February 21, 2007

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            Seibel closed the zoo in February of last year for a number of reasons after operating it for eight years. The animals have all been placed, he said, except those he is keeping for his personal collection.

            If Seibel’s plans are successful, human families will soon call that land home.

            Tuesday he listened closely as the Wake Forest Comprehensive Planning Committee briefly discussed an annexation agreement between the town and Youngsville. It will allow Wake Forest to annex land in Franklin County south of Youngsville that they cannot serve with water and sewer.

            “Larry has been interested in having his property annexed by us,” Planning Director Chip Russell said. Seibel indicated he would submit a petition for voluntary annexation for the town commissioners to accept at their March meeting. At their April meeting, they will hold a public hearing and decide whether or not to annex the land which lies between the Olde Mill Stream subdivision and Stephen Taylor Road.

            The Franklin County land available for voluntary annexation includes everything south of Gilcrest Farm Road, runs westward to the already-annexed Richland Hills subdivision and goes north of there almost to Fish Stallings Road.

            The sewer service will be all gravity, Russell said. “Technically we could go much farther north, but you’ve got to find identifiable boundaries between jurisdictions.”

            The CPC members – Commissioners David Camacho and Frank Drake and planning board members Bob Hill and Kim Parker – agreed to send the agreement to the town board for discussion at its work session in March.

            There will need to be a public hearing on the matter and action by the Wake Forest and Youngsville town commissioners. Russell said the Youngsville board has not taken any formal action but staff members have reviewed the proposal and talked with the commissioners individually.

            The CPC voted to recommend there be a three-year time limit on water allocations in the future and all current allocations be reviewed every two years. “That’s for anything that’s had an allocation for two years and they haven’t done anything.” Russell said. Some master plan approvals expire in two years, he addedl.

            Russell had highlighted three long-standing water allocations with no activity: Andy Ammons’ reservoir tract with 800 possible dwelling units, Flaherty Farms multi-family with 30 and Pemberley multi-family with 98. Pemberley was to be apartments, but the agreements and plans fell apart several years ago.

            Russell said Ammons has Wake County approval for a single-family subdivision along Gilcrest Farm Road in part of the reservoir tract. It will have 126 lots on 253 acres.

            At Hill’s suggestion, the town board will also take up the question of banning lawn irrigation at the March work session.

            Russell said the commissioners need to be aware there are some infrastructure problems in the northeast quadrant of town where a redevelopment study is underway. There are “bottlenecks” in the Smith Creek sewer line and piping issues, Russell said, as well as a number of needed road improvements.