Special to IFN
The Town of Mooresville has issued a moratorium on new development approvals in the South Iredell Pump Station service area.
According to town officials, the moratorium will ensure public health, environmental protection, and system reliability, providing time to design, permit, and construct needed infrastructure improvements.
Under the newly adopted moratorium, which will last for up to 35 months, the town is suspending development approvals for all new residential subdivisions, multi-family complexes, and non-residential projects.
Certain exceptions apply, including projects with existing building or special use permits, approved site-specific vesting plans, and developments where substantial prior expenditures have already been made.
Projects that do not impact the capacity of the pump station are exempt from these restrictions.
“The town is providing a clear policy direction to the development community with this moratorium,” said Mayor Chris Carney. “With it, we want to create a structured path toward lifting restrictions while also protecting our infrastructure and decreasing the likelihood of overflows and spills that would impact public health.”
The decision is in response to new developments and the subsequent capacity impacts coming out of Troutman and surrounding areas, which have been utilizing the pump station since 2006. The pump station is currently operating at full capacity and there is no additional capacity available elsewhere.
This moratorium marks the second step the town has taken to help manage system capacity. Previously, the town temporarily stopped issuing new flow-tracking for sewer extension permits for the pump station. The permit is required by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources to track new sewer connections and confirm downstream capacity.
Excellent move! It’s clear the infrastructure needs to be upgraded to fill existing needs. The congestion is unbelievable. The strain on our first responders, police, and schools adds pressure to these employees.
I’ve seen the negative effects of a town growing so fast there is simply chaos. Developers only seem to care about the bottom line at the expense of taxpayers.
It’s a shame there has not been enough affordable housing planning for an aging population. As a disabled senior, I don’t need state subsidized handicapped housing, but can’t afford these senior communities that are accessible. In fact, I still don’t live in an accessible apartment. No county agency could help me and there were no accessible apartments available in my price range before I had to renew my lease. Yet, look at all these new apartment communities. Tragic.
While this make some sense, the bigger issue is the lack of any long term planning Mooresville and Iredell County has. Almost all of this was avoidable but short term thinking creates longer term problems.
Not to mention, Mayor “No Pants” Carney’s focusing on other activities besides governing.