
This week the answers appear in reverse alphabetical order. The order will be different next week. For the next two weeks, they will be answering questions posed by the editor, but if you have a question you would like directed at the candidates, please submit it to cwpelosi@aol.com. In the Oct. 28 issue, the article will review election information.
Anne Reeve: Slow growth: No.
First, once there has been approval for a project – you can’t un-approve. Some of the housing developments are getting back on track after the recession. Some developments were virtually abandoned during that time. Now new companies have come in and are finishing those projects. Of course, the residents who purchased in those developments are thrilled to see the projects completed, to regain their property value.
Stopping growth is akin to stopping a freight train. When it is rolling, you can’t just stop it from rolling. In order for us to continue to thrive as a vibrant community, we can’t just close all the doors. If you ever take a ride east of our area, you will find towns that have dried up because there were no plans for Economic Development. Citizens and businesses left those towns with big empty buildings – some are like ghost towns.
Growth is a pain for some and others want more. I saw someone complain that we need another Starbucks because of the inconvenience of having to wait in line. (Of course, we have local coffee shops they should frequent.) As we grow, more services/conveniences are required by the citizens. Thus the continuation of new businesses coming to town to provide those services. Because of our land size, I don’t believe we will ever be the size of Cary — in fact, I remember back in the early 1990s everyone was saying, “we don’t want to be another Cary,” however, along the way we never quite decided what/who we wanted to be when we grew up. Personally, I think we have a fairly good blend of business/residential. However, we do need to continue to encourage new businesses to come to our area. We are currently 80% residential and 20% business. Ideally we should be 70/30. I will continue to support Economic Development.
I am truly blessed to have friends and associates in Wake Forest who support me, by placing signs in their yards and talking to their friends and neighbors. I will be putting out signs this weekend and doing some door-to-door. Again, I am grateful for all of those who are supporting me.
(Readers can reach Reeve at 919-556-6304; e-mail: annereeve68@yahoo.com.)
Brian Pate: I think “Managed Growth” would be what I describe as my plan.
As we grow, we have to balance the timing of the completion of infrastructure with the completion of development. Unfortunately, in many cases we are at the mercy of DOT for many of the road projects.
Many people have told me, “We should have all of the infrastructure in place before any more building is allowed.” If that is done, then the only way to pay for that infrastructure is by raising taxes. Putting the burden of infrastructure on the backs of the taxpayers would mean a significant tax hike and I’m not willing to do that.
The issues of growth and traffic go together and are on top of the minds of residents due to the Forestville and Rogers Road bridges being repaired and the road enhancements that will go along with them. Once those two projects are completed, I think people will appreciate that it was done. At the same time, in a perfect world, those two projects should have been completed five or six years ago, but due to the way DOT decides how it funds projects, they are only now being completed.
Wake County Schools also could have helped by listening to Wake Forest leaders and planners who asked for a second entrance/exit out of the Heritage Elementary/Heritage Middle campus. The planners saw the issue of traffic queues being a problem and requested that adjustments be made to the plan. At the time, the sitting school board was not listening to anyone and the project was bulldozed through. I personally would like to have seen a third lane built on that side of Rogers Road built for traffic queues, but I’m sure that was not considered due to cost.
Meanwhile, in the past month, the town used money for a local project at the intersection of Capital and US1-A (South Main) where two lanes now cross onto Falls of Neuse Road. That has made a significant difference in the traffic backups normally experienced on US1-A. It is still congested as a result of the Forestville Bridge closure, but it will improve significantly once those two projects are completed by the middle of next year. In my opinion, that was money well spent.
In addition, we are on the brink of two traffic lights that have been needed for a while: One at the intersection of the Calvin Jones Highway and Franklin Street and another at Rogers Road and Marshall Farm in Heritage. Both of these have been needed and will help control traffic flow once they are completed.
Anytime major roads have to be worked on, it is going to create some hassle. That is a factor of growth. Because Wake Forest is such a great area, more and more people are moving here.
Ultimately, the community plan should continue to be updated on a regular basis and the plans followed. The people of Wake Forest told us what they wanted when the plan was developed and for the most part it has been followed with few deviations.
In addition, now that the UDO is in place, it at least gives clear standards for anyone looking to develop property here in Wake Forest whether it be residential or commercial.
