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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJULY 9 2020 PB MINUTES1 | Page Minutes of the New Hanover County Planning Board July 9, 2020 A regular meeting of the New Hanover County Planning Board was held on July 9, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the New Hanover County Historic Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Room 301 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Members Present Staff Present Donna Girardot, Chair Ken Vafier, Planning Manager Paul Boney, Vice Chair Brad Schuler, Senior Planner Jeffrey B. Petroff Rebekah Roth, Senior Planner Colin J. Tarrant Gideon Smith, Current Planner Ernest Olds Ron Meredith, Current Planner Thomas ‘Jordy’ Rawl Marty Little, Long Range Planner H. Allen Pope Sheighla Temple, Zoning Compliance Official Sharon Huffman, Deputy County Attorney Chair Donna Girardot called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Planning Manager Ken Vafier led the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Girardot read the procedures for the meeting and welcomed the audience. Approval of Minutes Minutes from the June 4, 2020 Planning Board meeting were presented to the members. No changes or amendments were identified. Vice Chair Paul Boney made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member H. Allen Pope to APPROVE the minutes as drafted. Motion to approve minutes carried 7-0. Minutes from the June 6, 2019 Planning Board meeting were presented to the members. No changes or amendments were identified. Board Member Thomas “Jordy” Rawl made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Ernest Olds to APPROVE the minutes as drafted. Motion to approve minutes carried 7-0. Minutes from the July 11, 2019 Planning Board meeting were presented to the members. No changes or amendments were identified. Board Member Ernest Olds made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Thomas “Jordy” Rawl to APPROVE the minutes as drafted. Motion to approve minutes carried 7-0. NEW BUSINESS 1. Special Use Permit Request (S20-02) - Request by Seacoast Christian Academy on behalf of the property owner, Coastal Community Baptist Church, for a Special Use Permit to operate a child care center within the R-15, Residential District, located at 7721 Alexander Road. Planner Gideon Smith provided information pertaining to location, land classification, access, transportation and zoning. He showed maps, aerials and photographs of the property and surrounding area and gave an overview of the proposed application as referred to in the staff report. 2 | Page Mr. Smith explained Seacoast Christian Academy currently provides limited child care within the existing Coastal Community Baptist Church facility. He stated under County zoning regulations, any child care that takes place within a church for less than four hours is considered an accessory use to that church. He stated Seacoast Christian Academy is seeking this application so they can extend their hours to care for children. He stated they will continue to operate out of the existing Coastal Community Church building and modular classrooms when church services are shifted to a new sanctuary under construction on the site. He stated the applicant is proposing to limit the enrollment capacity of the facility to 120 children. Mr. Smith explained the board must make four conclusions to recommend approval. 1. That the use will not materially endanger public health and safety. 2. That it meets all required conditions and specifications of the zoning ordinance. 3. The use will not substantially injure the value of adjoining or abutting property. 4. The use is in harmony with the area in general conformity of the comprehensive plan. In response to questions from the Board, Mr. Smith stated there is no current connection from the subject property to Bertha Road. He stated the right-of-way adjacent to Yvonne Road shown on the site plan is not associated with the request. He stated there are approximately 110 students currently attending the academy. Chair Girardot opened the public hearing and recognized the applicant. Allison Jordan, Director of Seacoast Christian Academy, gave an overview of the Special Use Permit application and the required criteria. She stated the academy has been in operation in the currently facility for four years and operates on a schedule of less than four hours per day. She stated the capacity won’t drastically increase. They would like to offer a variety of options and longer hours for parents and kids in the area, which would also alleviate traffic on Market Street. Ms. Jordan stated the current enrollment of Seacoast is approximately 108 students, but not all attend classes on the same days, and drop off and dismissal of students is staggered. Ms. Jordan stated Seacoast is going through the process to legally operate a child care facility longer than four hours, will meet all local and state requirements, and will operate within the guidelines set under the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. She stated there will be no physical changes and all activities will take place within the existing facility, the two modular classrooms, and the fenced in playground. She stated Seacoast has received initial approval by Environmental Health. Ms. Jordan stated Seacoast has been a valuable service to the community in its current operation and has not appeared to injure the value of the abutting property. She stated their site will have no physical changes in future operation that will injure the value. She stated the proposed use of the child care