PITTSBORO — The town’s board of commissioners entertained a series of discussion points in its Monday night meeting, but made no major decisions in the absence of Mayor Jim Nass and Commissioner Jay Farrell, both of whom could not attend due to family business.
The town began with a resolution to recognize Patricia L. Johnson, a 19-year Chatham resident, for her “benevolent donation” of $50,000 to be used on the Town of Pittsboro Kiwanis Park at 309 Credle St.
The park, according to Pittsboro’s resolution, “has received national attention for its innovative natural playground elements for park features catered to ages two to five...”
In 2019, though, the town identified a need for new installations designed for older children, ages 6 to 12. Johnson’s donation was gifted to “further boost this project towards reality,” the resolution said.
For Johnson, the contribution was an homage to her late husband’s legacy.
“I knew about the park and I thought that would be a good place to put a donation in Ron’s name,” she said.
Ronald D. Singleton was a long-time North Carolina engineer, spending most of his career with the town of Cary before a brief stint with Chatham County preceding his retirement. He served as Cary’s town engineer during development and construction of its water treatment plant at Jordan Lake.
“I guess that was his claim to fame,” Johnson said. “That was his biggest project.”
The upgraded Kiwanis Park is soon to host more children than ever with the Kiwanis Club set to host Pittsboro’s developing Boys & Girls Club.
The commissioners considered two zoning-related requests, both of which they passed along to the town’s planning board for further review.
• Rezoning request from Eco Northwood MUPD, LLC
“Eco Northwood MUPD is proposing an amendment to the rezoning approved April 9, 2018, by the board of commissioners,” said Kayleigh Mielenz, a town planner.
Almost three years ago, the board approved 91.36 acres of land between U.S. Hwy 64 and Northwood High School Road for a multi-use planned development (MUPD). A sliver of land south of the parcel was omitted from consideration at the time, and remains zoned for rural agricultural use.
Development has not begun on the land. Eco Northwood originally proposed an 18-lot community with a maximum of 21 lots. They have amended their proposal to include 26 lots.
“The applicant understands that if the MUPD gets approved the lot line and street revisions will still require an amendment to the preliminary plat,” Mielenz said.
• Zoning text amendment request from Red Moose Brewing
“Red Moose Brewing company is requesting to add the use ‘micro-brewery’ as a permitted use,” said Senior Planner Theresa Thompson, to the Pittsboro Zoning Ordinance.
The language amendment would permit micro-breweries to operate in several district types: neighborhood business, highway commercial, downtown and heavy industrial.
The company also proposed a new definition be added in Pittsboro’s ordinance for the term micro-brewery: “An establishment primarily engaged in the brewing of ale, beer, malt liquors, and nonalcoholic beer ... with a capacity less than 15,000 barrels per year, on premises for either consumption on premises or sold directly to the consumer. Accessory uses include a restaurant, a public tasting room, and the retail sales of ale or beer, or related products.”
Approval of the request would introduce new business opportunities in Pittsboro, but the same adjustments will already be included in the town’s amended unified development ordinance (UDO).
“The definition is very similar and it’s the same proposed permitted-by-right for microbrewery,” Thompson said. “And the proposed UDO is also recommending that breweries be permitted-by-right in the same districts. So it is pretty much the same as what is already being proposed in the UDO.”
Taylor Hobbs and Chevon Moore of Hobbs Architects attended Monday night’s meeting to update the board with the latest on its town hall development project, eventually to be built near downtown on Salisbury Street.
“I believe the last time we were in front of you,” Hobbs said, “was (with) the design development drawings, getting approval to go into the construction documents. We are now through construction documents.”
Moore presented an estimated project budget to be approved or adjusted at a future commissioners meeting. Total construction excluding on-site alternates comes to about $15.8 million, she said, with bid alternates adding about $1 million in additional expense.
But site “alternates,” she acknowledged, are not always synonymous with optional features.
“The building will only really be operational for the town and the county if it has (some alternates),” she said, which include such features as an A/V system, council chamber public seating and even an “underground storm water detention/treatment” without which the building cannot function.
But listing as many features as possible in the “alternates” category permits the town more leverage in negotiations with contractors.
“Having a number associated with them on bid day,” Moore said, “we can more easily negotiate if it costs more than what the town would like to pay.”
The board did not make any decisions with respect to its unified development ordinance, which must be amended by July 1, 2021, in keeping with modified state law. But town staff outlined five discussion points that may direct future policy amendments.
1. Zoning Districts
The commissioners will have the option to adopt new zoning districts with the revised UDO, or “wait to replace the existing zoning district and reevaluate concurrent with the Land Use Plan update,” according to Thompson’s presentation.
Some current districts may also remain in the UDO after amendment as “floating” districts to be used as the commissioners see fit.
2. Lot widths/Lot frontage
The proposed UDO will remove “lot frontage” standards from zoning ordinance and replace them with “lot width.”
3. Heights
Pittsboro building heights are capped at 50 feet in the existing UDO. Proposed amendments will allow up to 90 feet.
All building heights will still be subject to commissioner approval, Thompson pointed out.
4. Non-habitable accessory structures
Town staff recommended a clarifying amendment to UDO language on maximum size allowances for non-habitable accessory structures to indicate that regulations apply to combined floor area of all structures.
Commissioners will have the option to adjust the size limits, as well, but did not come to consensus during Monday’s meeting.
5. Accessory dwelling units
Just as with non-habitable accessory structures, the commissioners may adjust the sizing limits of accessory dwelling units in the amended UDO. Existing ordinance caps floor space at 50% of the primary dwelling’s size or 800 square feet, whichever is lesser. A proposed amendment increases the latter requirement to 1,200 square feet.
Reporter D. Lars Dolder can be reached at dldolder@chathamnr.com and on Twitter @dldolder.