[1:00] Good evening. It's 6 p.m. I'd like to call the meeting to order. I'd like to

[1:04] welcome everyone to the Town of Leland Planning Board meeting. Please note that

[1:08] the public may videotape these proceedings at any time. At this time,

[1:12] I'd like to remind everyone to please place their cell phones on vibrate or

[1:15] turn them off so we do not disturb the business of tonight's meeting.

[1:20] First item of business. Everybody would stand for the pledge of allegiance,

[1:23] please.

[1:28] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[1:32] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[1:38] justice for all. [snorts]

[1:44] » Bless you. >> [clears throat]

[1:47] » person. >> Um, item number three, the approval of

[1:50] agenda. Does anyone have any amendments to the agenda, Mr. Whitney?

[1:54] » No, not the agenda. >> Not the agenda. Okay. [laughter]

[1:57] May I have a motion to approve the agenda as stated?

[2:01] » I'll move. >> Do I have a second?

[2:03] » Second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor?

[2:07] » I. >> Any opposed?

[2:10] Agenda's carried. Number four, approval of minutes. Does anyone have any

[2:13] amendments to the minutes? >> I have uh one comment on the meeting

[2:17] minutes of June 3rd. I was not attending the meeting. I was uh out of town. So um

[2:26] I would move that the uh minutes be uh approved as amended.

[2:32] » I have a motion. Do I have a second for that?

[2:35] » Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor?

[2:39] » I. Any opposed? Minutes are approved. [clears throat]

[2:45] Item number five, public comment. At this time, do we have anyone who signed

[2:49] up? >> There's no one signed up at this time.

[2:52] » Okay, then we can go from there. Um, >> please go ahead and continue.

[2:58] » Um, yeah, anyone has signed up to speak during the public comment prior to the

[3:01] start of the meeting may come forward after all the speakers who have signed

[3:04] up and finished. Anyone who did not sign up but wishes to provide public comment

[3:08] will have an opportunity to speak. We've had no one sign up at this point in

[3:11] time. Um is there anybody else who has wishes to speak at this time?

[3:18] All right. Seeing none, um um then at that point I think we can move on to the

[3:24] presentation item number six, quarterly update for the Leland 2045 comprehensive

[3:28] plan. Miss Thirsten will now present the update.

[3:34] » Thank you chairman, members of the planning board. Uh, I appreciate the

[3:37] opportunity to update you on the Leland 2045 plan. As you know, we do these

[3:42] updates quarterly to keep you a breast of the progress that we're making

[3:46] towards implementation of this plan. Uh, these updates will help connect back the

[3:51] work that staff is doing to the Leland 2045 plan and show you what themes we're

[3:55] advancing through the organization. So, there are six main themes that make

[4:00] up the comprehensive plan. I'll go over those briefly because most of you have

[4:04] seen these before. Um, we tie these back. We tie each action item back to

[4:09] one of these themes, but you'll note that many of the action items support

[4:13] more than one theme at the same time. Um, and so as we go through these

[4:18] updates to look at what was done and how that fits into the town's broader goals,

[4:22] we'll tie them back to the predominant theme and any any related themes that

[4:27] are applicable. So, first we have first we have the

[4:31] Westgate area mobility and safety improvements. Uh you'll recall from the

[4:35] last quarterly update that we put in the um teardrop roundabout and finished some

[4:40] pedestrian improvements in that area. Uh this update is referring to um some

[4:47] sidewalk improvements on the north side of West Gate that improves three high

[4:51] visibility sidewalk or crosswalks, ADA compliant curb ramps, updated pavement

[4:57] markings, and just general pedestrian improvements there. This connects back

[5:02] to Leland 2045 by improving pedestrian safety, multimodal access, traffic flow,

[5:08] and infrastructure reliability in one of the town's busiest commercial areas.

[5:14] Um, the next item that we have is the extension of Founders Drive from

[5:19] Settller's Village to Woodland Drive. This fills in a gap in the local street

[5:24] network, improving connectivity between neighborhoods and providing additional

[5:28] access from that neighborhood. Um, this ties back to the Leland 2045

[5:34] emphasis on connected development, multimmodal access. You'll see the

[5:37] sidewalks that were installed as part of this improvement. And generally

[5:41] resilient infrastructure.

[5:45] Not as much fun as um well, Founders Park was way more fun than Founders

[5:49] Drive extension if you haven't been out there. Um Founders Park serves as a

[5:53] central place for recreation, events, and community gathering. The

[5:58] amphitheater has so so far supported several concerts and public programs and

[6:02] the splash pad has already proven to be an extremely popular family-friendly

[6:06] amenity. Leland 2045 is about quality of life,

[6:11] investing in public spaces uh that support recreation, health, and

[6:16] com and community life.

