Williamston Town Council approves zoning changes

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Williamston Town Council held a special called meeting last Thursday, Oct. 4, which included a public hearing on several zoning ordinance changes and other items.

There were no public comments for the hearing. Mayor Rockey Burgess read aloud the public notice that ran in the newspaper, so that the people would know what the special called meeting was about.

The purpose of this hearing/meeting was to allow opportunity for the community to comment on rezoning application requests that have been received by Council after being approved by the town Planning Commission as matters of importance in economic development.

Action will be taken by Council to approve or disapprove these requests.

The first property is located at 9 S. Academy St., TMS 2451917002, .40 acres. It is currently zoned R-3 Single Family and Duplex Residential. The applicant is requesting to rezone this property to Residential/Commercial (R/C) to match the current R/C zoning along the Main Street, which he also owns, in anticipation of future commercial growth.

The second property is located off of Brock Lane, TMS 2450008006, +/- 27 acres. It is currently zoned Multi Family Residential (MFR). The applicant is requesting to rezone this to the Planned Development Classification (PD) to allow for single family residences to be constructed. The PD classification encourages innovative land planning and site design that ensures natural resource and environmental protection, high-quality appearance, open space preservation, and the provision of amenities.

The Third property is located on Minor St., TMS 2440017001. 7.74 acres. It is currently zoned Multi Family Residential (MFR) and was once intended to be Palmetto Point Subdivision. The current applicant is requesting to rezone this to the R-7 classification in order to complete the subdivision that was initially started in 2004-2005 prior to adoption of the zoning ordinances in 2008. The current classification of MFR enacted in the Zoning ordinances of 2008 requires the lot sizes to be 10,000 ft. or larger. With some of the former infrastructure previously installed and usable for medium lots, it would not work on larger lots so the Planning Commission recommended the R-7 (7000> lot sizes) to allow for building homes. The old subdivision plan had lot sizes of 4200-4300 sf .

Following the public hearing, Council approved the following agenda items:

Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Allocate Funding for Indigent Defense.
Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Rezone Property on S. Academy Street.
Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Rezone Property on Minor Street

Council approved First Reading for Additional Funding for Roof Replacement on the Municipal Building. Mayor Burgess made a motion to approve an additional $172,500 from the town’s fund balance to replace and repair the roof on the Municipal Building. The motion was seconded by Councilman Hagood. Mayor Burgess explained that the official bid opening was completed and the bids were over the original $200,000 appropriated for this project. The lowest bid to complete the project for all three phases was $372,500.

The agenda was amended to award a contract to C.E. Bourne and Co. for the roof replacement and repair.

Council approved a resolution to match PARD Funding. The Town will have a $2,500 match which will come out of the Hospitality Tax fund if the grant is awarded.
Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Rezone Property on Brock Lane.
Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Authorize the Sale of Real Property on 105 W. Second St. The vote was unanimous with Councilman Cole abstaining.

Council approved Second Reading on an Ordinance to Authorize Sale of Real Property on Broad St. The vote passed, with Councilman Cole abstaining.