Walkertown Planning Board Meeting

Walkertown Library

MAY 18, 2004 3:00 P.M.

MINUTES

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Peggy Leight at 3:05 p.m.

Present were: Peggy Leight

Arlyn Wilson

Michael Warren

Larry Marshall

Suzy Gallaway

Bo Houff

Toby Linville

Lynn McKinnie

Absent was: N. H. Vaughn

WELCOME:

Chairperson Leight welcomed everyone to the Planning Board meeting.

ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS:

FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION:

Minutes for April 20, 2004 – Regularly Scheduled Meeting

MOTION: TO APPROVE MINUTES AS PRESENTED

BY: Arlyn Wilson

SECOND: Michael Warren

VOTE: Unanimous (Wilson, Warren, Marshall, Leight)

PUBLIC HEARING

There was no public hearing scheduled but Ms. Leight opened it at 3:07 p.m. and closed it at 3:07 p.m. with no speakers.

OLD BUSINESS

There was no Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS

1. FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION:

UDO CHANGE OF SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS TO ORDINANCES

DISCUSSION:

Ms. Leight said a lot of the Planning Board members were not aware of this action so she asked Mr. Linville to explain this.

Mr. Linville: “The way Walkertown adopted the UDO is like Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Their version, the Planning Board has final authority on subdivision regulations. So what the Town Council has asked if they can have final authority so that they hear, and the public gets another chance to hear pros and cons and to speak.

Discussion centered on the Planning Board, as opposed to the Town Council, being the final authority on decisions relating to subdivision requirements.

Ms. Leight requested that Mr. Linville research commercial sidewalk ordinances in other towns and report back to the Planning Board what he found. Ms. Gallaway said she had already done some preliminary research on that topic and would forward her information to Mr. Linville.

Councilman Horace Warner, who was present in the audience, was asked by Ms. Leight what he thought as councilmember and he responded that the Town Council is an elected body accountable to the people whereas the Planning Board is not. Councilman Warner said the Planning Board is a more professional body whereas the Town Council is more political. He said the Council appreciates the work of the Planning Board very much.

Mr. Linville explained that the City-County staff would help draft the amendments to the UDO to transfer final authority from the Planning Board to the Town Council. Linville also said that the staff would study our approved sidewalk amendment to insure that it was placed in the UDO properly. Linville also noted Council Warner had asked if the sidewalk amendment affected commercial development and it did not, so the council had asked that a commercial sidewalk amendment be addressed.

2. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

BY ADVANCE AUTO PARTS

DISCUSSION:

Suzy Gallaway, of City-County Planning Department, read pertinent information from the Draft Zoning Staff Report (copy attached and made a part of these minutes). Discussion was about the site itself - landscaping, islands, internal sidewalks, and Ms. Wilson questioned the amount of parking to be provided Lowe’s Food Store.

Ms. Gallaway stated that the site plan meets all code requirements and the Staff recommended approval of this plan.

MOTION: TO APPROVE FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN AS PRESENTED BY ADVANCE AUTO PARTS

BY: Michael Warren

SECOND: Larry Marshall

VOTE: Unanimous (Wilson, Warren, Marshall, Leight)

PUBLIC SESSION

Public Session was opened and closed at 3:41 p.m. with no speakers.

Next pre-meeting of the Planning Board will be Thursday, June 14^th at 4:00 p.m. at Town Hall and the regular Planning Board meeting will be on June 15^th at 3:00 p.m. at the Library.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION: TO ADJOURN AT 3:42 P.M.

BY: Arlyn Wilson

SECOND: Larry Marshall

VOTE: Unanimous (Wilson, Warren, Marshall, Leight)

Respectfully submitted by:

________________________________

Lynn McKinnie, Town Clerk