BY DEBBIE PAGE
Troutman Town Council members on Monday discussed the need for Planning and Zoning Board members to undergo training to help the group navigate the heavy load of projects and rezoning cases that continue to come before the advisory board.
In addition to clarifying the role and limits of authority the board has under N.C. statutes, council member Paul Henkel discussed the need for the board to enforce decorum in meetings to prevent personal attacks on staff and elected officials in public hearings.
The board does not have the ability to go in closed session, to delay recommendations, or to require an attorney be present. It’s only role, according to Town Manager Ron Wyatt, is to look at the project and see if it meets the criteria dictated by the Future Land Use Map and the town’s Unified Development Ordinance.
Whether the town staff personally likes or dislikes a project should have no bearing on the rezoning process, the town manager explained. “If it fits those blocks, the staff is required to recommend it because it checks those blocks,” said Wyatt.
Their role is to let developers get the pulse of the community in public hearings and for planning board members to ask developers to address community concerns before the project reaches the council for final determination, according to Wyatt.
Wyatt said he appreciates the passion of the community and their voicing their opinions, but some individuals are behaving in a “ruthless” manner and treating every project as the “enemy.”
The council decided to make the planning board’s additional training mandatory. The training will occur at the planning board’s March 25 meeting. The council also decided that no future planning board members can serve on the board until the mandatory training is completed.
Wyatt suggested Town Attorney Gary Thomas attend the March 25 training, along with available council members, to iron out these issues.
“I truly think every one of them’s best interest and heart is to be better decision-makers for the town. It’s just that somebody’s got to be in charge that says, ‘Hey, follow the rules or you’re out and quit allowing the outbursts and the people talking trash.’ ”
“It’s going to continue to be a circus atmosphere until somebody says, ‘Here’s the rules. Follow them or there’s consequences for you all volunteering if you are not going to.’ ”
Henkel said the planning board has an important role and needs to function effectively.
Council member Eddie Nau suggested that a police officer be present to ensure proper behavior, protect staff and the planning board, and remove unruly people.
“I do not want to see (Town Planner) Lynne (Hair) and Andrew (Ventresca) be abused nor do I want to see our Planning and Zoning Board be abused,” Nau said.
Wyatt said the problem so far is not physical threat but more the combative attitudes of “agitators” and accusations of illegal activity if the staff or board disagrees with their point of view.
Speakers should speak once in a public hearing, not engage in back and forth at all, and not roam around the room talking to others. These requirements are outlined in the town’s public comment rules, Roberts’ Rules of Order, and in the planning board’s policies.
Nau said those engaging in such behavior should be removed for disorderly conduct.
Police Chief Josh Watson assured Nau that if Hair perceives an issue arising, he has officers in the building or nearby if help is needed.
MURAL UPDATE
Wyatt reported the owner of Mad Monkey Garage has conceded that the building’s mural is out of compliance. However, the owner asked for a fine suspension because the painter cannot paint over it until temperatures allow.
The council decided that would set a bad precedent and will continue with the fines, with the caveat that fines could be rescinded all or in part after compliance.
THURSDAY MEETING AGENDA
The following items are also on Thursday’s meeting agenda:
♦ A conditional zoning request by Nest Homes for the River Rock townhome community, planned for the 11.52 acres located at the northeast corner of Perth Road and Autumn Leaf Road from highway business to conditional mixed residential. The current zoning allows multi-family rental apartments on the site. The three- and four-bedroom townhomes, ranging from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet, would be offered in the $350,000 price range. The 24 buildings would contain three to eight units. The traffic impact study findings, conducted for the previous apartment project, are being reduced because of the townhome project’s lower impact.
♦ An annexation and rezoning request by C2C Land Development for 7.822 acres at 1250 Charlotte Highway from Iredell County residential agricultural highway business.
♦ An annexation and rezoning request by the Town of Troutman ABC Board for 7.6731 acres at 1270 Charlotte Highway from Iredell County residential agricultural to highway business.
♦ Approval request of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Morningstar Properties, LLC and the Town of Troutman regarding enhanced sewer infrastructure on its site in exchange for an economic incentive.
An annexation Request from BBC Rocky Creek, LLC, for 19.511 acres located off Byers Road.
♦ Approval requests for these additional 2023-2024 budget amendments, expected to be covered by incoming revenues, according to Finance Director Justin Mundy:
Cost of the town’s building renovations – $750,000
Purchase of the Dollar General Building – $1,500,000
East Church paving and restriping Lines – $130,000
Additional election cost – $1,130
Additional insurance cost for town property – $10,000
Additional Parks & Rec supplies – $25,000
Building expenditures at the Passport Office- $15,000
Departmental supplies and contracted services for the Police Department – $20,000
Additional police vehicles – $150,000
Equipment for Public Works (UF) – $150,000
Sewer inspections of town lines by KRG Utility (UF) – $182, 430
Settlement litigation (UF) – $10,425
Additional cost of water meters – $100,000
Additional cost of water – $150,000
♦ Approval request of Master Service Agreement for on-call transportation services between the Town and Kimley Horn and Associates, Inc., with compensation set at 1.15 times the cost of conducting each individual project order (IPO). With this “on-call’ assistance, the TIA process would change because the traffic study team would be working for the town instead of the developer, though the services are still paid for by the developer. This change would put more emphasis on ensuring town ordinances and interests (greenway, future land use map, bike/ped plans) are considered that NCDOT does not require.