Although I do not have a formal committee, I do have key advisers that I am speaking with who are letting me know when something needs to be addressed.
We have already put out some signs and have a few more to put out. We are keeping track of where they are so they can be removed the day after the election. My intent is that my signs will not clutter the area after election day.
I have had the opportunity to speak to many Wake Forest residents at a few events in town. I hope to meet many more of my fellow residents over the next couple of weeks leading up to Election Day on November 3rd.
(Readers can reach Pate at 919-669-4575 or www.paterealty.com.)
Greg Harrington:
I am in favor of growth. I know there are some citizens – both new town residents and long time residents who think we need to slow down on the amount of growth Wake Forest is experiencing. Four years ago I ran as a pro-growth candidate and nothing has changed my mind. On the other hand we have residents who enjoy the growth we are seeing and want it to continue. I guess the question is if we had a slow growth attitude over the course of the last 10 years or so, how many of you would live here now? Wake Forest is a great place and will remain a great place regardless of how many folks move in. The town accepted me and my family 22 years ago and I believe other people should have the same privilege we did in moving to Wake Forest. The town has a good cross section of people from all over the country so we must be doing something right. Do we have the right to turn them away now that we are here? I don`t think so.
If I am fortunate enough to be re-elected I will look at each development or business that wishes to build in Wake Forest and make my decision on the facts presented. I will say that the Town Boards in the past have represented Wake Forest well as we have seen good growth over the course of the past number of years. If they had decided not to bring in these homes or businesses there are a lot of people who would not live here now or if you do you may not have a job. It’s because of the growth we enjoy that we don’t have to drive to Raleigh for everything – talking about traffic congestion. Wake Forest still feels like the small town we moved here for because of a vibrant downtown and great parks and greenways. Let’s welcome our new friends and let them know how much we appreciate them moving here.
I decided not to form a campaign committee this election cycle other than having my daughter act as my treasurer. As far as campaign signs go, I have a few left from four years ago I plan on using. I have not gone door to door yet and no decision has been made as far as ads go in the Wake Forest Weekly.
(Readers can reach Harrington at 919-723-7008 or mgregh@nc.rr.com.)
Brian Clemson: Yes, for residential growth
Currently, our ratio of residential to commercial development in Wake Forest is a bit heavy on the residential end as compared to the average municipality. I would focus more on commercial growth at this time to bring Wake Forest more in line with the average. I think we need to prioritize our efforts on attracting business, whether it be small, medium or large businesses.
As I have communicated previously, I believe we should make an effort to bring in some businesses that are aligned with the tech sector. Job growth in that area is strong and projected to stay strong. Having that type of employment in Wake Forest will help bolster the local economy and help position us to meet the demand for goods and services in that area.
I am primarily campaigning through the use of yard signs, social media and my website.
(Readers can reach Clemson at 919-562-8084 or brian.clemson@gmail.com.)
Chad Casale: Slow growth: Yes or No? Absolutely Yes.
Our town currently has around an 80 percent residential and 20 percent commercial mix. We need to stem the tide of residential development, for now, and focus on bringing in more commercial and office space to generate not only local jobs but to help increase the tax base. As a town, we seriously need to look at mixed use development as we continue to grow our downtown area. We need to develop more and more space in close proximity to our future railway station and possible mass transit hub.
Mixed use development is certainly the wave of the future for not only revitalizing a town but also generating more tax revenue per acre than other types of development. A perfect example of this strategy is the redevelopment of downtown Asheville. Asheville realizes an astounding +800 percent greater return on downtown mixed-use development projects on a per acre basis compared to when ground is broken near the city limits for a large single-use development like a Super Walmart. A typical acre of mixed-use downtown Asheville yields $360,000 more in tax revenue to city government than an acre of strip malls or big box stores. We as a town have an opportunity to grow smarter using this strategy.
I am running a 100 percent green campaign. I am really trying to minimize any impact on the environment. You will not see any mailers, posters, newspaper advertisements or lawn signs announcing my campaign. I will not be a contributor to more clutter, litter on our streets and future landfill material. I have a small committee in place and we are continually brainstorming ways to make our town better and stronger for the next generations of Wake Forest residents.
(Readers can reach Casale at 1-516-779-8619 or chad.casale@yahoo.com.)
