June 6, 2007

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            None of the homeowners spoke at Tuesday night’s planning board meeting but their petition citing traffic, runoff and other water issues, and loss of wildlife and open space had been ruled sufficient by Town Clerk Joyce Wilson MMC.

            The developer, First American Land from Apex, wants the land, largely pasture now, rezoned to R-10 and R-5 to put 104 single-family lots and an amenities center on the 39 acres. Three people from the developer and the engineering firm met with about 40 neighbors in February.

            The tract has only short frontage on North Main Street. The entrance would be aligned with Edgeford Park Lane across the street.

            Planning and town board members did have questions about a stream crossing, the tree-save area and construction traffic.

            Planning board member Kim Parker asked about the distance between the future houses. Director of Planning Chip Russell said it would be about 20 feet.

            “In light of some recent fires, because of the material being used on the outside of the houses, do we have an ordinance that says fire-retardant material be used on the outside of houses?” Parker asked.

            “We don’t get into that until they are six or seven feet apart,” Russell said.

            (The houses in Friday’s Rolesville fire were about 20 feet apart and had vinyl siding, which is flammable. See article in this issue.)

            The vote was unanimous to recommend to the town board with planner Chad Sary’s recommendations, including no mass grading of the site, construction traffic on North Main Street only, preservation of landmark trees and undisturbed natural buffers.

            In other business Tuesday night, the planning board

• Approved a zoning ordinance amendment to allow regular rather than certified mail for notifications.

• Approved a zoning ordinance amendment to add a section regulating how wireless telecommunication towers will be placed and their appearance.

• Approved a change in the development plan for Wakefield Ford on Capital Boulevard at Burlington Mills Road to add a public service center.

• Approved an amendment to the master plan for Wake Forest Business Park to reduce the landscape buffer, reconfigure the parking lot and the building location to fit them into a steep slope.

• Approved plan for the 31-lot subdivision, The Registry at Bennett Park, which will be built on 12 acres along an extension of West Holding Avenue.