Board Splits on Subdivision Proposal: Neighbors Worry About Water Runoff From Development
By Isaac Groves, Times-News, Burlington, N.C.
Mar. 18–MEBANE — The planning board should soon be up to its full size of 14 members, which, unfortunately, is still an even number.
The board locked up on a 5-5 vote on an 18-unit subdivision on Old Hillsborough Road this month.
After a 10-minute break during which former chairman, now City Councilman Everette Greene, was consulted by phone, the board sent this proposal to the council with no recommendation.
The board makes non-binding recommendations to the city council, which votes on the proposals.
The proposal in question would put 18 houses on about seven acres on the south side of Old Hillsborough Road near Jones Road. Several neighbors spoke asking for more details about what kind of houses the developer, Vernon Clapp, planned to build and what kind of flood control measures he would take.
Clapp was just looking for a rezoning, so he did not have to talk about the size and quality of the houses he planned to build there. Growth south of Interstate 85/40 has been booming since the city water and sewer services became available with developments like the Wal-Mart Super-Center on Mebane Oaks Road.
The land generally slopes down south of town. With all that growth, neighbors say, a lot more water is running onto their property than they are used to.
The city council will look at Clapp’s proposal on April 2.
A SECOND PROPOSAL, also for the area south of the interstate, did not get through the planning board.
George Spears owns 12 acres at the corner of Mebane Oaks Road and Forest Oaks Lane.
He wants to sell three of those acres to a Greensboro company to build a small shopping center.
There were few details about the type of store, but many kinds of businesses that could not go there, flea markets, mining operations and adult businesses, for example, would not be allowed.
The board tabled the proposal because Spears and his buyer did not include an application to split off the three acres to be built on in the rezoning application.
Spears said he would reapply and be back for the April 9 planning board meeting.
—–
Copyright (c) 2007, Times-News, Burlington, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.