|
Residents of Wallridge subdivision on
Wall Road packed the meeting room at the
Wake Forest Town Hall Tuesday night to
object to a future connector street
through their neighborhood but not,
mostly, to the plans for Purnell Place
Shopping Center at the intersection of
Harris Road and Capital Boulevard.
The planning board voted six
to two to recommend approval of the
special use permit and master plan. Ward
Marotti and Peter Thibodeau voted no;
Mike Martin was absent and chairman Bob
Hill had to leave for a family
emergency.
Some of the site plan
drawings for the shopping center,
planned for only part of a larger tract,
showed a road extending from the
shopping center land to meet Wall Ridge
Drive where it deadends at the
subdivision’s property line.
Planner Ann Ayers said the
connector street is part of the
thoroughfare plan adopted in 2003 and
the previous plan. Building Wall Ridge
to connector street standards was one of
the conditions when the land was rezoned
for the subdivision.
Ayers also said the town has
no plans to build the street – “It is
not something the Town of Wake Forest
would undertake” – and the City of
Raleigh wants the right-of-way to be
dedicated to extend the sewer line from
Wallridge to Purnell Place.
“We’re not opposed to the
Harris-Teeter,” Greg Couchois said. “Our
biggest thing is that feeder road.”
Couchois was also concerned
about traffic. Rob Ross with Kimley-Horn
said the traffic study showed the level
of service would drop to D despite
improvements to Harris and Capital. “The
standard is to maintain a level or
service of D or better,” Ross said when
questioned by Thibodeau.
Virgil Evans said it was
obvious the area along Harris Road would
be developed. He suggested that instead
of connecting to Wall Ridge Drive the
connector street go to the north between
Wallridge and Windermere subdivisions
and meet Wall Road across from the
Richland Hills subdivision. “That’s a
better target market for our friends at
Regency Center.”
Regency Center is the
development group planning the shopping
center.
Kevin Dalrymple said he was
not notified of the hearing and others
complained they had very short notice.
“We had to dig to get information,”
Brian Fordham said. “We don’t feel like
we’re being dealt with on a fair basis.”
“I’ve noticed the water
runoff [from other building in the area
such as Richland Hills and Wilco-Hess]
has really impacted Wall Road,” Ron
Covert said. Covert said a culvert has
had to be repaired, ditches fill with
water and sediment and run down to
Richland Creek. “I’ve had to wait for
debris to flow across the road before I
could go. I am very disappointed we are
letting this beautiful area come to
that.”
Bethanie Carlson said her
realtor told her the land behind her
house would remain green. “A realtor
told you that and you believed him?”
Commissioner Frank Drake asked in
visible amazement.
David Baum reminded the
commissioners and planning board members
about last year’s concern with Centex
Homes planned to buy the Wake Forest
Country Club for a subdivision. People
in neighboring subdivisions organized
and protested. “That’s what we all feel
like tonight.”
“No one in our small
development wants a road through,” Ann
Thomas said, referring to the many young
children and older people in the
subdivision. “I don’t know why anyone
would want to put the road through.”
Later, during the planning
board’s discussion, Marotti again
referred to his concern about the
headwaters of an intermittent stream
which he said “bisects that parking lot
right in front of the store.” Chris
Widmire, a Regency vice president, said
they were in the process of obtaining
approval for the plan as drawn from the
state Division of Water Quality.
Thibodeau questioned the
developers about the grading plan and
retaining walls and how the site would
look from Harris Road when it is
complete. Later he asked that grading
plans be supplied with the master plan
in the future.
Planning Director Chip
Russell told Sarah Bridges to ignore a
future road labeled Ligon Mill Road. The
label is incorrect, he said.
The planning board did add a
condition that there be no irrigation
with municipal water.
The town board will consider
the request at its meeting Tuesday, Aug.
21, beginning at 7 p.m. in town hall. |