[6:20] Back in June, town council authorized the design build of a boardwalk and dock

[6:24] by Inter Coastal Marine. Surgeon Creek Park is planned as Leland's second

[6:29] public water access with Cypress Cove Park being the first. And this supports

[6:33] the Leland 2045 goal of providing water access to natural resources, promoting

[6:39] outdoor recreation, and continuing long-term investment in parks and open

[6:43] space.

[6:47] I hope you were here along with about 3,000 other people for the Leland and

[6:51] Bloom Festival on May 16th. There were several food trucks, art vendors,

[6:56] farmers, environmental stewardship organizations, and live music. This

[7:01] event supports local economy by giving visibility to local businesses and

[7:05] organizations. And it shows how long-term planning goals translate into

[7:08] real community experiences. So this is what I was talking about how

[7:13] each of the action items for this quarterly update has a primary theme

[7:18] with the big circle and then you'll see the supporting circles on the bottom

[7:22] showing other themes that it relates to maybe not quite as directly. So you'll

[7:27] see the infrastructure projects also support safety and connectivity. Park

[7:31] and water access supports livability and infrastructure that supports community

[7:35] life. Leland and Bloom supports local activity, placemaking, and community

[7:41] identity. And this just demonstrates how Leland 2045 is an integrated framework

[7:45] for connecting town projects, partnerships, and public investments to

[7:49] long-term goals. These updates are intended to uh show progress over time

[7:54] and reinforce the comprehensive plan as an active implementation document. I'm

[7:59] happy to answer any questions you may have about any of these items or the

[8:02] Leland 2045 plan in general. Does anyone have any questions?

[8:09] » I have a comments, a couple comments to make. Um,

[8:13] I journeyied over to the concert two weeks ago [laughter]

[8:18] and it was a wonderful experience for um, a lot of folk that were there. Um, I

[8:23] think I did miss the um, um, the open the grand opening, but I heard that was

[8:29] also a big hit. And uh I think that um you might be able to get one of those

[8:35] yellow green dots up there under the Founders Park, but I because I think

[8:40] it's going to be coming a a headliner place for for other

[8:46] communities to uh come to Leland and to participate in those um concerts that

[8:52] are that were were there. Um, I believe there's one tomorrow night. And, um, the

[8:59] only thing that I've heard is that the parking is somewhat of a of an issue.

[9:05] It's too popular. You know, it's like Yogi would say, nobody goes there uh

[9:11] anymore because it's so popular. Um, but I think that um I'm sure the town is

[9:17] looking at certain options to deal with the with the parking concerns. I

[9:22] understand there there is some kind of a shuttle. I think that there's uh coming

[9:26] from the high school. Yes, sir. >> Here. And

[9:30] » um I think there needs to be um maybe some better communication in the you

[9:34] know in the town information to let people know that there are other options

[9:39] available for the for parking and to make it a um um a communitywide event.

[9:45] So, uh, I applaud the the town for its, uh, it work on the, uh, Founders Park

[9:51] and, um, I think it's a great amenity for, uh, for the entire community.

[9:57] » Thank you. And certainly, I agree that it's going to it's already a regional

[10:00] draw and it will hopefully continue that way. Um, your point about the parking,

[10:05] thank you for that, too. Uh, there is parking available at the high school and

[10:09] a shuttle to run people um, back and forth. And um our communications team

[10:14] does a really good job um explaining that on Instagram and other social media

[10:19] outlets like Facebook. So I guess they say like and subscribe or whatever to

[10:26] stay up to date on what's going on and how best to get there.

[10:29] » Thank you. I'll be there tomorrow night early. [laughter]

[10:32] » Excellent. Are there any other questions or comments? Not seeing any. I will have

[10:37] to say I think this is an excellent update and there's a lot of progress and

[10:41] it's a really good to see. Thank you very much.

[10:44] » Thank you.

[10:48] » I think we have another we have an introduction.

[10:55] » Good afternoon everybody. Uh just wanted to introduce our next speaker Drew DLA

[10:59] since this will be his first time presenting before you all. He's been

[11:01] with the town for a couple months now but uh he's originally from North Salem,

[11:06] New York. Uh he got his undergraduate in sports management from Sunny Courtland

[11:11] and later he earned his jurist doctor his JD from Elizabeth Hob School of Law.

[11:17] Uh he moved down to North Carolina and initially started working with the town

[11:20] of Oak Island doing some code enforcement and uh slowly before leaving

[11:24] there kind of transitioned over to more planning activities before he joined us

[11:28] as a planner. on uh currently he does anything from uh commercial development

[11:34] review, subdivision reviews, permitting um and helping out with a lot of other

[11:38] processes like annexations and things like that. Um we're very happy to have

[11:43] Drew. He's been a great team member from the start and we're really excited to to

[11:47] have him grow with us with the town. So without further ado, all you

[11:58] Thank you for the introduction. Good evening. My name is Drew Damela and I'm

[12:02] here to present the zoning map amendment for Brunswick County tax partial ID

[12:06] shown on the screen. >> Excuse me one second. Um Drew, does

[12:10] anyone have any conflicts of interest or disclosure statements to make on this

[12:13] item? >> No.

