Mayor Frank Quis, Mayor Pro Tem Fred Walden and Councilman Mike Haney voted in favor. Councilmen Chris Smithson and David Woodruff voted against.
That is the first hurdle in Leith Automotive’s campaign to build its automotive dealerships between Pennsylvania Avenue and Morganton Road on land zoned General Business.
That could become a moot point if the council votes next month to rezone the site to Office Services, which doesn’t permit car dealerships.
Residents of three primarily retiree residential areas that back up to the Leith site — Village in the Woods, Village on the Green and Village by the Lake — oppose the dealership, saying the noise and light pollution will harm the surrounding area.
A group of 29 people who live in Village in the Woods filed an application asking the town to rezone the property. The Planning Board recommended that the council rezone the property. The council held its public hearing Tuesday night but delayed a vote until its Oct. 11 meeting.
The council also delayed voting on an ordinance change proposed by the group of Leith opponents. It calls for limiting the coverage of impervious surfaces such as building and parking lots to 40 percent of the site in General Business and Office Services districts that fall within Urban Transition Highway Corridor Overlay District. The Planning Board recommended approval.
Quis said he was ready to vote on the rezoning and ordinance change, but other council members wanted more time to consider the matter.
Not in Harmony
The council had delayed action on the architectural plan three times, asking for revisions to make it more acceptable and more in keeping with the surrounding area.
The council had to consider the plan under an existing set of architectural standards for commercial construction. Quis told audience members that those regulations would soon be overhauled with the help of a consultant.
Under ordinary procedures, once the architectural plan is approved in an area zoned for the new development, a site plan has to be reviewed and approved by the planning staff. There is no other public input or vote required by the council.
Woodruff and Smithson said the architectural plan is still not in harmony with the area. Smithson said he still has a problem with some of the colors Leith wants to use.
Some on the council had wanted red brick, but Leith has stayed with pale-colored bricks and stucco for the building, with one panel of dark red. The Suzuki dealership logo has red in it, said Cliff Farrell, Leith’s general manager, who was present for the meeting Tuesday.
Opponents continued to speak against the project. They said it will ruin the green gateway to Southern Pines and hurt nearby residential property values.
Economic Impact
Several business leaders, who spoke for the first time, urged the council during the public hearing to delay voting on the zoning ordinance changes, specifically a 40 percent maximum built-upon surface restriction for General Business and Office Services zoning districts on U.S. 1. That’s down from a maximum of 65 percent currently allowed in the Highway Corridor Overlay District for commercial properties.
Business leaders said the change would affect other areas by making it much more difficult to develop, which could hurt the economy.
Quis said he was voting in favor of Leith’s architectural plan because the company has been taking positive steps to make the building look attractive, though he still thinks it falls short of being in harmony with the area.
“I’m aware of the company’s threat to sue the town if it’s not allowed to build on its 21.83 acres,” he said. “I’m trying to be objective, but you can’t legislate an attractive building in every case.”
Quis said he doesn’t think a car dealership should be built in that location because it “introduces an industrial use to the whole area of the neighborhood. I’m going to vote ‘yes’ for the architectural review they’ve presented because I see it as a complication if we’re going to court.”
Haney said he voted for the architectural plan because “we are charged with looking only at building architectural plans” in the matter.
Walden said he agreed with the other two council members and praised architect Erich Wilkinson for making several changes in the drawings in response to council requests.
Other Business
In other business:
After holding a public hearing, the council voted 4-1 to rezone .37 of an acre on West New Hampshire Avenue from Residential Single Family to Neighborhood Business Parallel Conditional Use.
The change restricts the use of the property to barbershops, no matter who owns the property. Woodruff voted against.
The property, at 1092 W. New Hampshire Ave., is owned by Tony Fairley, grandson of a man who owned a barbershop and operated it from his family residence at the same location. It has been closed since the grandfather died.
The council appointed a task force of residents to study aquatics recreation. The panel will select a consultant to help the town develop the study. It will make a recommendation to the council in a few months.
The council agreed to borrow up to $170,000 with Bank of America to purchase an aerial ladder truck for the Fire Department. The truck is needed for the town to maintain its fire insurance rating. Bank of America submitted the lowest bid with and interest rate of 3.367 percent on a five-year loan. The interest comes to $67,380.
The council adopted a resolution agreeing to participate with the N.C. Department of Transportation in constructing a sidewalk along the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue (state Secondary Road 1848) between Carlisle and Glover streets. The DOT will reimburse the town for 80 percent of the actual construction cost, not to exceed $12,800. The town is obligated to do all the design and right of way work, relocate all utilities and build it.
After a public hearing, the council voted to annex residential property developed by Stafford Land Co. on the east side of Indiana Avenue about 100 yards south of the intersection with Strathmore Road.
