June 21, 2006

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            The town board this spring voted to allow only 40 building permits per year for each future subdivision unless the developer could show a compelling reason for more. The standard has been 50 permits per year since 2002 when the town recognized it needed an additional source of water for its fast-growing population. Raleigh now operates the water and sewer systems, but the town’s allocation, based on the peak-use day each year, is limited to 4.91 million gallons a day until the spring of 2010. Because of lawn irrigation and heavier use in larger houses, the peak use last summer was 3.8 million. The town is considering a number of water conservation measures to reduce the peak and cut the number of building permits to spread building over the next four years and thereby avoid running out of water capacity before 2010.

            The entire town board will make the final decision in July whether to increase the number of permits for the two subdivisions, but two commissioners, David Camacho and Frank Drake are members of the CPC. The other CPC members are from the planning board, chairman Bob Hill and Kim Parker.

            Along with conserving water, the CPC members have also begun questioning developers how they will address the overcrowding situation in Wake County’s schools.

            One reason Mack McIntyre, the engineer for The Village at Wake Forest subdivision on land owned by Calvin Ray, gave for wanting a four-year buildout for the 226 townhouses and single-family homes is the condition of the property.

            “This whole site’s pretty much a junkyard right now,” McIntyre said. He estimated it will cost up to half a million dollars to clean up the site. Ray is already moving some of the equipment to a site north of Youngsville the developers, the Carlton Group, has made available for two years. Ray moved a great deal of the equipment for his paving company from a site along N.C. 98 (Durham Road) when he sold the land that is now Kangaroo, the former Winn-Dixie and other stores.

            Drake and others questioned whether there could be hidden problems. “With Calvin I wouldn’t be entirely satisfied with what I see on top of the ground,” Drake said and suggested there might be something in the 10-acre lake.

            McIntyre said the developer plans to use the lake water to irrigate the common space for the 158 townhouses (probable starting cost $180,000), use Bermuda grass and drought-resistant plants throughout the subdivision and use a recirculating hot water system to save 10 to 20 gallons of water a day in all the homes. He said using the lake water could reduce demand on the town’s water system by 85,000 to 95,000 gallons a day. There will also be a greenway trail around the lake.

            Committee members questioned whether the developer would be willing to restrict homeowners from installing irrigation systems, and McIntyre said the Bermuda grass and plantings should require little watering. He ruled out using the lake water for the single-family homes because of liability problems, but he also said they could prohibit irrigation systems as part of the homeowners association.

            Drake wanted to know the comparisons for homes using the recirculating hot water systems versus the traditional water heater, and McIntrye said most of the water savings would be in the irrigation. He had proposed either the recirculating system or on-demand hot water systems but agreed to take out the on-demand, which may not save as much water.

            The plan calls for a loop road through the subdivision with two entrances on North Main Street. The road would connect to Whistable Avenue in Olde Mill Stream and circle the lake. There would be a stub to connect to the proposed adjacent subdivision on the Baker land, a development request also considered Tuesday morning.

            “Where do you see these 300 children (his estimate for the 68 single-family homes and 158 townhouses) going to school?” Hill asked. “What do you propose the developer do to alleviate the crowding in the school system?”

            McIntyre, who was the engineer for Heritage Middle School, said he could not tell them. “I don’t think we have the ability [here] to set aside a school site.”

            “We’re rationing water, but we’re building homes so more and more people can come here to be rationed water,” Hill said.

            I do a lot of subdivisions in the county, McIntyre said. “Wake County schools usually follow behind.”

            Later in the meeting, the members agreed to ask Lori Millberg, the local school board representative, and perhaps some school system officials to meet and discuss what the town can do to help build more schools faster.

            When it came time to vote, Parker said McIntyre had made some good points. “We can lift it up and say this is what we want everybody to do. This is what we expect from now on.”         

            “Willfair, that set the stage,” Camacho said. Developers David Williams Jr., Steve Faircloth and David Faircloth (no relation) came armed with a number of water-saving measures when they presented plans in April for the 60-65 home subdivision on Rogers Road. Camacho suggested that when another developer wants to increase his water allotment/building permits the town board could require water-saving measures rather than a contribution to the greenway system.

            The second proposed subdivision, this one of 107 single-family lots, would be adjacent and just south of The Villages of Wake Forest on land referred to as the Baker land. Its streets would connect to The Villages as well as to Barnford Mill Road in Olde Mill Stream and have an entrance on North Main Street.

            Michael Chadwick, president of 1^st American of Apex, said he would be both the developer and the builder for the 38.5 acres. He also said he is negotiating with Ray for a smaller piece of land between the two possible subdivisions.

            Using Bermuda grass, drought-resistant plants, water-saving appliances, “all those really are good building practices these days,” Chadwick said.

            When Hill asked him about schools, saying there would be 150 to 175 children in the subdivision, Chadwick said, an analysis of school-age children would show those to be high numbers. “We’re seeing 1.3 kids per household.”

            Jerry Turner, the designer said Chadwick had dedicated some land in a Fuquay-Varina subdivision. “A development this size doesn’t have the room.”

            Chadwick said it would “touchy” to tell homeowners they could not have irrigation, but “The rain sensors we require have a pretty stringent capability to determine how much water.” He said he would be willing to include a clause in the homeowners association incorporation that the grass would have to remain as Bermuda or another drought-resistant type.

            The recirculating hot water system in the new homes, “that is a big thing for the town.” Hill agreed, saying, “It not only saves you water coming in, but it saves on water going out into the sewer.”

            “This to me is more of a plain vanilla subdivision,” Camacho said after the presentation and questions. “The other has challenges, cleaning up that site. They are willing to prohibit irrigation systems, and they are using lake water.”

            “The [street] connection would be required anyway,” Hill said. “Having watched what’s going on in town, if these guys don’t want to develop this land, somebody else will.”

            At the close of the meeting, Planning Director Chip Russell reported briefly about the readjustment of the urban services line between the town and Rolesville and annexation into Franklin County.

            He said he should have information about the urban services changes – essentially a swap of one area for another – for next month’s meeting. Camacho explained to Drake, who was concerned Raleigh would sneak in and grab some land, that it would not happen. When the urban services areas were drawn up – land into which the towns expect to grow, the boundaries were along existing roads. Now it makes more sense to use ridge lines and natural features.

            Russell said it would take longer to have a report about annexing into Franklin County because he has to talk with the county’s planning director and with Youngsville because some of the proposed annexation is in that town’s extra-territorial jurisdiction. The best selling point for Wake Forest is that, because of the ridge lines and stream basins, Franklin would have a difficult time serving the prospective areas.

            The committee also briefly looked at the latest count of residential building permits that will be connected to the town’s water and sewer. They have been watching that number in hopes of staying below the magic 800 mark for the year. Along with reducing the peak water use, having about 800 new homes a year will help to stretch the water allocation to 2010.

            The count thus far is 348 residential building permits, which they immediately divided by five (January through May) and multiplied by 12 for 835 possible new homes this year if the rate remains steady.

            Russell said there may be a bump up during June and there is usually a strong demand for building permits in November and December because builders want to get all of the 50 allowed permits in a year. The planning department sets a November date after which builders cannot be assured the permits will be approved in the calendar year.