[12:15] » Okay. Seeing none, then we're ready to proceed. Um and this is a reasonzoning

[12:19] request to amend the US Highway 17 overlay district. Go right ahead.

[12:25] This slide addresses some of the points for consideration in their alignment

[12:28] with the North Carolina General Statute. In summary, the planning board will be

[12:32] evaluating whether the proposed zoning map amendment aligns with and advances

[12:35] the goals and vision in the adopted plan as well as whether the proposed zoning

[12:39] map amendment is appropriate for the area.

[12:43] This table shows the public notification schedule. Although there is no statutory

[12:47] requirement for planning board notification, town goes above and beyond

[12:50] by providing notice through several different channels.

[12:55] to provide you with some background of the resoning application. It was

[12:58] submitted by Branch Columbia Leland Associates. The subject parcel is

[13:02] currently classified as a shopping center located on 16.79 acres. The

[13:07] following slides will include maps to help orient yourselves on where the

[13:11] property is located. This vicinity map shows where the site

[13:16] is in relation to the area. For reference, it is across the street from

[13:19] the villages at Bronzik Forest as well as the Bronzac Forest neighborhood.

[13:26] This aerial map shows the developed land of the subject site, Leland Village,

[13:29] formerly known as Savannah Branch, and the surrounding areas.

[13:36] This map shows the existing zoning district. Site is currently within a

[13:40] commercially zoned district and that underlying designation will remain

[13:43] unchanged with the adoption of the overlay.

[13:47] The C2 zoning across the corridor, also a commercial district, further reflects

[13:52] the area's existing commercial character.

[13:57] This next map shows the US Highway 17 overlay district as a whole. For those

[14:01] unfamiliar, an overlay district is an additional layer of zoning that

[14:05] establishes supplemental regulations within a specific area. In this case,

[14:10] the overlay provides corridor oriented standards for businesses along Highway

[14:14] 17.

[14:17] This map shows a more magnified view of the US Highway 17 district in relation

[14:22] to the site. [snorts]

[14:25] And this final map illustrates how the US Highway 17 overlay district would

[14:29] appear with the subject site incorporated into the district.

[14:35] I included this comparison table to highlight allowable signage under the

[14:39] site's current zoning and the proposed US Highway 17 overlay district. The

[14:43] primary differences highlighted in bold is that the overlay district does not

[14:47] limit the number of of the total number of wall signs provided that they meet

[14:51] the applicable dimensional requirements which I will discuss next.

[14:57] This table compares the maximum allowable sign area under the site's

[15:01] current C1. Sorry. This table shows it compares

[15:05] compares the maximum allowable sign area under this site's current C1 zoning

[15:10] versus the US Highway 17 overlay district. The key differences are

[15:14] highlighted in in bold. There are two notable

[15:18] differences. First, the overlay district allows significantly more sign area for

[15:22] ground signs within combined development.

[15:25] Second, wall signage is calculated differently. Under C1, wall signage is

[15:30] limited to 55 square ft. Whereas under the overlay district, the allowable sign

[15:34] area is tied to the size of the building. As a as a result, a larger

[15:38] sign can accommodate more total wall signage.

[15:43] I'll provide a brief example on how signage is calculated within the US

[15:47] Highway 17 overlay district using this example shown on the screen. First,

[15:51] you'll need to calculate the linear feet of the building perimeter. In this

[15:56] instance, it is 400 linear feet. Next, it will be 75% of that, which equates to

[16:03] 300 square ft. That is the total allowable signage on the building. Now,

[16:08] you are capped off at 10% of the wall of a singular wall. So, with this

[16:12] calculation, that is roughly 200 square ft. So, you are permitted to have 200

[16:18] square feet on one wall. Whereas, if this same building was in the C1 zoning

[16:22] district, you'd only be permitted to have 55 square ft.

[16:27] This last table compares the maximum sign heights allowed in each zoning

[16:31] district. The key differences highlighted in bold apply to ground

[16:34] signs. Individual business signs can be 2 feet taller in the overlay district,

[16:39] while the combined development signs can reach 28 ft compared to just 8t in the

[16:43] C1 zoning district. Transitioning into our consistency with

[16:48] the town adopted plans, the proposed resoning aligns with the Leland 2045's

[16:53] vision for a livable, diverse, and connected neighborhood that accommodates

[16:57] growth as the overlay district would provide a greater flexibility for

[17:01] development and signage along the major commercial corridor.

