Tuesday's Internet Edition, September 07, 2010.
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| Clemmons Civic Club president Garland Layton (left) and Ken Watson prepare food for the club’s Pancake Breakfast. |
The proposed development, if approved by Clemmons Village Council in October, will be named Clemmons Town Center, and will be built by Hill Partners Corporation from Charlotte. Some 340 acres remain to be developed in Village Pointe.
This rezoning and final site plan review at Village Pointe were continued from August. A workshop on the site plan was held an hour previous to the board meeting. Approximately 30 people attended the board meeting.
Gary Roberts from the City-County Planning staff said the staff recommended denial of the rezoning and site plan, “Because this was an excess of retail as recommended by the Unified Development Ordinance and Clemmons area guide.”
Roberts added, “This rezoning did meet the large scale (big box) building requirements, but is an intense development of 541,000 square feet with no residential or 50 foot buffer along Interstate 40.”
Planning Board chairman Derrick Tharpe stated, “The plan is so big. That’s the big issue here, the sacrifice of aesthetics of the site plan.” He asked about greenways on the plan.
Roberts replied, “Greenways were part of the Pinnacle site plan. This is urban development. Vegetation will be removed. and from a greenway point, the amount of pavement will do away with greenways.”
Joe Tanneberger, developer with Hill Partners, told the board, “The plan meets the small area plan for the area and will offer people a place to eat, shop, work, play and gather.”
Tanneberger stated, “One major shortcoming of the plan is that it is larger than the guidelines and does not have room for residential. The 50 foot vegetative buffer along I-40 was for residential development. This is part of the puzzle of mixed use vision and offers office space and civic uses. This development will be up to 70 percent non-residential.”
Tharpe asked about the removal of the 50 foot buffer from the site plan. Tanneberger answered, “We are creating attractive buildings and these would not be visible from I-40 if there were a buffer.”
A large scale store is expected to be included in the proposed Clemmons Town Center. Tanneberger said this was less square footage than ‘big box’ stores, and that a Wal-mart would not fit in it. No specific prospective tenant was named.
Planning Board members heard public comments about the site plan.
Al Harbury of 6606 Village Brook Trail spoke as a representative of ProActive Citizens of Clemmons (PACC), which has 50 members. He said, “The petitioner has met a lot of small area plan requirements, but is lacking of residential, greenways, identification and protection of forest stands, lakes and streams.
“The I-40 exchange never was designed to handle this present volume of traffic. More development will be a nightmare. This development will be a destruction of forest and a higher noise level,” said Harbury. “The existing residents and businesses neither want or need this commercial development. The planning staff has recommended denial since the plan fails four out of five requisites.”
Two residents of Old Meadowbrook, Tom Callahan of 4448 Woodlark Court and Paul Whitener of 4165 Briarcreek Road, were opposed to the new development and expressed concerns about the stormwater runoff from the development into the lakes at Old Meadowbrook.
Barbara Edwards, 3065 Forest Line Drive, said she and her husband have lived in Clemmons 28 years and both own businesses here. “I am in favor of the Clemmons Town Center. I would like to see Clemmons as a destination instead of a pass-through place to eat, get gas and head to Winston-Salem to shop. It will be a beautiful development.”
Board members Derrick Tharpe and Gary Willis expressed opposition to the rezoning and site plan. Tharpe said, “Without residential, there will be no pedestrian traffic, only vehicular. We are missing the nature of what is in the mixed use plan. I like the plan, less the big box store, and hate the loss of the 50 foot buffer along I-40.”
Willis said, “We are on overload here. There are people who are adamantly opposed. I cannot personally support this plan at this time.”
Board member Richard Jackson said he had three objections – traffic concerns, the large building being only 10 square feet under the ‘big box’ development and not being consistent with the plan for Clemmons with no residential area.
Nan Holland, a board member, said “I too am on overload, but the petitioners have done what we asked and although a big box store does not fit with our plan, I still can be persuaded. I do not want another strip mall.”
Board member Jack Ingle said he thought “the overall concept meets the village plan of making Clemmons a destination. Village Pointe is not completely developed and some two-thirds of the tract is still vacant. We do need a draw to the area, so I am supportive of the plan with some reservations.”
Dale Shew, board member, said he “partially favors the development with some concerns. I feel the developer is meeting the majority of what we want in the area plan. This center would draw residents from nearby areas.”
Norman Denny, board member, said, “Clemmons is ready for this type of development. Clemmons will patronize this center with the right tenants. However, I don’t agree with the magnitude of this development.”
Longtime resident Spencer Greene, board member, said he had lived in Clemmons 60 years. “No one has come to me to object to this center. Traffic is going to be an issue, regardless of this development. I have no problem turning this over to the Village Council.”
Ingle made the three motions for approving the rezoning, site plan and SIDA (Special Intense Development Allocation). Rezoning vote was 7-0 for approval; site plan vote and SIDA votes were 5 to 2 for approval.
Clemmons Village Council is expected to set a public hearing on this site plan review and rezoning on October 9.
In other business, the Planning Board continued the site plan review for a private school for Applied Behavioral Analysis Center of NC on the corner of Clemmons Road and Winterberry Court.