Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

First order of business would be the adoption of the agenda.

I have a first. Do I have a second?

Second. All in favor? Aye. All opposed, same sign. All right. Adoption, good. Next order of business would be the approval of the minutes. I'm going to make a motion to approve the minutes. Second. Second. We have a motion to approve. All in favor? Aye. All opposed? All right. Motion carries. Do we have any public comment over there?

Yes, sir. We have one sign up. Ms. Rita Mongarden. Yes, ma'am.

Good afternoon. How are you guys? Good, good. I'm here for a couple of reasons. The first is for my own edification, I really want to kind of understand what you guys are doing. I know it's difficult. I know it's challenging. And I just want to know more information for myself so that I know as a resident what's going on. And the second thing is that I'd like for you to consider a proposal that I spoke to Well, I sent memos to the council. And I spoke to Andy Peel. And he suggested that I come to you guys and talk to you about it. So I went through the budget line by line. And I was concerned, of course, about the expenses. But I was also concerned about the revenues that are being untapped. So one of the things that I believe that we are not tapping is short-term rental taxes for accommodations. And what I know is that there are folks in town, on my block, everywhere that are renting their properties and filling out the tax requirement sheets or the Application and so therefore are not in compliance with the state statute or the town So it's the town's responsibility. So this is for my research with Pender County and Oslo. It's the town's responsibility to enforce the short-term rental tax and then pass that information on to Pender County. Now, I understand that there's a lot of variables that you have to look at, including how do we monitor that, Do we have to hire somebody to do that? But it's my understanding that the code enforcer would be the appropriate person to perhaps do that. Just walking down my street the other day, there's just a lot of folks who rent. And I talked to them, and they said, no, we don't report because it's a lot of taxes. And so they don't want to report. So for instance, if you are renting your house for $3,000 a week, that would be $180 a week. And if you did 13 weeks of that, it would be $2,340. But that's just an example of one household. So if you think about if you have 50 households, which I think is a low number, or if you have 100 households who are not paying the tax, again, I think that we are not doing our due diligence in thinking about people who should be paying these taxes. So I'd just like to propose that and hear your thoughts. Thanks.

Thank you for your time. Appreciate that. Excuse me? I said thank you for your time. Appreciate that.

You're welcome. Thank you.

if the chairman doesn't mind i i'll address and that's i was going to refer to you as what kind of recommendations you would give miss bomgarten for um pursuing that or how the best to go about

In regard to the first question, the planning board is charged under state statutes under 160D to review and recommend major site plans, rezonings, and in some cases, updates to the town's comprehensive land use plans or other plans. They consider site plans presented by staff that have been reviewed by the town's Technical Review Committee, State North Carolina Department of Transportation, and State Department of Environmental Quality. That is their primary task is in reviewing and recommending plans. Secondary primary is overseeing the comprehensive land use plan and reviewing rezonings and recommendations for new land use decisions. So that's just administrative items that they do not handle any quasi judicial items. Those are items that are semi legal variances appeals. Those are handled by the Board of Adjustment and special use permits are held and reviewed solely by the town council. In regard to short-term rental, it is something that staff has discussed. It is a task, and it's not that we are looking and talking to a lot of our sister communities, coastal communities. How do they track it? Because currently our town ordinance allows short-term rentals where residential uses are allowed as an outright use. It doesn't have specific standards, so there's not a trigger point of – Code enforcement to find a site and say, ooh, that's a rental because, you know, either it's not signed correctly or it's not – they don't have parking or what have you. There's no additional standards. But when communicated to staff, we do say, hey, it's a by-right use. Please take care of your accommodation taxes. And those we do follow up with when we're contacted. But we've been approached by consultants and companies that love to do the contracting, but then there's that kind of that wash of do you pay a contractor to then cut into the fee and the collections. So I'll talk to the town manager and get you a more formal response on TATIC and whatnot and talk. I don't want to brush it off. Believe me, it's something that I've looked at since I've been here with the town for just over a year. I really do think that that's an untapped resource. I agree. I agree. You know, it's easier with rentals that use the popular management companies like VRBO, Airbnb, or any other organization because they hold them accountable. But, yeah, the owners who just rent out on their own, those tend to be the tougher ones to go after from a code enforcement. We have a small staff, and it's a tracking difficulty. I think you're right. Yeah. I don't disagree I appreciate you bringing it up.