[17:06] The applicant had a presentation prepared but is unable to present this

[17:09] evening due to an illness. Okay, if I could interrupt you for a second, I

[17:13] failed to mention exactly how this procedure goes. This is a public

[17:17] hearing, so we've heard now from staff and you mentioned that the applicant uh

[17:21] is not here at the moment. No sir. >> Um so we then would hear comments from

[17:25] any members of the public that have signed up to speak. First from anyone in

[17:28] support of the proposal, then from anyone in opposition to the proposal and

[17:32] public comments limited to three minutes per person. After all public comments,

[17:36] staff will complete the presentation and the board will deliberate. Um so

[17:41] therefore if there is no um applicant presentation at this time anyone who has

[17:45] signed up prior to the start of this meeting to speak directly about the

[17:48] action today may come up and speak and after all registered speakers have

[17:52] finished. Anyone did not sign up but wishes to provide comment will have an

[17:55] opportunity to speak. Do we have anyone signed up?

[17:59] » No sir >> we don't. Is there anyone out in the

[18:01] audience that even though they didn't sign up wishes to say something?

[18:05] All right. Seeing none. Um, that's in support or in opposition.

[18:11] Okay, then I guess we're probably ready for deliberation.

[18:16] » Yes. So, questions. >> So, staff recommends approval and

[18:19] suggests a motion to recommend council approve the zoning map amendment

[18:23] presented. >> So, in front of you are four potential

[18:26] determinations regarding the resoning request. Thank you for your time.

[18:32] So before we go into questions, uh, everyone here has received a document

[18:37] which shows you all the options we have available to us. Uh, in case you have

[18:41] any questions, please refer to that. And so at this point in time be our

[18:45] deliberation. Does anyone have any comments or questions they'd like to

[18:49] make? >> I have a question about the height.

[18:54] So, if I'm understanding this correctly, that a ground sign

[19:01] can be as high as 28 ft. >> Yeah. In combined development. And that

[19:09] is to emphasize the ability to see the sign as they are driving on a commercial

[19:14] uh road. >> I was just trying to visualize 28 feet

[19:18] versus 8 feet. Um, which is interesting. And I guess I'm

[19:23] asking this for a purely selfish reason because the entrance to this new

[19:29] development is directly across the street from where I live. And um, it's

[19:34] really interesting to be able to drive out and have one visual and then when

[19:40] the signs go up, you drive out and you have another visual. So, we don't we

[19:45] will not have any control over how high the sign will be. We do not have a any

[19:50] control other than the fact that there is a cap of 28 feet in that zoning

[19:54] district. >> Okay.

[19:57] » Okay. Um >> but it's still limited in total area. So

[20:01] that if it may be 8 28 ft high, it can't go all the way to the ground, right?

[20:05] It's there's a a formula that says that it has to be what? 200 square feet or or

[20:12] some maybe I'm wrong on the number, but >> two um

[20:16] » 210. >> Yeah. So you are capped at 210 square

[20:20] feet of the sign itself. That is just the height that can go up to 28 ft

[20:25] » if it's that proportion. >> Yes, sir.

[20:28] » Right. >> Whatever is proportionally able to fit

[20:31] in that 210 square footage. >> Okay.

[20:35] » Does it say, did I miss it? Um how many ground signs they may have?

[20:44] » One per frontage. Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. So that and and that is the

[20:47] same delineation from C1 to US Highway 17 overlay district. So that is not

[20:52] changing regarding this determination.

[20:57] » That's one sign per each if they're broken up into multiple

[21:06] uh shops for example each one can have one sign.

[21:10] » That is for individual businesses. Yes sir.

[21:12] » Right. Right. But something like the let's say in the

[21:16] case of Publix which is a much bigger business

[21:20] » they still are limited by the same formulas.

[21:22] » Yes sir. >> As the other one but only one per

[21:27] business. >> Yes sir.

[21:32] » Would that then a sign on public be considered a wall sign?

[21:37] » Do you mind repeating that? I apologize. >> Would that would that what Mr. Whitney

[21:42] was just talking about, would that be considered a wall sign? Like where it

[21:45] says Lowe's or Publix on there. Would that be considered a wall sign?

[21:49] » Wall signs are only if they are affixed to the building itself.

[21:53] » Correct. So, as I understand it though, there's no maximum if that's correct on

[21:56] this one. Wall sign says uh they uh under C1 is one per building frontage.

[22:02] Now, it's no maximum. Is that correct? >> So, that is correct. However, based off

[22:06] of this calculation, that is the determination for the amount that can be

[22:10] placed. So there's no cumulative number that could be placed. However, there's a

[22:15] square foot maximum that could be placed.

[22:19] » Um could you go back to um showing us uh the the area that is being included in

[22:25] this? >> Okay. The site. So there really would be

[22:28] what would be considered frontage? Just 17.

[22:33] » Yes, sir. >> Okay.

[22:38] How about the the road coming up on the u

[22:43] was it Kingsway or Kingsbridge or whatever it's called

[22:47] you know on the left side or the right side

[22:50] » Leland Village Road. >> Yeah. Well, the extension of uh

[22:54] Brunswick Forest I think it's King something or other Kings Bridge or

[22:59] » it's more. So, as that road comes up past the the

[23:05] site, is that that's considered frontage?

