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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDECEMBER 3 2020 PB MINUTES 1 | P a g e Minutes of the New Hanover County Planning Board December 3, 2020 A regular meeting of the New Hanover County Planning Board was held on December 3, 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 Rebekah Roth, Interim Director of Planning Jeffrey B. Petroff Ken Vafier, Planning Manager Colin J. Tarrant Brad Schuler, Senior Planner Ernest Olds Gideon Smith, Current Planner H. Allen Pope Ron Meredith, Current Planner Thomas “Jordy” Rawl Marty Little, Long Range Planner Dylan McDonnell, Long Range Planner Rachel LaCoe, Workforce Housing Planner Sharon Huffman, Deputy County Attorney Jennifer Rigby, Chief Strategy Officer Members Absent Paul Boney, Vice Chair 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 November 5, 2020 Planning Board meeting and January 10, February 7, and March 7, 2019 Planning Board meetings were presented to the members. No changes or amendments were identified. Board Member Ernest Olds made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Allen Pope to APPROVE the minutes as drafted. Motion to approve minutes carried 6-0 NEW BUSINESS Special Use Permit Request (S20-05) - Request by Design Solutions, on behalf of the property owner, CWEST, LLC, for a Special Use Permit to expand and operate a campground and recreational vehicle (RV) park within the R-15, Residential District, located at 9515 River Road. Planning Manager Ken Vafier 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. Mr. Vafier explained that the applicant was requesting to expand the existing Snows Cut RV Park by adding an additional 28 spaces, a bath house and an additional access point to River Road. The special use permit (SUP) for the first phase of the park was for 44 spaces on 3.5 acres located directly east of the subject site. He explained the park was intended to provide for transient, recreational lodging and campsites would be for readily mobile units as opposed to permanent units. He explained the park was proposed to be served by Aqua Water and community septic systems with individual hookups to the pads, subject to applicable Health Department approvals. Mr. Vafier stated the 2016 Comprehensive Plan had designated the property as a General Residential area, where the intent was to provide opportunities for lower density residential development in support of commercial, civic and recreational services throughout. Staff analysis found the proposal to be consistent with the intent of the plan 2 | P a g e because it would have few impacts on residential neighborhoods and was generally compatible with the residential and recreational development pattern in the area. Mr. Vafier stated that the applicant had agreed to one condition which had been placed on the previous phase of the park, stating that no camping activity or activity of any kind could occur in the required transitional buffer or in the 15-foot access easement along the northern portion of the site. In response to questions from the Board, Mr. Vafier clarified that existing single family housing would be incorporated into the park. He explained the ordinance allowed for multiple principal uses to be located on the same parcel provided that design standards were met. The single family home met required setbacks and would be allowed to remain. Chair Girardot opened the public hearing and recognized the applicant. Ms. Cindee Wolf representing Mr. Curtis Westbrook, the property owner, provided a summary of the history of the existing position of the Snows Cut RV Park and its development status. She concurred with the information Mr. Vafier had presented and provided additional information on the height of the fence proposed to be installed as part of the buffer. Ms. Wolf stated the tract and the general vicinity around it had been used for both permanent mobile home residences and transient camping facilities for many years and was included in the 1988 Sea Breeze Community plan, which highlighted the historic and unique nature of this section of the county. She stated this location made sense for a more recreational use. She noted that the Comprehensive Plan promoted the focus on increasing public access to water and natural resources, and the development of this parcel for expansion of the existing recreational truck/trailer park was an excellent opportunity to address these goals. The proposal would be an expansion of the existing recreational vehicle and travel trailer park, and improvements made for that development had enhanced the safety and aesthetics of the area. She stated the proposed use was consistent with the land use plan and would promote the objectives and goals to keep New Hanover County a vibrant, prosperous and diverse coastal community. In response to questions from the Board, Ms. Wolf, stated that the this was a mobile home park previously and there was credit allotted to the impervious surfaces already in place. Ms. Wolf stated that the proposed septic areas had been defined based on the Health Department requirements. The Board provided positive feedback on the project’s design, which retained many trees, and its density. With no speakers in opposition, and no further information from the applicant, Chair Girardot closed the public hearing and opened to Board discussion. After a brief discussion of the proposed use, its design and its appropriateness in the Snows Cut area, Board Member 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. No camping activity of any kind can occur in any required buffer yard of the 15-foot access easement that runs along the northern property line of the subject site. The motion to approve the rezoning request carried 6-0 Rezoning Request (Z20-22) – Request by Coastal Land Design, PLLC on behalf of property owner, Preservation Point Partners, LLC to rezone approximately 71.36 acres of land located in the 1500 block of Castle Hayne from I-2, Heavy Industrial, to R-15, Residential District. 3 | P a g e Board Member Jeffrey Petroff requested recusal due to a conflict of interest. Board member Thomas Rawl made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Ernest Olds, to recuse Mr. Petroff. Motion to recuse Mr. Petroff carried 5-0. 