Thank you Mister thanks for thanks for the public comment on all right on to item I guess from the first one is the major site plan for sugar Creek turn that over you Jeremy.

Agenda item a is a major site plan for sugar Creek. It is a multi I want to say multi-use because there's no residential, but it is a multi-use complex for commercial, specifically restaurant and retail. Before you on the screen in your agenda packet is the location. located directly on NC 50 at 13884. Many of you have probably seen this site in your daily travels where there's recently, in the last several months, many, many mobile homes removed from the site in minimal site grading. There was some utility work done through a town contractor, but it is now a vacant lot. We've got some coming soon signs there any time. A development submits plans and proposes once it's in the hopper, so to speak, the ordinance allows them to put up, you know, coming soon under construction and signs on the properties. It is currently made up of three properties totaling 4.1 acres. The major site plan, if it goes forward, these properties would have to be recombined prior to certificate of occupancy. Zoning of the property is C3, as is properties to the north and south. Directly across 50 is a plain unit development, which is Triton Village Townhomes, and then a combination of office and retail on the front side of that project property. And then there is the Triton Village Shopping Center along Charlie Medlin, the BATS storage in RV, boat and RV storage, to the south of the plane in development right village and then furthers high tides and good vibes. And then of course there is water side single family residential so in the multi family. To the west of this project. The proposed major site plan and this is a correction to your agenda is actually 39,000. Let's see or It is two buildings. One building is 33,800 square feet. That is a two-story building and then a one-story building of 5,500. Before you on the screen is the site plan. This is an updated site plan than the one found in your agenda packet. This updated site plan incorporates the required traffic impact improvements, which I will go over in just a little bit. Again, this is a total of just under 40,000 square feet complex, a combination of retail and restaurant spaces. They are required by ordinance 193 parking spaces based on the formulary conducted of the combination of uses. They are proposing 213 parking spaces, all of which will be pervious construction to keep them under the 50% impervious restriction of lot coverage. Stormwater for this project is going to be an underground system under the parking lot area. And once site plan is approved, they'll continue working with the North Carolina Department of NCDAQ for state stormwater permitting. project was required twenty bicycle spaces those have been proposed. In terms of landscape buffering, they're required to type B buffers along the rear of the property adjacent to the water side that has been identified along with a fence. So they've gone above and beyond on that type B buffer. They have a compressed type B buffer along the existing mobile home park to the north. And I'll back up to the aerial. There's an existing tree line there. In addition, they're putting the full type B buffer in that, but it is a smaller area. Because at some point that mobile home part will redevelop just like these properties. They are providing a cross connection. They are not constructing that cross connection, but they are providing an easement and will provide a financial guarantee to make sure that is installed in the future if and when. the mobile home park redevelops. But we will have a guarantee that happens. If not, the easement will be in place. If the town were to return that money, the easement will be in place for redevelopment and the new developer on that side would make that connection internally. At this time, staff were using the ordinance, did not require a cross connection adjacent to the car wash and storage lot to the south. There is a topography issue and it is an existing development so requiring a cross connection to be built and constructed there would provide nothing. If and when we may renegotiate and say provide the easement that way if it were to ever redeveloped there would be a cross connection but in that case it may impact this site either through loading spaces or parking depending on what they do. By ordinance, as the administrator and through TRC can waive that requirement based on topography issues or existing development patterns. And so at this time, we do not require a cross-connect there. This project did require a traffic impact analysis for 2 reasons one it is located in the state transportation improvement project are 5900. And it meets our threshold for traffic impact analysis which is a 100 AM or a 100 PM peak traffic hours. Do you have to handle the coordinating the scoping a review of this traffic impact analysis. And as approved the T I with the number improvements. including both their full accesses will have turned lanes installed as you can see on this the site plan before you. They've done some revisions to this plan like I said the first is the ones in your brought in your packet. They also have to do some restriping of NC 50 and that all corresponds to a requirement to install a traffic light there adjacent to the Charlie Medlin intersection. That traffic light is coming with this project or without it. It's already been identified on the R5900 Transportation Improvement Project. So they're going to continue to coordinate with NCDOT. It's a timing mechanism at this point of the construction of this site when that comes in, but it's coming one way or the other. Currently with the TIA, they've put the requirement on the developer here, but they are working with DOT on some recapture of any, you know, a repayment of the improvement or whatnot. But that is a negotiation between them and NCDOT. Not too unfamiliar with a similar project that the board just approved last month with the Dandelion Retail on NC210.