[23:07] » On the picture we're looking at now, I think he's Mr. Whitney is requesting is

[23:11] it not just the the 17, but would it also include the blue line on the right

[23:16] hand side, which um which would be the access into this area. Is that a

[23:21] frontage? >> So, it could be considered frontage. It

[23:24] all depends how the how the layout of the building and everything else is on

[23:27] there. Now, mind you, that Kingsbridge, it's no longer that name, but it's

[23:30] formerly known as Kings Bridge. I can't remember the name off the top of my

[23:33] head. >> Um, that is not included as part of this

[23:36] UI highway overlay district request. >> So, that would not be able to

[23:40] essentially do a 8 foot or 28 foot sign in regards to that.

[23:44] » So, going back to a question regarding like individual business can have a

[23:49] ground sign versus a 28 ground um 28 foot combined development sign. If you

[23:55] on a combined development sign, then you are not able to have a individual sign

[24:00] itself. So you either have one or the other. Good. And then each parcel can

[24:05] only have one ground sign in regards to that. So let's say Publix chose to have

[24:10] its own ground sign at on that parcel. >> No other uh business would be able to

[24:15] have that. So typically they work together in terms of saying, "Hey, let's

[24:20] all have a combined development sign to have that." So it won't have a plethora

[24:24] of individuals ground signs plus a large 28 foot high sign.

[24:31] » Does the town get to have ability to suggest or demand where a a 28ft ground

[24:38] sign would be located? >> That is completely up to the discretion

[24:42] of the applicant. >> That's a very

[24:45] » as long as it is out of the designated site triangle.

[24:50] Other [snorts]

[24:52] questions? So just understanding that this is a zoning

[24:59] request and we're not supposed to talk specifics but to use an example

[25:05] this would be similar to I think if you go back to

[25:10] so when we're talking about the area Lowe's home improvement that

[25:18] something that's come in front of us recently

[25:21] » we would be talking similar to where Chick-fil-A has a sign on their building

[25:28] but doesn't have signage in the same sign where Lowe's Home Improvement does.

[25:34] That meets that example, right? If they have a sign on the building, it's not

[25:39] necessarily going to be on the larger sign.

[25:47] » Yeah. So in that specific example, um,

[25:51] everyone is going to allow be allowed to have wall signs, any business. All

[25:55] right, that's taken by its tenant space. All right, so Chick-fil-A does have a

[26:00] wall sign. Now, mind you, Chick-fil-A does also have a ground sign, but

[26:04] they're also not part of the Leland Town Center,

[26:07] » okay, >> development, but to use that example,

[26:09] the Leland Town Center, that will give you an example of a size sign that would

[26:13] be permitted across at this location here. And then if you've noticed all the

[26:18] other tenants have their own small combined development signs on those

[26:22] inville, we'll say strip mall parcels, right? So like the Starbucks and the

[26:26] firehouse subs, they have their own smaller one that's allowed on that

[26:31] parcel, but they are not allowed to be back onto that larger combined

[26:34] development sign. So that space is probably reserved more so for those

[26:39] properties that are more behind that don't necessarily have the road frontes

[26:42] on US Highway 17. So again, each individual business will be permitted to

[26:48] have a wall sign based upon the the the calculations that are on the screen that

[26:52] Drew had presented to you, but there may be some limitations on what ground signs

[26:57] they would be allowed whether to all to have one individually or to be on that

[27:00] combined development side. >> Okay. So I I think I agree with you,

[27:05] Barbara. It's kind of hard visualizing a signage, but I think that's not

[27:12] necessarily what they will build, but is it an example of

[27:17] something that could be built? >> That's correct. Yeah, the parameters the

[27:22] 210 square ft for that entire sign and the maximum height is 28. It could be

[27:27] lower, it could be smaller than square footage. It's all depends on what the

[27:31] developer wants in terms of that. >> Okay,

[27:36] » other questions or comments?

[27:42] Um my only other comment would be that having been in the retail business for

[27:46] quite a while um I find this frankly to be rather typical um that you'll find in

[27:52] many new developments. That's my own personal opinion. Um so then at this

[27:57] point and uh would anyone like to make a motion?

[28:01] I'll make a motion to recommend council approve the proposed resoning to include

[28:07] the subject parcel within US Highway 17 overly district as presented by staff.

[28:13] » Do I have a second? >> Second.

[28:16] » Any discussion? All those in favor?

[28:20] » I. Any opposed? Seeing none, it's carried. Thank you very much. Thank you,

[28:24] Mr. Dilla. >> Thank you. I appreciate your time.

[28:28] » Item eight, discussion topics. Mr. Andrea will now begin the discussion.

