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Jun 3, 2006
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Jun 3, 2006
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| Online Phonebook | Sandhills Guide | Business News | National News |
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BY KIRSTEN BEATTIE: Special to The Pilot Aberdeen and Pinebluff have reached a 10-year annexation agreement, Planning Director Giles Hopkins announced Thursday at the Aberdeen Board of Commissioners' work session. "After quite a lengthy bit of time, we've been able to work out an agreement with Pinebluff over who will annex where," Hopkins said. The agreement will limit the area that each town can annex for the next 10 years, Hopkins said in an interview. He said that it generally will follow the extraterritorial jurisdiction boundary, or ETJ. Hopkins presented the agreement to the board as an equitable solution for both communities. "We've all taken the least offensive step," Hopkins said. The agreement will be one of the items for discussion during the board's June 12 public hearing. Mayor Betsy Mofield could not attend the work session. In other action: • The Community Develop-ment Bloc Grant for sewers in the Midway community will go before the public June 12, Town Manager Bill Zell told the board. The grant will provide $750,000, he said. "It's going to connect every house," Zell said. The grant will move Aberdeen one step closer to being able to annex the Midway community. "We can't annex Midway because it's not 60 percent developed," Zell said. The board hopes that the addition of sewers will help the area develop so that, in time, the town could proceed with annexation. • The proposed 2006-2007 budget will go before the public on June 12. Zell added that the town will make the budget available online ahead of time. "We're going to have it online on the Web site all next week so everybody will see it prior to the meeting," Zell said. • The town's water purchase contract with Moore County expired May 15. The county voted to renew the contract. The proposed renewal does not include any changes at present. • Another issue that will go before the public is the possibility of amending a code in the heavy industry zoning jurisdiction, Hopkins said. The board will consider whether to amend the zoning setback requirement for 15 feet between the end of a building and the property line to zero. The proposed change would make it possible for buildings on South Pines Street to be sold and developed individually, something that currently is not possible with the 15-foot requirement. Concerns arose regarding what limitations on the proposed change would be necessary for safety. • The Planning Board will revise the wording of the town's proposed zoning code, which requires developers to build sidewalks, curbs and gutters with any new property development. Questions include the specificity of the language, particularly whether it is possible to have an "in lieu of" payment option allowing developers to pay a fee rather than install sidewalks, curbs and gutters. The ordinance needs to be very specific, Zell said. "Basically, it's 'will it stand up in court?'" he said, "and that's how we have to approach it." • The Planning Board reviewed and recommended a proposed road that will provide access to the planned Starbucks Coffee and Hampton Inn and Suites. • The board will not hold a work session in June or meet in July. The next work session will be Aug. 3 for the Aug. 13 meeting.
Newsroom intern Kirsten Beattie can be reached at (919) 619-4327. |
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