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. Mr. Smith explained that the developer was seeking a rezoning to incorporate residential land into the existing subdivision stating, according to the applicant, there would be no additional lots added but the developer will be extending the existing adjacent lots into the subject property. Mr. Smith stated the developer placed the subject property into a conservation easement that prevented development within the area and provided information on the proposal’s compatibility with the surrounding area. He stated the Comprehensive Plan classified the site as Conservation, and the proposed rezoning was generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and that additional restrictions were in place that prohibit development and protect the site’s natural environment, water quality and wildlife habitats. Chair Girardot opened the public hearing and recognized the applicant. Mr. Frank Braxton of Coastal Land Design, representing Preservation Point Partners, gave a brief summary of the project, stating that in the first phase of the project they were able to extend lots toward the Cape Fear River from the mainland toward the river but could not extend the lots to the south because the land was currently industrial zoning. Mr. Braxton stated the intention of the rezoning request was to give the lot owner control of their property. In response to questions from the Board, Mr. Braxton clarified that the lots could not be used to for boat docks or for hunting. Hunting was restricted in that area because it was too close to the homes. With no speakers in opposition and no further information from the applicant, Chair Girardot closed the public hearing and opened to Board discussion After describing his support for the project, Board Member Colin Tarrant made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Thomas Rawl, to recommend APPROVAL of the proposed rezoning to an (R-15) Residential district. The Board found it to be CONSISTENT with the purposes and intent of the Comprehensive Plan because it is a more appropriate designation than the existing I-2 zoning. With the conservation easement on record for the property, additional protections are provided for the site’s natural environment, water quality and wildlife habitats which restrict development on the subject site. The Board also found APPROVAL of the rezoning request reasonable and in the public interest because the request removes an industrial zoning designation from land that was environmentally sensitive and offers increased protection to the adjacent residential properties and wetlands. In addition, the boundary of the proposed rezoning is designed to limit additional regulations on the adjacent remaining industrial property. The motion to approve the rezoning request carried 5-0. OTHER BUSINESS Long Range Planning Update - Rebekah Roth, Interim Planning Director; Marty Little, Long Range Planner; Dylan McDonnell, Long Range Planner Rebekah Roth, Interim Director, provided a brief introduction to the presentation which was intended to update the Planning Board on planning projects that didn’t require public hearings but may have a bearing on applications the board was considering. Dylan McDonnell, Long Range Planner, provided a synopsis of the county’s water quality monitoring program and the results from the 2019-2020 annual report which was presented to the commissioners at their November 4 | P a g e meeting. He stated New Hanover County engaged with Coastal Protection Engineering of NC, Inc. to conduct water monitoring in several tidal creeks, and the parameters used for the results of each included physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Mr. McDonnell stated turbidity and Chlorophyll-A, and dissolved oxygen levels had been non-problematic with the exception of Prince George Creek. He indicated that Prince George was naturally a slow moving creek where air does not mix into the water like other faster moving creeks and that lower dissolved oxygen was typical for these kinds of creeks. He stated that they had also started monitoring Airlie Gardens as there had been algae blooms in the lake there in the past. County Parks and Gardens had completed a number of projects to reduce nutrients entering the lake and to improve overall water quality and expected to see this reflected in the data over the next year. Mr. McDonnell stated the county had also monitored enterococci bacteria at the testing sites; historically, samples showed elevated levels of the bacteria in several creeks including Page’s Creek though levels had improved in recent years. He stated in 2008 the county conducted a DNA analysis that determined the bacteria entering Page’s Creek was from a human source. Planning staff worked with Environmental Health and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to research abandoned septic tanks and test for leaks. Staff found there was only one tank that did not to transition sewer in the neighborhood and found no signs of leakage to sewer infrastructure. Mr. McDonnell stated that this winter in coordination with Coastal Protection Engineering and the University of North Carolina Wilmington socio-environmental lab staff would study portions of Page’s Creek to determine differences in temperature between potential sources of contamination and the surrounding area. In response to questions from the Board, Mr. McDonnell showed how some watersheds fell into the city’s jurisdiction and were monitored by their staff as well. He stated the City and County discussed water quality on a quarterly basis through the Watershed Roundtable, a group where everyone who conducted water quality monitoring came together to talk about various partnership opportunities and discussed data and trends. He commented on the DNA analysis testing and the various potential sources of the bacteria. Marty Little, Long Range Planner, provided a brief transportation update on transportation plans and projects that impacted the unincorporated county. He stated the presentation would go over the newly updated Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) as well as the most recently updated State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Mr. Little