By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó With a unanimous vote of the City Council, Kannapolis is one step closer to a development at Interstate 85 and Lane Street near the shores of Lake Fisher.
The council approved a revised development agreement with Fisher Lake Farms LLC at Monday night’s meeting.
The original plan put forward by developers called for a largely residential project with townhomes and single-family units.
But the proposed residential development ó located between Interstate 85 and the reservoir, adjacent to Fieldcrest-Cannon Stadium ó drew concerns over its suitability, especially with Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast planning a standalone emergency medical facility next door.
The new development agreement makes substantial changes. There is no longer a residential component, Kannapolis Planning Director Ben Warren said.
The proposed site, dubbed “Research Commerce Park,” would be home to two hotels and class A neighborhood office space, with anticipated C-2 Commercial zoning.
Instead of a five-year build-out period, Fisher Lake Farms LLC proposes full construction by the end of 15 years.
And, in response to concerns over the lake, none of the structures would come closer than 200 feet to the water’s edge, according to the new agreement, with only limited use inside 300 feet.
But nothing is final yet. “The property owners are in the process of working out a land swap with the city of Concord to create a better use of this location,” Warren said.
Although the whole area is within the Kannapolis city limits, Concord owns an adjacent lakeside plot.
The developer wants to exchange land with the city, then have Concord’s parcel placed under a conservation easement. That would mean that no future development could happen next door to the site.
In a complex exchange, developers would be able to meet state and federal watershed restrictions by essentially getting credit for that undeveloped parcel.
“I can tell you this site plan is dramatically better than the previous site plan,” City Manager Mike Legg said. “It’s a better tax base, less demand for services, and it’s a gateway.”
Council members were still concerned over the impact a new development so close to a busy interchange would have on traffic at one of Kannapolis’ main gateways.
“That’s a lot of traffic right there,” said Councilman Ken Geathers.
Others questioned the fact that talks with Concord were not yet finalized.
Legg said the development agreement with Kannapolis could help speed the overall process.
No one spoke at a public hearing opened after discussion of the issue. The development agreement passed unanimously.
In other business, the council:
– Discussed proposals for potential energy efficiency and conservation block grant funds, including the purchase of hybrid vehicles for city departments and the use of energy-saving technology. No action was taken.
– Approved the fiscal year 2009-2010 community development block grant action plan, including plans for spending funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on public improvements in low-income parts of Kannapolis.
– Approved separately four amendments to the city Unified Development Ordinance to amend the use of certain outdoor signs and banners by businesses; change the length of time permits for certain produce vendors and peddlers; and to amend the process by which groups receive permits to hold events in temporary structures, such as tents.