Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay, let's get it going.

Bring the meeting to order of this Wilmington pre-agenda. I'm going to do a roll call. Mayor Pro Tem, are you here?

Here.

Councilmember Joyner, are you here? I'm here. Councilmember Andrews, are you here? Councilmember Lala, are you here?

Here.

Councilmember Santaguida, are you here?

Here.

Councilmember Clinton-Quintana, are you here?

I am.

Okay, the chair's here. Everybody's here and accounted for. We have a proclamation celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Consent agenda C1 is a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into a three-year contract renewal to manage operations of the Earl Jackson Pool at the Northside Park, and that's in Seaswim. We have C2 as a resolution to adjust accounts receivable for uncollectible accounts. C3 is a resolution authorizing the manager to execute a contract amendment with Croker Incorporated. for janitorial supplies at the city-owned properties. C4 is a resolution authorizing the manager to enter into an agreement with Sound Thinking Incorporated for the continued lease of the ShotSpotter system for the year 2027. C5 is a resolution authorizing the manager to enter into an agreement with Central Square Technologies LLC for the continued maintenance and support of the WPD's electronic record management system. C-6 is a resolution authorizing the renewal of interlocal agreement between the Wilmington Housing Authority and the City of Wilmington to assign three Wilmington police officers to Wilmington Housing Authority property. C-7 is a resolution authorizing the manager to enter into a three-year contract with Atlantic Tactical Incorporated for the purchase of Wilmington Police Department leather gear. C-8 is a resolution authorizing the renewal of interlocal agreement with New Hanover County for the operations of the forensic lab. C-9 is a resolution authorizing the manager to enter into a new lease on the seventh floor of the Skyline Center with HDR Engineering Incorporated of the Carolinas. C10 is a resolution officially accepting certain drainage easements within the South Oleander and Oleander Estates subdivisions. C11 is a resolution authorizing the city attorney to amend a deed, a property located at 709 Dawson Street to remove a restriction related to the use of the property. And then C-12 was a resolution adopting comments on the proposed programmatic agreement between the multiple state and federal agencies and the North Carolina Historic Preservation Officer regarding the Wilmington Harbor Improvement Study. C-13 is a resolution supporting a Cape Fear Public Transit Authority application to the Federal Transit Administration for a transit-oriented development planning grant. C-14 is a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into a one-year professional services agreement with Wilmington Health to continue to serve as the city's occupational health provider. C15 is a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for a 2025 assistance to firefighters grant in the amount of $2 million with a $200,000 local match and a $624,890 in additional city funding. C-16 is a resolution declaring certain personal property surplus and authorizing the donation to Columbus County. C-17 is a resolution authorizing city manager to execute a contract amendment in the amount of $86,850 with SA Architects, PA of Raleigh, North Carolina for the parks operation facility design contract. And then C18 is the approval of the minutes for the regular council meetings of June 2nd, 2026. And then public information, then we have public hearings. PH1 is an ordinance adopting the Greater Downtown Plan as an amendment to the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan. PH2 is an ordinance amending the Land Development Code Chapter 18 related to various administrative provisions, floodplain requirements, and dimensional requirements. And then ordinances and resolutions, 01A is the ordinance making appropriations of the general fund grant projects, financial plans, enterprise fund, debit service fund, special tax district, and convention center for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. Then 01B is an ordinance making appropriations of the capital projects funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. Then 01c is the ordinance amending various chapters of the City of Wilmington fee schedule for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. 02 is an ordinance to amend Wilmington City Code Chapter 12, Article 3, Section 12-28, Domestic Animal Waste. And then 03 is an ordinance to amend various funds to comply with accounting requirements of GASB statements number 87 regarding leases and number 96 regarding subscription-based information technology agreements. Then R1A is a resolution adding $58,243 in American Rescue Act plan funds to the Wilmington and Beecher Convention and Visitors Bureau project contract. And then R1B is a resolution adding $18,639 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the 10th and Gray Streets Intersection Improvement Project. And R1C is an ordinance making supplemental appropriations in the amount of $76,882 to allow for reallocation of funding with American Rescue Plan Act projects. And then R2A is a resolution accepting certain public streets and storm drainage facilities within the River Lights development. R2B is an ordinance establishing a speed limit of 25 miles per hour on various streets in the River Lights development. And then I think the last thing is our reports, reports of council's appointments committee for boards, commissions, and committees. And I believe Ms. Andrews, you'll be given that report. And that is all on this agenda. Are there any items to be brought forward by our city attorney or any council member?

I had a question for C6.

Yes, sir. C6, please.

So I'm looking at the cover letter and it's three officers for WHA property. How many properties does WHA currently have?

That's a good question.

I think there's a- We'll have to find that out, Mayor Pro Tem.

Mayor Pro Tem, are you talking about how many developments do they have or how many total units do they currently have?

Yeah, how many developments they have.

How many developments? Okay. Good question.

I just put it out there. Three, three, I was thinking like three officers per property, but three officers, um, just in general, just kind of bathroom.

Sure.

Okay. But I'll look to get that information later. That's all.

Okay.

Ms. Andrews. I had a question about C4. C4. Shot spotter. So, um, Could we get a little update on what the results are of this program? Because we're talking about a $426,000 annual contract and we've been picking things to death for six months now. And I just wanted to know if we could get an update on the FY26 results.

May I ask Council Member Andrews, what type of information you're looking for? Is it number of activations?

Yeah, so how many alerts were generated? How many were ultimately confirmed as gunfire? What would the WPD have missed without it? And what investigative value did it provide? Is there a trend, etc.?

