The Town of Wake Forest is introducing important changes aimed at increasing citizen awareness of scheduled public hearings.
The first involves a redesign of the Town’s public hearings notice signage which are posted on properties being considered for public hearing – typically a minimum of two weeks prior to the public hearing date. The signs, which were green and white, are now bright yellow, so they are easily recognizable. In addition, the information on the signage has been streamlined and the text enlarged to make it easier to read. The reusable signs also feature sturdier bases making them less likely to tip over.
Moving forward, each public hearing will be assigned a unique ID# which will be clearly visible on the new signage. Anyone with questions about a scheduled public hearing should note the ID# then choose one of the following options to obtain complete information about the upcoming public hearing:
- Visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/PH<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/PH> and scroll through the listed public hearings to locate the ID#. Provided alongside the ID# will be information on the proposed development, the name and contact number of the Town case manager, and a map of the area being considered for the public hearing.
- Call the Planning Department at 919-435-9510. The staff person who answers the call will look up the public hearing information based on the ID# and put the caller in contact with the case manager who can provide additional information.
The second change involves the letters the Town sends to nearby property owners. Wake Forest’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requires the Town to notify adjacent property owners of scheduled public hearings via first-class letter. Starting in January, the first-class letters will be mailed in bright yellow envelopes featuring the Town logo and “Public Hearing Notice” printed on the outside. Similar to the new signage, the new envelopes are intended to stand out and reduce the likelihood of being discarded by mistake.
#