[28:35] » Thanks. Good evening, planning board members. Nice to see you. Uh back in

[28:40] June in your agenda packet, you received the draft of article 4 for the unified

[28:46] development ordinance that we're working on. This [clears throat] is the article

[28:49] that includes the zoning map and the zoning districts that the town would

[28:53] have on adoption of the UDO. um July we did not have a meeting so

[29:00] we're this is on the topic for discussion tonight just want to go over

[29:04] at a high level what this article includes some of the rationale behind it

[29:11] generally speaking as I mentioned this sets out all of the zoning districts

[29:14] that would be included in the UDO so some of those we currently have some of

[29:18] them would be new zoning districts this article also would create what we call

[29:23] legacy districts we have a uh zoning districts that essentially we

[29:28] would want to retire as far as them being an option to be applied to

[29:32] properties moving forward after the adoption of the UDO specifically that

[29:36] those include the multif family district C1 2 and three which are are our three

[29:42] commercial districts and the residential excuse yeah yeah residential

[29:47] manufactured home district so essentially any property that's zoned

[29:51] with any of these districts could stay zoned that zoning district, they could

[29:56] still do what is allowed under the current regulations. Uh but no

[30:02] new application of those zoning districts would apply moving forward.

[30:06] Part of the reason for that is that we're in an interesting time trying to

[30:11] write this ordinance and update our development regulations with some of the

[30:15] constraints at the uh state statute level. And so it's easier just to say

[30:21] you can have what you have now, but moving forward here are your new

[30:24] options. Um, this is a way to not create nonconformities, but also to allow for

[30:30] us to have updated development standards applicable to new zoning districts

[30:34] moving forward. any zoning district moving forward would be at the option of

[30:40] um sort of at the behest of the property owner through a reszoning request or

[30:45] through the application of an initial zoning at the time a property is annexed

[30:50] into the town.

[30:54] Similarly, the residential manufactured home district. We would like to offer

[30:59] that manufactured homes be allowed in some of the lower density um residential

[31:04] districts and not have a zoning district specific to uh residential manufactured

[31:10] homes. We currently have three uh zoning zoning

[31:17] districts that are strictly for excuse [clears throat] me for residential

[31:20] purposes. R six, R15, and R20. We'd like to fill in the gaps with four new

[31:25] residential districts. Uh between the three existing and the four new ones, we

[31:29] would have a pretty comprehensive suite of residential zoning districts

[31:34] that could be chosen from. This would offer a

[31:39] breadth of uh variation as far as the densities that would be allowed. Also

[31:45] with the UDO all density all density would always be

[31:52] um sort of administered through performance standards. So currently

[31:57] right now the only performancebased way we control density is in the R six

[32:03] zoning district. What that means is that in R six there's an option to say you

[32:08] can have up to seven units an acre. seven units an acre and the dimensional

[32:14] standards are relaxed or don't exist versus in an R15 or R20 the mandate is

[32:21] that you have a 15,000 square foot or 20,000 square foot lot size minimum. So

[32:27] moving away from that sort of old way to manage density and moving towards the

[32:32] option for performance-based density in all zoning districts. What that offers

[32:36] is more flexibility in site design which can provide benefits in putting areas

[32:41] that are uh either in the flood zone or maybe have some environmental

[32:45] constraints. not forcing development or not forcing prop private property to

[32:50] include those areas and instead offering a neighborhood to be sort of designed

[32:58] around those areas and that those areas become common space andor preserved open

[33:04] spaces

[33:07] with all of these zoning districts the residential and the commercial

[33:12] districts. Um, we are writing into the ordinance some guidance for what

[33:18] classifications from the Leland 2045 plan would be more most appropriate for

[33:23] these districts. Uh the idea there is that when the 2045 plan was written, it

[33:29] was written in a way to identify areas of the town with both uh on one end of

[33:35] the potential development spect spectrum of hey, it should probably just be left

[33:39] alone due to its environmental constraints all the way up to areas that

[33:43] are identified as the most um the areas with the highest development

[33:49] potential. And so those are the areas that we want to see used to their

[33:53] highest and best use. What that can help us do is combat the

[33:59] effects of sprawl. It can help us maximize a return on public investment

[34:03] on things like streets, public utilities, and infrastructure. So if we

[34:08] can target density and higher intensity development into areas that we've

[34:13] identified in the land use plan as appropriate for those areas, it

[34:17] alleviates pressure on development for areas that were identified as uh maybe

[34:22] have some constraints or maybe should be left alone from a development

[34:25] perspective. I talked about retiring the three

[34:28] commercial districts. What we would do in their place is to essentially

[34:32] establish three new uh commercial districts.

[34:36] um tailored based on the uh sort of the si both the size and the

[34:43] intensity of the non-residential development. So the idea there is to

[34:48] locate smaller scale more neighborhood scale uses closer to residential areas

[34:53] versus things like a shopping center probably should be u

[34:59] more carefully thought out about where they're located. So again, three three

[35:05] uh non-residential districts to replace the ones that would be retired.

