BY DEBBIE PAGE
debbiepage.iredellfreenews@gmail.com
At the beginning of Thursday night’s meeting, Town Manager Ron Wyatt asked the Troutman Town Council to delay consideration of the River Rock attached ranch home development on Perth Road at the request of the developers, who could not attend this evening’s meeting.
Several residents who came to speak on the project were disgruntled at the wasted trip.
The development will now be considered at the council’s November 10 meeting, when the full complement of council members will also be in attendance. George Harris and Paul Henkel did not attend Thursday’s meeting for personal reasons.
The Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend denial of River Rock Development’s rezoning request for the project on September 26 due to concerns about increased traffic, the single development entrance, and the inconsistency of the project in this single-family home area.
River Rock Development is requesting conditional mixed residential zoning of the parcel in the 900 block of Perth Road to construct a 99-unit attached ranch home rental community. The 35 triplex structures would each contain three 2-bedroom, 2-bath units (1,300 to 1,600 square feet) targeting residents 55 and over and renting for $1,900 to $2,200 per month
Town Planner Lynne Hair said the September 20 community meeting on the project drew a standing-room only crowd that loudly protested the project, expressing complaints about traffic, the connection to the Twin Creeks subdivision, the impact on schools, the high density of the project, a lack of buffering, and the negative impact on nearby home values.
Hair does not recommend rezoning the property for the project because of the medium density land use designation for the area and the attached homes violating the Unified Development Ordinance rules for single-family home areas.
ANNEXATION/REZONING APPROVED
The council approved the rezoning of 1.17 acres at 778 South Main Street from Iredell County residential agricultural to Troutman’s highway business by a vote of 3-0.
The property is adjacent to the already approved Rocky Creek mixed-use development, approved by Town Council in December. The 54-acre phase one parcel on the west side of Highway 21, just north of the Barkdale/Oswalt-Amity intersection, plans 95 homes, 169 townhomes, and nearly two acres of commercial outparcels.
Prestige Development came back before the council in February and got approval for conditional mixed residential rezoning for Rocky Creek phase two, featuring 53 more single-family homes in a 19.5-acre walkable community on the east side of Byers Road. The neighborhood will share amenities and an HOA with phase one of the development.
This annexation and rezoning would add another acre to the commercial portion of the mixed use project.
EARLY VOTING
The J. Hoyt Hayes Memorial Troutman Library Troutman will once again serve as an early voting site from Thursday, October 20, through Saturday, November 5. The library will continue operating normally throughout this period.
Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 29, and extended voting hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the last Saturday, November 5.
Friday, October 14, is the last day to register to vote in the mid-term election.
Any registered voter in Iredell County is welcome to take advantage of any of the early voting sites, which also include the Board of Elections office in Statesville, the War Memorial Center and Lake Norman Fire Department in the Mooresville area, and North Iredell American Legion Post 113 in Harmony.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, all voters must vote at their assigned polling place. No voting will take place at the Board of Elections office on Election Day.
Citizens can check their registration status and polling place and find local election information on the Iredell County Board of Elections link at iredellcountync.gov/162/Elections. Call the Board of Elections at 704-878-3140 with any questions.
J. HOYT HAYES MEMORIAL TROUTMAN LIBRARY QUARTERLY REPORT
Branch Manager Tamra Hicks reported that from June through September, the library has been busy with numerous in-person regular and summer reading programming.
The library had 55 programs through this period, with 960 patrons attending. Of these programs, 22 were associated with summer reading with 370 youths attending. Hicks said staff members were already planning next summer’s program with the theme “Altogether Now.”
Staff distributed 1,534 “Take and Make” educational project kits for kids and adults and also received 273 writing prompt responses in the library’s “mailbox.”
Public computers continue to be popular with 535 users. A total of 21,600 visits were made by patrons, checking out 21,950 books or other materials.
The staff have also distributed 140 new library cards. “We are growing by leaps and bounds,” said Hicks.
A new book club for adults, “What Are You Reading,” has started meeting on the second Wednesday of each month from 2 to 3 p.m. Participants give a short book talk on a book they are reading, which often sparks the interest of other group member’s to read it, added Hicks.
The library is now fully staffed, with former Program Specialist Hicks taking over as branch manager in June, part-time assistant Katy Bradley moving to Program Specialist, and Deborah Icard and Stephanie Rowe as library assistants.
Rowe, a former art teacher, is doing a great job decorating the library, added Hicks.
To check out all the programs being offered for all ages, area residents can go online at https://www.iredell.lib.nc.us/194/Troutman-Branch-Library.
TROUTMAN FIRE AND RESCUE QUARTERLY REPORT
Fire Chief Wesley Morris said the department has hired eight new firefighters, six of whom are filling new positions. They will start on Monday with a roughly three-month training program before joining the trucks in January.
With these new hires, the department will have 27 firefighters as 24-hour staffers, with nine serving on each 24-hour shift. Four will be on duty at the main station, with three at the Perth Road station and two at the Pineville Road station.
The department has been answering even more calls this year. Morris expects that last year’s 2,500 will be topped by close to 3,000 calls in 2022.
Morris also reported that an agreement had been worked out with the county and neighboring departments so that new properties annexed into Troutman would then be served by Troutman Fire and Rescue.
The Station 3 upfit is moving slowly. Morris said they are waiting on Duke Energy to complete some power line relocation so the project can progress. The renovation includes living quarters and space for the new fire engine expected in January.
TROUTMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Chief Josh Watson reported his department had a 68 percent increase in calls in September over August. Most of the 337 calls were for suspicious persons or vehicles or 911 hang-up calls that had to be checked out.
The officers investigated 36 crashes, completed 50 traffic stops, and made 21 arrests last month.
The department also conducted active-shooter training for the New Perth ARP Preschool staff, also conducting a security assessment and helping develop a facility safety plan.
CATS SRO Officer Kerry Baker is organizing an event to pamper residents of My Sister’s House for the October Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The department plans a community outreach to town shut-ins over the holidays to check in and let them know the community cares.
PARKS AND RECREATION OCTOBER EVENTS
The Wicked Fast 5K for participants of all ages in their finest Halloween attire is Saturday, October 15, at 6 p.m. Registration (https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Troutman/VIRTUALWickedFast5K) will stay open through Saturday. The $15 fee includes a T-shirt and medal.
The Trails and Treats trick or treating event will be on Monday, October 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. on the Fit Trail at ESC Park.
PLANNING AND ZONING UPDATES
Town Planner Lynne Hair said the department recently approved the site plan review for the 400-unit Weathers Creek apartment complex next to Iredell Charter School. The “by right” project did not require a rezoning. She expects dirt to start moving soon.
The Troutman Logistics warehouse project is through plan review and waiting for an Army Corps of Engineers final approval to begin the project.
A new Food Lion is also in the works for Exit 42.