stated Cape Fear Moving Forward, the region’s MTP, was presented to the Board of Commissioners in September and adopted by the WMPO board this past month. New Hanover County Planning and Land Use staff were heavily involved in planning for the infrastructure in the unincorporated county during the process to create this plan, working with the WMPO staff in the development of this plan by providing data for models, identifying and submitting projects, and serving on the roadway model subcommittee, which analyzed the data and provided recommendations for the development of the roadway projects. He stated they also served on the WMPO’s Technical Coordinating Committee to provide recommendations to the MPO board. Mr. Little gave a brief summary of current projects included in the MTP. He stated projects in MTP were commonly funded by the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Mr. Little gave an overview of MTP projects in the northern portion of the county, which focused on east and west connectivity. He then went over MTP projects in the southern portion, which emphasized north and south mobility. Mr. Little provided current STIP roadway projects, giving information on each. He stated that the STIP also funded projects such as bicycle and pedestrian projects, bridge replacement, and resurfacing of roads. The STIP process occurred every 2 years which meant NCDOT and WMPO staff was constantly working on updating projects for funding. Mr. Little gave a brief overview of the updated STIP as it had changed this year due to COVID-19. He provided updated timelines for New Hanover County projects. He stated this past summer, planning staff submitted 5 bicycle/pedestrian projects in the southern portion of the county in addition to three bicycle/pedestrian projects submitted in the north. He stated that staff would follow the projects though the 2021 scoring cycle and would know around summer of 2022 whether they had been picked up for funding. The planning staff would continue to work with and assist WMPO staff and NCDOT to prioritize county infrastructure projects on a continual basis. 5 | P a g e Complete Communities Strategic Goal Presentation – Rebekah Roth, Interim Planning Director; Jennifer Rigby, Chief Strategy Officer Rebekah Roth, Interim Director stated the county Strategy Office had recently released the first report out of measures associated with the goals of the Board of Commissioners’ 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, one of which was to encourage the development of complete communities in the unincorporated county. She explained that while this goal was aligned with the 2016 Comprehensive Plan, she did want to provide the Board with information on the concept and how it would be referenced in staff reports moving forward. Jennifer Rigby, Chief Strategy Officer, gave a brief overview of the County’s first Strategic Plan adopted in 2012 by the Board of Commissioners. The current strategic plan was presented to the Board of Commissioners and adopted in January of 2018. Ms. Rigby gave a brief overview of the framework of the Strategic Plan and explained that the concept of complete communities was a direct result of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan. She expressed that this was an opportunity to take the work from the Comprehensive Plan that was focused on mixed use development and use all of the assets from other county departments to create the concept of a complete community. Ms. Rigby explained that complete communities had been defined for New Hanover County as places providing a range of housing sizes and price points, employment opportunities, convenience needs, community facilities and support services to provide access and opportunity for all of its citizens. In response to questions from the board, Ms. Rigby stated that the strategic plan was not being updated and would carry through to 2023. Ms. Roth gave a brief overview of how staff had identified the measures used to track progress in achieving more complete communities. Ms. Roth indicated the two measures that were looked at were proximity to basic goods and services and the diversity of housing options that were available across the county. She stated staff had identified community areas to see if there was a fair spatial distribution of some of the different resources, especially the public resources. She noted some of those community area frameworks could change as new development occurred. In response to questions from the board, Ms. Roth clarified that the areas identified were only used as a framework based on where staff anticipated people are going to be traveling to access their convenience needs and was meant to help identify where there were potentially underserved communities or where the county might want to encourage different types of development. Ms. Roth presented that moving forward, if the complete communities concept were relevant to a rezoning request, staff would highlight that as part of the staff report considerations as an alert that the project would assist in the strategic initiative, and the analysis would only be included for particular types of projects to emphasize they were in line with the commissioners’ goals. Ms. Rigby reiterated that the goal was to encourage the development of complete communities in the unincorporated county; to increase the elements of a complete community; and for the county to begin collecting data and understanding existing conditions. The intention was to provide these data snapshots on a yearly basis, which would give information on how best to move forward. Approval of 2021 Meeting Calendar – Rebekah Roth, Interim Planning Director Rebekah Roth presented the draft 2021 meeting schedule. She stated the regular meeting dates had been kept with the exception of July. Chair Donna Girardot stated the July date was moved from the first of July to the eighth because of the holiday. Board Member Ernest Olds made a MOTION, SECONDED by Board Member Colin Tarrant, to adopt the 2021 Meeting Calendar as presented. The motion to approve the rezoning request carried 6-0. 6 | P a g e Chair Donna Girardot adjourned the meeting at 7:32 p.m. Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Planning Board Meeting.