♦ Consider appointment of Tonya Bartlett as an inside voting member filling the unexpired term of Kenneth Reid (Term expires 5-14-24).
♦ Public hearing date request for March 14 for annexation of 4.135 acres at 398 Hemi Drive.
♦ Quarterly reports: Troutman Fire Department, J. Hoyt Hayes Memorial Troutman Library, and ABC Store
♦ Recognitions: Jessica Davidson as “Town of Troutman Employee of the Month” for January, Miss Iredell County Jamie Logan and Miss Iredell County Teen Piper Pollard, and Wrestling Coach Bill Mayhew.
No mention of the fact that the proposed River Rock development would have 134 townhouses, 10 dwellings per acre, a complete departure from that property’s intended use for a supermarket.
During the past two years there has been a pattern of bad zoning decisions like this! All signs point to a town manager who has the council by the throat, but who has no training or experience in complex zoning issues. And now he wants to send the P&Z members to a “special training school”.? Seems like it should be the other way around!!
Clown Show? How dare the town manager criticize the P&Z board members about decorum at meetings! He can’t control his own anger at council meetings, as clearly demonstrated by his closing tirade to board members Dec 14. (See video online).
The P&Z board members are highly qualified and dedicated to serving the best interests of our citizens and our town. That is more than we can say for this town manager. He has none of the professional degree requirements posted for the job ( BS Degree in Public Administration, Business, or Planning. Masters Degree preferred.). He has only a high school diploma, and questionable social skills or public relations skills for dealing with citizens. His lack of training and professional expertise is having a negative impact on our community.
Apparently, Wyatt is angry that the P&Z board can’t be intimidated and controlled by his bullying as can the council.
Apparently, he thinks a property must be rezoned to industrial if it’s on the Future Land Use Map as industrial. That is not true. The P&Z may determine the current zoning serves the best interests of the residents and recommend to leave it zoned as it is. These P&Z members have an excellent track record. They are dedicated and hard working; and, they have the respect and support of our entire community.
If anyone needs special training, it’s not the P&Z members; it’s the town manager! If the council goes along with Wyatt’s proposal, then their credibility and their integrity is questionable. Wyatt should not be allowed to abuse his position by bullying the P&Z board members!
Town Manager Ron Wyatt calls citizens who speak up at P&Z meetings “ruthless”?
Is this the same guy who bullied Troutman’s chief of police until she resigned? The same guy who caused injury to a child in the park while driving a town-owned golf cart? The same guy who called a citizen a “moron” on a radio show, and said citizens were “talking out their wazoos” at a town meeting? The same guy who was grossly inappropriate in his speech to high school students, the same guy who bullied an 8-year-old boy who went to town hall and asked to be reimbursed his 50 cents that he lost in the drink machine in the town park? Wyatt called an officer to be present while he confronted the child and his mother, told the officer to turn on his body cam, then proceeded to berate the mother for bringing her child to the town office for such a silly request.
If there is anyone in Troutman who deserves to be called “ruthless,” it is this man who uses his position to intimidate others. Ron Wyatt needs special training, and the P&Z members need an award for having to deal with him!
This comment from the town manager:
“Whether the town staff personally likes or dislikes a project should have no bearing on the rezoning process, the town manager explained. “If it fits those blocks, the staff is required to recommend it because it checks those blocks,” said Wyatt.”
Why does the town manager speak like this?
On this topic he is wrong. NO, the P&Z is not required to recommend rezoning a residential property to industrial, even if it is on the Future Land Use Map as Industrial. If the P&Z committee determines it is in the best interest of the citizens of a neighborhood, and the best interest of our town at this moment in time to keep a parcel zoned as it currently is, then they can recommend NOT to rezone it. Mr. Wyatt tends to tweak the NC General Statutes to suit his own personal preferences, rather than considering what is in the best interests of the town, and the individual neighborhoods of the ETJ.
It is highly insulting and inappropriate for Mr. Wyatt to mock his own staff’s P&Z meetings by calling them a circus atmosphere. Perhaps if he actually attended his town’s P&Z meetings he would have a more accurate understanding of the challenges they face. Troutman has a highly qualified P&Z Director, and the members of the committee are capable and dedicated. They deserve to be respected and supported, and so do our citizens. It’s time for Mr. Wyatt to have some “special training” in public relations.
During the Q & A portion of the re-zoning hearing on Thursday night, the Council members seemed to understand that the traffic flow pattern for this development is flawed. (No left turn from the site onto Perth, no turning lane on Autumn Leaf to go south on Perth, potential cut-through of the site to avoid the intersection, etc… ) The engineer present even admitted that the NCDOT has not reviewed the traffic study, and has not signed off on the proposed plan. Additionally, the engineer presented a proposed cross section of Perth Road adjacent to the site that was a dimensional impossibility based on the plan view. He also made up numbers about open space requirements without any evidence of areas and percentages….
The Council members then dutifully approved the re-zoning despite inaccurate representations and deficient plans and/or approvals. (except for Jaroszynski) Rubber Stampers!