It'll line up with Charlie Matlin.

Well, it won't line up perfectly because they have tried to negotiate a shared easement with the BATS property, the mobile home part, before and been unsuccessful. But this current alignment meets NCDOT's requirements of an offset. It is a positive offset, meaning that when you turn, if you were to have two vehicles turn at the same time, they wouldn't hit each other. So it meets their requirements and is designed as such. Also provided in your, and I'm thinking I must have deleted them, but they are in your packet, the full elevations for the project. There we go. It wasn't showing up. This project is, I didn't cover it before, is submitted by Sugar Creek MC LLC, care of Mr. Matt Canada, the engineers, McKim and Creed. Mr. Canada, would it be appropriate to compare this to Oyster Landing? If you're familiar with the Oyster Landing development in Hampstead area, this would be a very similar development in terms of its architecture and design. Is the front elevation going to look similar to that?

Yes.

Then that definitely, there's no doubt that means a coastal design, coastal vibe to it. We've already preliminary looked at these elevations, and they actually exceed our design standards. the site overalls incorporated our site design requirements per the zoning ordinance in terms of interconnectivity um foundation plantings around the smaller building and then your large sidewalks across the front and then a vestibule in between with the stairwell and then i will say that the developer has been very accommodating in TRC's request and requirements. There was a neighborhood meeting held on March 5th. We did have a number of folks attend that meeting, and that meeting is put on by the developer. Staff attended. There was some light discussion on maybe making a pedestrian connection to the Waterside development, but the folks who were in attendance did not want that. In fact, they wanted more screening. in the time since this project has been presented I've had a number of questions from that community to make sure that they were going to do the buffering and they were concerned about the fence around the town's lift station there the utilities there and that fence will remain intact so we tried to make some pedestrian connections but hey it's it's I don't think it's in the purview but it could happen at some point in the future you know But with that said this project has been reviewed by the TRC and the TRC is recommended approval. This is a by right project is not a conditional reason this is completely administrative and would have any entertaining questions the board may have this Canada and his representatives but the contractor and the engineers for the project are here can have the answer any questions the board may have.

got an easy one just out of curiosity being on the bike committee or the bike parking spots. Is that a bike rack? Or is there like a little area for what's your plan on that?