facility is intended to provide convenient support services for nearby residents and is in line with community mixed use areas and the types of supportive civic developments allowed for in general residential areas. It provides child care services that can support nearby residential neighborhoods. Ms. Jordan stated in regard to the facility floorplan, the fenced-in playground area for preschoolers is top of the line for a school facility with that age group. The relocation of the church services to the new worship center will provide more room for the academy within the existing structure. Ms. Jordan stated that Seacoast offers fun and engaging classrooms, as well as special events for students. In response to Board questions, Ms. Jordan stated the current program starts at sixteen months old through six years old, when children begin kindergarten. Seacoast will continue to operate within that same age group. She stated in regard to how COVID-19 might change their operation, Seacoast is waiting for the Government of North Carolina to make the announcement of what schools will look like going into the fall. She stated that Seacoast did close in March, along with the other schools in New Hanover County. She explained that Seacoast was able to open up for a summer camp offered two days per week for certain students. She stated they follow all the CDC 3 | Page guidelines, including masks for the staff, etc. Ms. Jordan stated it appears they will be able to facilitate as they are now, but it may look a little different and they’ll follow all the requirements that are set. In regard to competition among nearby child care facilities, Ms. Jordan stated there are two daycare facilities near Seacoast, the Children’s Cottage and Kiddie Academy, that operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. She stated Seacoast is more of a preschool, but they would like to offer longer hours. Ms. Jordan stated Seacoast has a great working relationship with both facilities, particularly the Children’s Cottage. With no speakers in opposition, Chair Girardot inquired if Pastor Hales would like to speak during rebuttal. Pastor Greg Hales of Coastal Community Baptist Church thanked the Board for their service to the County, noting the importance of their work. He stated Coastal Community Baptist Church had been blessed with the facilities and staff like Ms. Jordan, and wanted to be able to share what God has done for them with the community through these families. Chair Girardot closed the public hearing and opened to Board discussion. Board Member H. Allen Pope made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Jeffrey Petroff, to recommend to the Board of Commissioners to APPROVE, as the Board found that this application for a Special Use Permit met the four required conclusions based on the findings of fact included in the Staff Report. Also, that the following condition be added: 1. The child care center shall be limited to a maximum capacity of 120 children. The motion to approve the Special Use Permit carried 7-0. OTHER BUSINESS Items from Staff: 1. Development Code Update (Unified Development Ordinance Project) Senior Long Range Planner Rebekah Roth presented an overview of the draft Unified Development Ordinance amendments that were being released to the Planning Board. These drafts reflected the concepts discussed at the June 4, 2020 Planning Board meeting and would be considered at a public hearing at the August 6, 2020 board meeting. Planner Roth informed board members that the drafts would be available on the planning department website the next day, and the public would be able to provide additional feedback during the public review period prior to the August public hearing. She described the components of the draft amendment, which included:  A simplification of the way the height of structures is measured that would be easier to apply and remain consistent with the North Carolina Building Code;  Increases to the maximum height allowed for multi-family structures in the RMF-MH and RMF-H zoning districts and for nonresidential structures in the O&I and I-1 districts;  Revisions to the Planned Development district that would increase the district’s flexibility and potential appropriateness in both suburban and rural areas of New Hanover County; 4 | Page  Specific exterior lighting standards to clarify intent of current ordinance limitations on light spillover onto adjacent properties;  New design standards regarding bright colors, metal buildings, windows, and boat/recreational vehicle storage for self-storage facilities in high-visibility locations;  Updates to ensure telecommunication facility standards are consistent with current state law,  Updates to the definition of “boat” and “small watercraft” and standards for some accessory small watercraft structures to address safety and parking concerns; and  Clarifications and corrections required to the way information was transferred from the former Zoning Ordinance into the current Unified Development Ordinance format. After discussion, the board directed Planner Roth to provide the exterior lighting draft to Duke Energy Progress for review and to add height limits to boat and recreational vehicle storage accessory to self-storage facilities. 2. Introduction of New Staff Planning Manager Kenneth Vafier introduced new Planning staff members Marty Little, Long Range Planner, and Sheighla Temple, Zoning Compliance Official. With no other business, Chair Donna Girardot adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Please note: that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Planning Board Meeting. .