[35:11] Also wanted to mention this article would include the flex code districts.

[35:15] Um we went through a pretty long and um involved effort into evaluating our flex

[35:21] code over the past couple years. don't anticipate any major changes to that,

[35:25] but because they are zoning districts, we want to include them into this

[35:28] chapter versus in a standalone chapter as they are now in the code of

[35:32] ordinances. We also would include the conservation

[35:36] district. Um and then finally the US Highway Overlay District which was the

[35:42] subject of the uh of the case before this discussion item. We would propose

[35:49] to essentially get rid of that and write the allowances for the signed codes that

[35:53] would come about as part of being included in in that overlay district to

[35:58] just be allowed instead of having individual properties have to come and

[36:02] request this resoning to be included into this special overlay district to be

[36:07] able to get those special sign regulations.

[36:12] with that. Uh, what kind of comments do you have or questions that I may be able

[36:16] to answer? >> I I I would just like to know or have an

[36:22] example of a neighborhood business service versus a community business and

[36:28] service because to me it's kind of close there. So, do do you have any examples

[36:33] current examples in Leland? >> Uh, in Leland maybe not so much, but

[36:38] more hypothetical examples if that's okay. I would consider a neighborhood

[36:44] um business to be more like your your corner coffee shop in whereas instead a

[36:50] community uh business may be it may still may be a coffee shop but it might

[36:55] it is probably larger in scale and it may have some incillary service. Maybe

[36:59] they roast their own beans or offer uh they have maybe they have a restaurant

[37:04] associated with it. So things that are more neighborhood oriented, I think you

[37:09] can think about that they're things that you might

[37:13] involve or include in your day-to-day activities.

[37:19] » How would live work situations fit into this?

[37:24] We [clears throat] the actual uses that are allowed in each of these zoning

[37:29] districts are going to be part of the upcoming chapter that we're still

[37:33] working on, article 5. Um, when we talk about live work, there's

[37:39] kind of two things that can be talked about there. One being either a home

[37:43] occupation or one being a place where someone could live in their business, so

[37:50] to speak. The home occupation um is actually been made pretty easy for

[37:55] us because in the most um there was some statutes passed recently that uh gave

[38:02] some uh some mandatory guidance on how local jurisdictions should approach home

[38:07] occupations. So we'll essentially mimic that as far as the ability to live in a

[38:13] residential unit. That's something that we still would would need to to work

[38:16] through. [clears throat] Glad to take any feedback if there's any

[38:20] thoughts that you may have as we're thinking about that.

[38:23] » So, next question is, do you have an example of a legacy district in Leland?

[38:28] » No, there's not any legacy districts currently in Leland. This is something

[38:32] that's um a little bit unique. It has been done in at least one other place.

[38:39] Um, but again, the idea is that

[38:45] I'll say it in a different way that I said it earlier. We are in a position

[38:50] where we run the risk of running a foul of the downzoning law if we try to make

[38:57] changes to these existing districts that would create nonconformities.

[39:02] » And so this is the the way around that that issue. So there there aren't any

[39:08] legacy districts in the town currently. >> Is that one last thing? It has to do

[39:12] with the flex code districts. >> Um I guess my question is why are there

[39:18] so many? Because you have rural, suburban, general urban, general urban,

[39:23] open, urban center, urban core.

[39:30] I mean are they truly that specific in nature?

[39:34] » They are. They they all serve a unique purpose. Uh in the flex code, those

[39:38] districts are associated with the rural to urban uh trans spectrum. Um I could

[39:46] invite Mr. Watts up here and he could probably talk for an hour if you all

[39:49] wanted to hear about that. But they all have some very uh unique and different

[39:55] allowances and restrictions >> which ultimately collectively get to

[40:01] this idea of the rural to urban uh transex spectrum

[40:06] » and they could be in close proximity to each other.

[40:09] » They generally are. So with those individual transexs

[40:15] uh I'll use the the gateway district the area around here as an example. um

[40:25] most of those not not all those in this case in the gateway district but there

[40:29] there's the applicability of those transexs kind of moving out from an

[40:34] urban core in the gateway district. So there is

[40:38] within any new uh flex code area there has to be a certain allocation

[40:46] um that's thought about as far as how many what acreage and in what proximity

[40:51] these different transcts work together. >> Okay.

[40:56] I I think my take on that was >> flex code is specific and that's a

[41:03] recent update that we've undertaken and from my reading of this I think we're

[41:08] moving more towards that specificity instead of broader zoning.

[41:13] » That that's a great way to to look at it. So with the spectrum of residential

[41:19] zoning districts that we're proposing um it gives us that predictability as

[41:25] something is coming in to know what the range of density is going to need to be

[41:31] developed on a particular property. So it's in some ways similar to the

[41:34] transexs.

