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HomeMy Public PortalAbout07-22-1997 Joint Public Hearing ~SENT: PUBLIC: ITEM #1: ITEM #4: . ITEM #2a: ITEM #2b: . MINUTES JOINT PUBLIC HEARING July 22, 1997 172 Mayor Horace Johnson, Richard Simpson, Ken Chavious, Evelyn Lloyd, Remus Smith, John Taylor (PB chair), Richard Bradford, Joel Brinkley, Ed Gill, Louise Long, George Sagar, Charles Brooks, Shirley Byrd, Nora Gattis, Jan Gattis, Barbara Link, Carmen Hester, Dorothy Hester, Diane Le(j., Todd Chavious, Margaret Hauth Mayor Johnson called the hearing to' order at 7:00 PM. He announced that item 4 would be heard first and the other items returned to. Chavious presented the Town Board members with two properties cited from violations of Chapter 11 of the Town Code. He said that the owners of 606 Lakeshore Drive have corrected all of their violations as of this afternoon and are now in full compliance with the Code. The property at 332 Faucette Mill Road has also removed all of the conditi~:)Os in violation of Chapter 11. There remains a single wide mobile home which is not wholly closed to elements. Chavious noted that, on the advice of the Town Attorney, this situation would be pursued under the Town's Minimum Housing Code rather that the Solid Waste Chapter of the Town Code. He added that enforcement could proceed under his direction without further action by the Town Board, unless there were difficulties in reaching compliance. Mayor Johnson asked about the properties discussed at the last hearing. Chavious said all but one have come into compliance without the Town spending any funds. The Mayor asked that a status report on all the violations that have been brought to hearing be prepared for the September Town Board meeting. Brooks, responsible party for the mobile home, asked to speak. He asked what the next step would be, why other properties like, the abandoned gas station across the street where allowed to remain, and who complained about the traile,r. Mayor Johnson responded to the first question, saying that Chavious would be in contact to let Brooks know what would have to be repaired on the trailer in order for it to remain. Chavious noted that the abandoned gas station is not a structure the Town currently can take enforcement action against. Chavious noted that he had not received a formal complaint about the trailer, but had been asked questions about it, and on further investigation, noted the severe condition of the site and the difficulties it posed to the neighborhood. Mayor Johnson noted that many complaints and questions are called in anonymously. By consensus, the Town Board members found that 606 Lakeshore Drive and 332 Faucette Mill Road are in compliance with Chapter 11 and no further action is needed under that Chapter. Hauth introduced six text amendments to the watershed protection section of the ordinance to keep the Town in compliance with the state minimum ordinance, She went through them each briefly and noted those that are mandatory. Hauth introduced numerous amendm~nts to the Economic Development District Design Manual. She noted that the changes are predominately to make the document easier to understand and enforce. She said categories of use were not clearly defined earlier and it would be unclear which standard a proposal would be held to, She said the second set of amendments relate to the perimeter buffer and will remove the buffer when the distriGt boundary is a jurisdictional one with EDD on the other side. She said this would benefit the houses along Old NC 86 and the properties within the Town's jurisdiction. She noted that the last amendment is explanatory text, not requirements and updates the current situation of utilities in the EDD. .M #2c: ITEM #3: . . 1~ 7/22/97, page 2 Hauth introduced Lea, representative for the text amendment to increase the number of lodging units in Tourist Homes from 9 to 12. Lea described her client's interest in purchasing the Hillsborough House Inn and expanding the number of rooms to includ~ those used by the Webbs. She added that the bed & breakfast industry using 10 to 12 rooms as a rule of thumb for these operations to break even. Smith asked Hauth if there is a down-side to this proposal. She said only that it may encourage another property to seek permission for a Tourist Home that may not be suited to such a large number of rooms. She noted that the Inn at Teardrops has 5 or 6 rooms and this would possibly allow him to expand as well. Taylor closed the public hearing and returned the gavel to Mayor Johnson. He adjourned the meeting at 7:35 PM. Respectfully submitted,