Council looking Tuesday at child care center, annexation, sidewalks

Published 12:05 am Monday, September 14, 2015

SALISBURY — Salisbury City Council will consider a special-use permit Tuesday to allow a child care center to operate out of a residence at 433 Willow Road.

Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 217 S. Main St. Meetings are streamed live at www.salisburync.gov/webcast.

Lamont Savage would be the owner of the child care center. The 1,971-square-foot house is located at the corner of Willow and Ashbrook roads in Westcliffe.

According to conditions of the special-use permit, business operations would be limited to daylight hours. It would have a maximum of two non-resident employees and would be limited to five vehicles on site.

The application for this child care center comes on the heels of a recent text amendment to the Land Development Ordinance to allow child care centers in residences. As defined, child care centers allow up to 15 children in a residential setting.

A minimum of 100 square feet of heated area per child must be provided, according to the ordinance, so 15 children would require, for example, at least 1,500 square feet.

The Salisbury Planning Board has recommended in favor of the special-use permit.

Savage has been licensed to provide a day care home for up to eight children since 2012 and also has a permit for a summer day camp.

In other agenda items Tuesday, council:

• Will consider the voluntary annexation of 17.69 acres of The Gables at Kepley Farm off Faith Road. The area to be annexed represents phases 2A, 3 and 4 of the subdivision.

The 42 parcels have a combined tax value of $694,443, which will generate property tax revenue of$3,438 for fiscal year 2015-16. There will be waste collection fees for 38 parcels, and the city takes over street light maintenance, which will cost between $3,492 and $4,147 annually.

• Will consider a resolution recognizing Risk Manager Richard Kelly, who is retiring after 38 years. with the city.

• Will consider a budget amendment reflecting $13,000 in donations to the Police Department. Of those, $5,000 came from the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation to fund two weeks of GREAT Camp; $2,500 from Walmart for shields and barricades related to riot gear, $5,000 from the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators Inc. for narcotics undercover equipment and $500 from Bradshaw’s Bonding Co. for confidential information funds.

• Will hear a report and hold a public hearing related to the 2014-2015 Consolidated Annual Planning and Evaluation Report for the city’s Community Development Block Grant and HOME Program funds. Highlights of the program during the past year included participation in construction of Brenner Crossing and seven home rehabilitation projects and one emergency rehabilitation. Those houses were located in several different neighborhoods, including the West End and Park Avenue areas.

• Will consider accepting Sonoma Lane, Spring Arbor Avenue and Drake Lane — all in The Gables at Kepley Farm — as city streets.

• Will consider a request from Chad Vriesema of Central Piedmont Builders to close four parking spaces during the next six months while renovations occur to 113 E. Fisher St. The sidewalk also will have to be closed for four months.

• Will consider a designated shuttle lane along Rutherford Street and on a portion of West Henderson Street. Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center has made the request to help with transporting patients and guests between two parking lots and two entrances.

• Will consider changing the scope of a 9,300-linear-foot sidewalk construction project along Jake Alexander Boulevard between the railroad tracks near Woodleaf Lanes and going toward Statesville Boulevard. Sidewalks have been proposed on both sides of the highway. The N.C. Department of Transportation pays for 80 percent of the costs, but based on current estimates, the project will exceed the city’s budget by $100,000. The city engineering department has recommended eliminating the sidewalk on the east side of Jake Alexander Boulevard, resulting in savings of $100,000.

• Will hear an update from City Manager Lane Bailey on the recent Fibrant press conference at which it was announced Salisbury was going to be a 10 gigabit city.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.