2022-01-06 Agenda Review
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 6, 2022 PAGE 295
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, January 6, 2022
via in-person and remote at 4:00 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government
Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice-Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.
(remote); Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and Commissioner Rob Zapple.
Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet (remote); County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to
the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell.
Chair Olson-Boseman called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the
meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the January 10, 2022 Regular Meeting with discussions as
noted:
Consent Item 4: Second Reading Adoption of Revisions to County Code. In response to Board questions,
Deputy County Attorney Kemp Burpeau stated that the revision is being done out of an abundance of caution in
response to session law 2021-138 which decriminalizes certain local ordinances to try to make the actions more civil
and allows for other ordinances to be enforced as a misdemeanor or infraction if the county specifies such in an
ordinance. The item must be read twice because it has a criminal provision.
Regular Item 8: Consideration of Board of Education Budget Amendment (#2). Chief Financial Officer Lisa
Wurtzbacher stated that staff from New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) will be at Monday’s meeting to present the
request. In response to Board questions, she confirmed that all three projects will be funded. Two of the projects
are eligible for ESSER funds which will require a subsequent budget amendment being brought forward in the future
for Board consideration.
Regular Item 9: Presentation of Audit Report for Fiscal Year Ended 6/30/2021. Ms. Wurtzbacher stated
that the auditors will be present on Monday to provide the report.
Regular Item 10: Text Amendment Request (TA21-04) - Request by Frank Pasquale with KFJ Development
Group, LLC to Amend Articles 3 and 4 of the Unified Development Ordinance to Establish a New Zoning District,
the Riverfront Urban Mixed-Use Zoning District. Commissioner Zapple stated that he believes there needs to be a
deeper discussion on what the Board wants to see on the west bank of the Cape Fear River and what the future of
the area might look like. He suggested the item be tabled and that the Planning Department be tasked to put
together a work session for the Board to discuss with staff the vision for that area.side of the river.
Commissioner Barfield agreed that further discussion is needed on the matter. In theory he would like to
see some development, but is not sure what environmental impacts will arise, especially when the tide comes in and
around that area. He wants to make sure that the Board is doing the right thing and has enough time to the right
amount of time to take a good look at it. There may be a need to hire aHe also stated that the County may want to
look at hiring an outside engineer or someone that can to assess the entire site and draft a comprehensive report
for of what can be done in the area. He reiterated that his main concern is the tidal nature of the area.
In response to Board questions, County Attorney Copley stated that the Board could vote on Monday to
table the item and it would be up to the Board whether it would like to hear from the applicant. Planning and Land
Use Director Rebekah Roth stated that she will be attending Monday’s meeting. Iif the Board chooses to table the
item, Planning staff could move ahead with developing the framework for a can go ahead and start looking at what
a work session might look like and get formal direction at Monday’s meeting. that point.
Regular Item 11: Rezoning Request (Z21-04M) - Request by RSC Engineering, PLLC, on Behalf of the
Property Owner, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, Inc., to Modify an Existing (CZD) R-10 Zoning District, Containing
Approximately 4.9 Acres of Land, located in the 3200 Block of Reminisce Road, to Add a Proposed Stormwater
Pond. In response to Board questions, Current Planner Ron Meredith stated that the only change from the original
rezoning is the addition of a stormwater pond. The lot sizes will be slightly reduced to make room for it.
STAFF UPDATE - Facilities Assessment by Linda Thompson and Jennifer Rigby.
Chief Strategy Officer Jennifer Rigby presented the following information on the facilities assessment:
2021-2022 New Hanover County (County) Public Facilities Equity Access Review:
The Office of Diversity and Equity and the Office of Strategy have been assessing the County’s
public facilities and programming to ensure that these facilities and programming provide both
accessible and inclusive service to diverse communities throughout the County. Staff has been able
to conduct a high-level analysis of usage at County facilities by reviewing visitor data by zip codes;
however, staff is developing methods to track this data with more detail so staff can continue to
analyze how customers are being served.
Staff examined access to the following facilities and its programs:
Airlie / Parks and Gardens
The Arboretum and NCSU Cooperative Extension Service
Cape Fear Museum
County libraries
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 6, 2022 PAGE 296
Senior Resource Center
Veteran Services
Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Linda Thompson continued the presentation providing an overview of the
following information:
Roundtable discussions:
To hear from residents, the office of Diversity and Equity conducted three virtual roundtable
discussions with representatives from minority groups to discuss access, programming and
services at the County’s public spaces and facilities. Seven to eight individuals attended each
session
Public comments and concerns:
Concerns about the NHC Senior Resource Center’s driveway accessibility due to its shared
access with Hoggard High School
Suggestions for Parks/Gardens-Parks to increase accessibility for individuals with
disabilities:
Universal designs could be developed to enhance accessibility for children in
wheelchairs or walkers
More padded areas could enhance the experience of individuals with mobility
challenges in lieu of wood chips and mulch
Comments and questions regarding how the main library and Cape Fear Museum co-
locating at Project Grace will enhance them
Department directors were a part of these virtual discussions and were able to address
any concerns raised by residents
Staff also reviewed public transportation access, Americans with Disabilities Act Standards (ADA), and
language access at each facility and program:
ADA Compliance: All County public spaces meet ADA standards
Transportation:
The following public spaces are available via public transportation:
The Arboretum and NCSU Cooperative Extension Service
The Cape Fear Museum
All four County libraries are accessible via WAVE Transportation
Senior Resource Center
Veteran Services
Parks: The County provides residents the opportunity to enjoy beautiful parks near their
neighborhoods. Seven county parks are strategically located in residential areas across
the County and three large parks can be accessed by WAVE Transportation.
Areas the County is working to address:
Increase public signage with Spanish translations in parks and facilities
Ensure that County parks are designed to give greater access to individuals with varying
abilities such as using materials that allow wheelchair access to slides and playground
equipment
Ms. Thompson concluded the presentation stating that the Offices of Diversity and Equity and Strategy will
continue to evaluate accessibility at all our public spaces and facilities bi-annually and will keep the Board updated
as enhancements are made.
In response to Board questions, Ms. Thompson stated that the feedback has been received in the form of
suggestions, not complaints.
Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Ms. Rigby and Ms. Thompson for the update.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 4:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kymberleigh G. Crowell
Clerk to the Board
Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.