Just when it appeared the plan for 90 townhouses and 300 apartments on Capital Boulevard and Kearney and Wake Union Church roads would be history, it was yanked from the grave Tuesday night when a spokesman asked for time to make “substantial changes in the plan.”
The Wake Forest Planning Board had unanimously rejected the plan at its Feb. 6 meeting and none of the Wake Forest commissioners last night appeared ready to champion the plan. Mayor Vivian Jones told the four commissioners – Commissioner Anne Reeve was ill – the planning department had changed its recommendation because the developer, Rialto, had not agreed to its condition for a turn lane on Kearney Road.
Before a motion of discussion began, attorney Michael Burch, speaking for the developer asked for time to make substantial changes in the plan including open space, the turn lane and the closeness of the townhouses to the large-lot subdivision to the west, St. Ives.
All four commissioners voted to send the plan back to the planning board. Commissioner Brian Pate said he voted for the rework: “I’m happy to do this because he used one word, substantial.” The other options for the town board were to approve it, approve it with changes or reject it, the mayor said.
The board voted unanimously to:
- Approve new wording in the Unified Development Ordinance to restrict electronic sign size and colors.
- Approve a new inspector position for the inspection department needed because of the work load.
- Agreed to borrow up to $2.5 million for the street rehabilitation and resurfacing project.
- Approved a new fee schedule for building inspections, planning services and historic services.
- Approved AquaTech as the manager of the Holding Park Aquatic Center at $138,000 for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The town estimated it would cost it $190,000 for the same management and AquaTech plans to extend the swim season.
- Approved two change orders totaling $180,958 for the audio-visual equipment in the Renaissance Centre’s large hall.
The meeting began with a peaceful riot of Girl Scouts of all ages and their parents trying to leave the meeting after one troop led the Pledge of Allegiance and all crowded together for a group picture after Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon (her daughter one of the scouts) declared Girl Scout Week and praised their work.
Thad Juszczak was the only speaker for the public hearing about the 2018-2019 budget. A planning board member, he spoke as an expert on budgets and his point was that a consideration of the [property] tax rate is missing from the town’s budget process. The town has maintained the same tax rate, 52 cents per $100 valuation with 10 cents set aside for the Wake Forest Fire Department, for several years because of the growth of the tax base, now nearly $5 billion. He noted that one cent on the tax base is $490,000 and said growth and tax cuts can go hand in hand. He also noted that the county-wide property tax revaluation will change most tax values.
One Response
If this development will be on the old Parker-Hannefin property, why is it being considered for housing? When it was being considered for use as a shopping center we were told that there were toxic soil hotspots left from its industrial use days. Have those been removed? Memories of Love Canal (in Niagara Falls, NY, in the 20th century) and the childhood cancers that caused!