Sure, we'll be happy to gather that.

Thank you.

Maggie, before Council, to let ShotSpot or something... No, I agree with that.

I'd like to hear it as much for finding out what the results were and what kind of benefits we're getting out of it.

Right. You put that in the context that we've been looking at money and things that we can take off the table. You definitely don't want to take something off.

No, no, no. No, absolutely not. I want to let the public know that it's a good investment.

Okay, thank you. I have a question about C-11. Yes, sir. So I'm looking at the deed signed in 2008, so it predates my service on council, and the provision that I'm interested in is on page two. The grantee shall use the property for rental to persons of low and moderate incomes to be used as such person's principal resident. The terms person of low or moderate incomes shall have the meaning as set forth in chapter 157 of the general statutes. And I think that this is on here because we had somebody who came and spoke to us. My first question is, was the only point of contact that we've had with this group so far through the public comment section? And then my second, if the answer to that question is yes, I guess my second question is more for council generally to say, so this was conveyed to a nonprofit which was using it essentially as transitional housing. They are required to do that by a covenant that has been in place since 2008. And are we prepared to say, we no longer expect you to abide by that covenant. You can actually, my understanding is sell the parcel to the current tenant.

Yes, sir. Going back to your first question, Rachel, you can go ahead and come on up, too. There was contact with this group and with the owner prior to her coming to City Council. The advice that my office and Rachel's office provided to her and to this group was that if they wanted to have us direct that piece to be removed from the deed, that they would need to come to Council and speak during the public comment section and get some direction from council to see if that was something they wanted us to bring forward because we couldn't do that on our own. But yes, you are correct that the group that bought it, it was conveyed. There was no term written on, a lot of times nowadays we put like a 15 year affordable term on it. And there was no term though put on this one at the time. It has been well past 15 years that they've been doing it. So if we did this deed today, they would probably be able to do this by now anyway. But this same lady, Miss Davis, is the one that has been using it for low income housing for a good bit of time. And she's the one, she wants to be able to buy it for herself. And Rachel, if you want to fill in some of those details.

Yes. And so this is actually going to be purchased using our home ownership program. And so we will add additional five year deed restrictions on it, which is how we do it with this program. And so with the down payment assistance and hot program is how she's going to be able to actually purchase the home. And so we will have additional deed restrictions, but it will be limited to just the next five years.

I mean, it's one piece of property. I don't have terribly strong opinions about it, but I do want us to acknowledge that this is a reserved unit for low or moderate income rental, and we're saying you don't have to rent it out anymore. You can sell it. I just didn't want us to move forward without acknowledging that, because this did kind of move quickly. It happened in a public comment and got put on a consent agenda.

They were in the process of doing the sale transaction when this came up with the title search of the deed restrictions. And so that's why it's moved a little bit quickly because they're in the closing. They've done some of the inspection, the appraisal reports, all of the things that sort of have that ticking time clock. That's why it was moved so quickly.

Thank you. And is the house being sold at market rate or a lower rate for this person?

It'll be a lower rate. And then to Mayor Pro Tem, to answer your question, there's 16 communities with Wilmington Housing Authority.

Thank you. Thank you.

Becky, is there any way that we can get an update on this bill that's moving through the state legislature in respect? I think it was a House bill in respect to the unsheltered, which looks like it's an unfunded mandate that is going to be put upon cities. Can we find out where, and I think it moved over from the House over into the Senate. It's a pretty significant bill that affects all municipalities around the state. I'd like to first of all find out if the county has, are they gonna be part of this process also? Are they also being grouped with us? Or is it just, is this very city-centric? I have an issue with it because most of the homeless providers are within the city of Wilmington. This bill looks like it's making us corral human beings and putting them in some sort of almost like an encampment, which creates a whole other issue for the surrounding areas that will be impacted by this. I'm talking to other mayors from around the state and even the country in respect to this. This is a serious issue. I don't think anybody's really thinking it through or has even called us or talked to us about it. I don't even know if they've talked to any of the nonprofits, but also putting the nonprofits in a very serious situation where they're going to hold them accountable for a lot of issues that are transpiring outside of their facilities. Do we know where this is right now?

Kara Spencer has been working on it at her level and doing a lot of that behind-the-scenes work there. We have been communicating with some of the providers, also with the continuum of care, to have an understanding even of the scope of whether the point-in-time count, how many beds we have, all of those factors that would be a part of this legislation, just to have that understanding of the impact. So we're still learning. It's moving quickly, but we will keep council updated as we learn more.

But it has moved through the House, from what I understand, there was a vote taken in the House on it, and it's moved out of that committee, it's moved over to the Senate, and if it passes through the Senate, it's moving pretty fast. This thing was just thrown on us all of a sudden. No talking about it, no discussion, nothing. But it's an unfunded mandate for those that are listening, or the news even wants to pick this up, is that it is something that they are forcing upon cities for us to take up, pick up the cost, which is, Totally unfair. And this was an issue that was supposed to be talked about for mental health, but there's nobody putting any money into mental health. So this is basically saying you corral these people, you round them up, and you do something with them.

Yes, as we learn more, and it's obviously moving quickly, so I'll update you as quickly as possible. I'll speak with Ms. Spencer to get some updated information on the status of things.

We need to know as soon as possible because we're passing budgets here, and we may be hit with a significant unfunded mandate that nobody's aware of.

Okay.

All right.

Anybody else?

Okay. With that, we stand adjourned.