26 Feb Feburary 26th, 2018 Minutes
THE FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIXTH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN
VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE
February 26, 2018 – 7:00 PM
Present: Mayor Tichy, Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe, Alderman Andrews, Alderman Crouse, Alderman Isley, and Clerk York.
Ron gave the invocation.
Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe made a motion to approve the January 22, 2018 minutes, seconded by Alderman Andrews. Motion carries 4-0
Alderman Crouse made a motion to go into a public hearing, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe. Motion carries 4-0
Public Hearing – Application to Rezone Parcel ID 170388 (Rob Shepard Drive)
Clerk York stated that the rezoning is for the property at the very back of Rob Shepard Dr. The smaller piece of property is zoned mixed use, which is how all of Rob Shepard is zoned. The larger piece of property is zoned RA, and has now been annexed into the village. Mr. McCandless would like the smaller property zoned RA as well. When the acreage on Rob Shepard was subdivided, the Board put a condition on it that stated that nothing could be built on it unless a turn around was constructed to meet Village standards. In order to be in compliance Mr. McCandless is allowing for a turn around to be built on a portion of his lot.
A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe to go out of Public Hearing, seconded by Alderman Andrews.
Approval of Application to Rezone Parcel ID 170388 (Rob Shepard Drive)
Alderman Andrews made a motion to approve the Application to Rezone Parcel ID 170388, seconded by Alderman Crouse. Motion passed 4-0
Recombination Plat of the McCandless Property. Parcel ID 170388 and 112325
Mr. Reich stated there was a stipulation to be added to the approval of the recombination. The stipulation is that the developer of Mr. McCandless property needs to submit plans for approval by the Village Engineer for the road way extension. The extension must be constructed in accordance with the Village and NC DOT standards, or post surety in cash or bonds to construct improvements in accordance with the Village standards. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe to accept the recombination, along with the stipulations, seconded by Alderman Isley. Motion carries 4-0
OLD BUSINESS
Village Website
Clerk York stated the RFP’s for the website and the solid waste had been released and an ad had also been placed in the paper. The date for response is March 23rd.
Engineer Report
Mr. Reich reported that the sidewalk project was moving forward. Mr. Koonts and Mr. Reich are trying to draft a form in which the property owners would give an easement to construct the improvements. The town will be responsible for maintaining the new sidewalks. Mr. Reich has spoken with the contractor for the paving project and he has stated that the paving should begin, tentatively, in late April or early May. The weather plays a large factor in the scheduling of it.
Mr. Reich addressed the impact fee changes, which is currently $500.00 for water and for sewer. In order to continue charging the fee, the Village must participate in a study or lose the right to charge the fee. Mr. Reich suggested the Village participate in the study, which will give an analysis of the justification for the fees, mathematically. There will need to be public hearings and posted information on the study. There would also be a 45 day public commentary period. At the end of the process the study results would adopted by the Village.
Mr. Reich suggested beginning the process at the next board meeting in March, which would give two months for public comments if collected in May and respond to them. A public hearing could be set for June at the May meeting. The charges would then go into effect at the June meeting. The cost for the study and analysis may be approx. $5,000.00 The fees only apply to new construction. The Board agreed to proceed with the study.
Food Trucks and Restaurants as a Special Use
Clerk York stated there were some revisions to the Food Truck Ordinance. The phrase ‘push carts’ has been removed. The second sentence under the permit required section has been updated to say that a permit will not be required for food trucks operating less than two days at a time. The tenth provision under operating food trucks, stating the owner must be present at all times, was removed. The distance of operating a food truck within 500 feet of restaurants, housing or schools was set.
Alderman Isley asked Clerk York if the $1.00 fee was enough to cover any cost that would need to be done to set up a food truck and was it in line with the fee Burlington Charged. Clerk York responded that Burlington may charge a higher fee, but the $1.00 fee was not intended to be for revenue. Clerk York stated it would the decision of the Board to make the fee higher. The Board would like to change the fee to $15.00. A motion was made by Alderman Isley, seconded by Alderman Andrews for a public zoning hearing to be set to amend the zoning ordinance. Motion passed 4-0
ORC Report
Mr. Allred reported that the Pond and Birch stations were running well. The NC 62 pump station had a pump trip out, but has been fixed and is running well. The Distribution system is working well. Beginning March the 5th, Burlington will begin to flush the system and that will run until may 7th.
NEW BUSINESS
Amending the Zoning Ordinance Regarding Accessory Buildings
Clerk York stated that a plan was submitted for building a guest house before the main house was built on a lot in Hidden Creek. When it was explained to the builder that another permit could not be obtained to build the main structure if the smaller house was built first, the builder resubmitted plans for a very similar structure, calling it an accessory building instead of a guest house. The main difference was that a bathroom had been removed. Clerk York wanted to make the language clearer in the zoning amendment in order to avoid similar conflicts in the future. The proposed amendment is to specifically state that an accessory structure can only be built after the principle structure is built.
Clerk York stated that he had already spoken with the planning board and a meeting is set for next month to amend the ordinance. Motion made to put amendment on the public planning board meeting next month made by Alderman Andrews, seconded by Alderman Isley. Motion carries 4-0
Montessori School
Clerk York stated that the Montessori School was looking at building a new school on Pond Road. The property is zoned RA and Schools are allowed in that zoning. There are two sections of property that the school will be built on. It had been mentioned that subdividing the property was a possibility but it appears that will not be necessary.
A civil engineer is working on sewer and water needs. A preliminary site plan has been done. The building schematics have been done and construction drawings are in the works. The survey work and phase one environmental have been completed. The School is applying for a USDA loan to finance the project, which requires a lengthy environmental process, that they hope to have completed in March. They hope to have a ground breaking on the property in April. The School has asked if the Village would be willing to endorse their building project to the USDA. This essentially means that the Village agrees that building the school is line with their community development.
The school will be located in the Village of Alamance ETJ zone, not within the Village limits. Attorney Koonts advised that it may be better to wait until the school has submitted a building plan before they endorse it. The endorsement has nothing to do with the zoning ordinance. Alderman Isley stated that it appears the endorsement helps the school get the funding. The Board agreed to the endorsement.
Finance Report
Clerk York asked if there were any questions regarding the finance report. It states that there is a balance of $2.45 million in cash on hand. There is a cash reserve for projects and $110,000 in a CD.
OTHER BUSINESS
Alderman Crouse stated that are some depressions in the road along Hwy 62 that DOT should be informed of before they get worse.
Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe asked about the progress on the clean up projects. Mayor Tichy stated that Senecal had completed their clean up. Clerk York stated that Mr. Haney had not made much progress in his clean up. A letter will be sent to him.
Public Comment
Someone asked if the street sign for Alamance Baptist Loop could be replaced. Clerk York stated that he has the sign and it will be put up soon.
Motion to Adjourn made by Alderman Crouse, seconded by Alderman Andrews. Motion passed 6-0
Don Tichy, Mayor