Weaverville – Wanting to control development outside its town’s limits, the Weaverville Town Council passed a resolution designed to do just that at Tuesday night’s monthly workshop (Dec. 13th). The resolution establishes five growth areas outside the town limits and what the council wants to see in those areas if developers want water from the town.
Development control used to be accomplished with an extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but since involuntary annexation was taken away from towns and cities by the state legislature, the ETJ was also removed. At the meeting, Town Planner James Eller explained to the board that in his 15 years in planning, there are only two ways to make developers and landowners want to voluntarily be annexed: water and fewer regulations on the developers.
With that in mind, the council members went on to pass the resolution, which Vice Mayor Jeff McKenna called a “soft ETJ.” The resolution states that it “…provide some guidance to staff, developers, and the general public…” It goes on to say, “managing growth by extending municipal services makes sense and annexation of properties ensures that new development is built to Town of Weaverville standards…”
While the resolution does not come out and say you “have” to build the way outlined in the resolution, it does say, “…the Town wishes to indicate its willingness to consider the voluntary annexation of the properties included within these growth areas and to inform the public of the types of development that the town believes is consistent with its Comprehensive Land Use Plan and reasonable when considering thesurrounding area…” The resolution also uses wording like “The Town is likely to favorably consider voluntary annexation petitions received for the properties shown within these growth areas.”
The five areas outlined in the resolution
The council reviewed the resolution and the areas involved, making minor tweaks to the descriptions of a couple of the areas. The areas outlined as potential growth areas include Gill Branch Valley Area, Monticello Road West Area, Ollie Weaver Road Area, I-26 Corridor, and Reems Creek Road Area.
In Growth Area 1 [Gill Branch Valley Area] – the council is recommending the following types of development: mixed-use development; single-family residential development; duplexes; townhouses; multifamily development; and commercial development (especially those supporting residential neighborhoods such as small general retail, restaurants, and professional services).
In Growth Area 2 [Monticello Road West Area] – the council is recommending the following types of development – mixed-use development, single-family residential development, duplexes, townhouses, and commercial development (especially those supporting residential neighborhoods such as small general retail, restaurants, and professional services).
In Growth Area 3 [Ollie Weaver Road Area] – the council is recommending the following types of development – single-family residential development, duplexes, and commercial development (especially those supporting residential neighborhoods).
In Growth Area 4 [I-26 Corridor] – the council is recommending the following types of development – commercial development (especially medical services such as healthcare facilities and medical offices, small general retail, restaurants, and hotels). The council changed the original wording from “large general retail” to “small general retail.”
Finally, in Growth Area 5 [Reems Creek Road Area]- the council is recommending the following types of development – mixed-use development, single-family residential development, duplexes, townhouses, multifamily development; commercial development (especially those supporting residential neighborhoods such as small general retail, restaurants, and professional services).
Additional hoops for developers to jump through
Along with the individual, detailed descriptions of the types of development the council wants to see for the five areas, the town also said in the resolution, “The following is valued, and as proposed development is considered on these properties, the Town would like to see an emphasis on:
Great streets and gathering places, where the pedestrian is prioritized;
Connections between adjoining developments and gathering places;
Walkability through the installation of sidewalks, greenways, and other multi-modal trails, especially those that will connect to the existing or planned pedestrian network within Weaverville;
Preservation of natural spaces for public use;
Establishment of open spaces that provides recreational opportunities in the form of greenways, playing fields, and/or playgrounds;
Protection of streams and creeks;
Preservation of mature trees and planting of street trees;
Landscape buffering and screening to protect views;
Reduction of stormwater runoff, which threatens our water quality;
Energy conservation measures, such as EV charging stations and solar;
Inclusion of commercial uses that support compatible development.