These will be the full size bike racks. In fact, they redesigned the site. When you come in on that primary drive, there'll be bike rights right on that large island. See, I keep losing my cursor. Right there. And then there is some facilities around the building. But yeah, these will be the 5 to 10 placeholder bike rack. There's a detail in the plan set to show you what that bike rack will look like. I'll make a motion we approve it. second that first and a second all in favor aye all opposed all right motion carries thank you and this will go to the July 7th Town Council it does not require advertising or adjacent notices we will update the site plan to a match the one that incorporates the TIA improvements and correct the square footage comment on there to the correct square footage and again this will be in front of the City Council in their July 7th meeting nice-looking building very nice I guess the next order business is the economic resiliency quarter corridor implementation Thank you Mister chairman agenda item be. Most of you said Mister moxie were part of the board. When we created the job growth corridors last year working on an update to our comprehensively news plan. Since that time, staff has presented to the town council and received some positive feedback of things that they would like to see adjusted. And since that time, too, we've also adopted a new strategic plan, updated, and looking to actually reclassify it. Not call it a job growth corridor, but more as an economic resiliency corridor. where the policies that would be incorporated into the land use plan would support a variety of, not necessarily all high employment uses, but a variety of businesses, very light industrial, clean tech, What have you that could encourage work where you live. You know to provide that resiliency in the diversity in the gun in so sees a common cop economy that we're not completely rely on the island, the job growth corridors did the same thing but there was a I'd also built into that proposal or staff bill in that proposal a lot of references to workforce housing. Council wasn't a, I would just say that wasn't, we're not a fan of that aspect of it. And I understand, um, you know, if you, if you're going to live where you're working, there's, you know, workforce housing isn't necessary, you know? Um, so we provide this to be more consistent with the strategic plan, updated the policies proposed, um, to deal with environmental stewardship, your own employment locally, Infrastructure of his efficiency. That's you know, you're looking at sites in the corridor that are already set up to accommodate new businesses. One of the concerns came up to is if you recall the corridors are all of NC U. S. 17 uh starting and then the corridor from cape fear community college north to 17 and then from nc 50 to 210 to the alza county line there was some concern and some comments made that that enters that corridor between nc 210 and 50 may not be appropriate for this type of growth policies and whatnot because it's just developing a little different than what we'll see on us-17 I did not include a revised map. And I'm not asking for any recommendations on this. We'll have this back in front of the board again with some more cleanup and a revised map. But do not be surprised if we remove that portion of it off. I think we're going to see a lot of development that kind of matches these, but you're not going to see those high employers in that corridor from NC210 to the Holly River County line. area does provide quite a bit of regional connectivity to also County Holly Ridge but not as much as highway 17 does and we're going to see that more as the Hampstead bypass comes to fruition even with the recent developments they've done on the new leg of the bypass I think we've already seen an influx of movement through the area and we're going to continue to see that But with that said, I just wanted to get this in front of the board so you have it to start looking at. Implementation of it into the land use plan will match the job growth corridor information. It is just now more. garnered and set up to deal with more economic resiliency in terms of adding a variety to employ the base in town. Again it to look at Sir city as a better in community to Wilmington Jacksonville and beyond is not necessarily a negative. But the town should have that ability to thrive on its own and not just be relying on the island. With that said, I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have on that direction. We'll have some more clarity on that next month, along with an updated corridor map and how it would look once it's incorporated into the lane use plan. I do believe Mr. Mosse got to see some of this when he was on the economic steering committee, the ad hoc committee that the manager coordinated with. So he was aware of the job growth stuff before his time with the planning board.

So along with this job growth, the resiliency corridor, are we working with DOT or projects that will help the traffic?

So if DOT had a project they wanted to propose in this area, they would reach out to you and say, do you have a plan that would support what we're doing here? So we would look at these policies and say, yes, we've got policies right here, here, and here. But these policies would be implemented in the case where you may have a property that is the future lane uses identified as mainland residential. But their use is a big box target or something on 17 will these we already have some of those policies but these would be more policies in favor of going against the future lane use which is perfectly legal if you have the policies to support it. um per the strategic plan staff is just proposing to incorporate more policies to give both this board as a recommending body and the town council those opportunities to point out policies that may and sometimes be contrary to that future land use map the future land use map is is a it's a steering document but it's always not always going to capture what It's not as reactive as real-time planning is, so you may have something, like I said, that's identified as future residential, but we may have a development that would still be in harmony, but it's not residential. And so we want those policies in place that, you know, it can be supported.

Any further questions for Jeremy on the economic resiliency?

Move on to the next one updates and reports we provided in your agenda our full development plan tracking This spreadsheet is also on the town's website on the community development page and it also corresponds to a future development tracking map that staff is working on where it'll be a GIS map and you'll have points and clicks on a map that you've been to click and get information and it'll link specifically if the project has been submitted our PR planning portal you'll be able to click and get that information on who the developer is what the development is and even the approved plan sets you know we get that all the time from interested citizens hey what's building here our council you know on staff level approvals they may not always know what's been approved but this just gives that extra step for the public as a direct interface And we're not large enough and we don't have that sure amount that the county has going on that is easily maintained at a small staff level. So that's coming, but it'll be reflective of this development tracking sheet that you have in your agenda. And that's all I have. Actually, I do. This will be Mr. Wheatley's last meeting. I can't thank him enough in my first year of working with him. And I really appreciate the opportunity. And thank you for your service. Thank you.

Let's move it on to bigger and better things. Excellent. Do we have a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. Do I have a second?

Second. Second.

All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed?

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.