[41:38] » Other questions? A followup on the live work. Um you say

[41:43] that you're working on something with that just a thought is that you've got

[41:48] here minimums and maximums as units in residential

[41:53] » and when someone begins the live work past experience I've seen it has a

[41:58] tendency if it works if that that is a successful kind of idea they can grow

[42:03] off each other and I just question how is that going to fit within your minimum

[42:08] maximums if if if you see I'm not suggesting you have an answer to that

[42:11] now, but something you to think about because it's like success breeds success

[42:17] » and so you may have one which has a minimum number of units and suddenly you

[42:21] have more people who want to do things and I'm just just something you have to

[42:24] think about if it's going to grow into something. I don't know if it will or

[42:26] won't. >> Sure. But but

[42:28] » sure I I if I'm thinking of live work units as the same way in the same way

[42:34] that you are I would imagine those being more in the non-residential districts

[42:39] where these max fine because I was thinking since it's got the live

[42:44] component might be split into the residential right

[42:47] » makes sense. One one other thing. Could you speak to

[42:53] » uh the conditional zoning >> and and having that as part of each of

[42:59] these as well? >> Yes, thanks for pointing that out. Uh we

[43:02] do have a conditional pro zoning process. Now, a conditional zoning

[43:05] process uh is somewhat rare. I think this board has seen a few. That's a

[43:11] process where an applicant proposes to change the zoning district, but is

[43:16] proposing to change it in a way that is conditioned based on a site plan and

[43:20] then sometimes some additional conditions that may accompany uh their

[43:24] proposal. So, every zoning district that we offer, we also want to offer the

[43:31] conditional counter part to that. And so the benefit there is that it provides

[43:36] even more specificity than we're kind of building into this UDO in in so far as

[43:42] to provide a site plan or a a sketch of the subdivision or whatever the proposal

[43:47] may be. So that this article also includes that um and sort of authorizes

[43:53] that as an option.

[43:59] » Any other comments or questions? Thank you.

[44:03] » Okay, thanks very much. Um, we're getting into the next couple of uh

[44:08] chapters which are pretty complicated, so bear with us as we continue to work

[44:13] on those. When we feel that they're ready to come to you, we'll bring them

[44:17] to you. >> Thank you.

[44:19] » Thank you. >> U, that was item eight. Item nine, old

[44:22] new business. Does anyone have any old or new business they wish to bring up

[44:25] and discuss? [clears throat]

[44:29] Seeing none. Um, >> can I speak to some new business real

[44:32] quick? >> Oh, of course.

[44:33] » Yeah. Um, [clears throat] so we had a meeting uh planning staff and the

[44:37] clerk's office today and talk about some uh potential educational and training

[44:41] opportunities that for the planning board. Um, before we offer any

[44:45] suggestions uh for for something you guys may want to do, we want to hear

[44:47] from you. So, um, hopefully you can take some opportunity uh this week. Adam's

[44:52] going to send an email out here uh within the next week or so to ask what

[44:57] type of things you want to learn about whether it's our processes or anything

[45:00] zoning related or anything that might benefit you as a planning board member.

[45:04] So, um please consider that uh and we'll follow back up with you regarding that

[45:09] based upon your answers. >> Great. Thank you. Any other new or old

[45:14] business? Seeing none, then planning staff to present the monthly reports.

[45:20] So, um, give you a little update what's going on here. So, on July and August

[45:24] town council meetings, uh, there wasn't any applications that you had any

[45:27] actions on or recommendations on. Uh, just want to make pass that forward. Um,

[45:32] however, just for some, uh, sneak preview, there was some movement um,

[45:36] with some annexations. If you did not recall, the general statute um, sorry,

[45:41] the the state has provided us some um, annexation powers again. So we have

[45:48] started the initial process to bring in some of those properties into the town

[45:52] that started last town council meeting. How your role fits into the annexation

[45:56] process. You will be able to provide us um a recommendation for the initial

[46:00] zoning u before it goes to town council. So not necessarily the annexation

[46:04] itself, but what be the best appropriate um zoning district um after an

[46:08] application from that um from the parcel owner as well as planning staff's

[46:13] recommendations. So something to be aware of the next couple meetings. next

[46:17] few months, uh, they'll be coming towards you. Um, going into some

[46:21] numbers, we'll go into June and July since we didn't have meeting last month.

[46:24] Um, we had, um, June building permits, uh, 242.

[46:29] Uh, we had 77 single family homes and town houses permits as well. The second

[46:33] one was the mechanical change out of which could be expected with the

[46:36] temperatures going on. Uh, we had just short of 3,000 inspections and the value

[46:41] of construction was 27,714 plus. in July. A little bit higher in

[46:47] our permits with 285, [clears throat] excuse me, with 113

[46:52] single family residential homes and town home permits with 50 mechanical change

[46:56] outs,

[47:03] [clears throat] excuse me. Um, total inspections were a little bit higher as

[47:06] well with over 3,200. Uh, value construction was very similar to the

[47:10] month before, just over uh just short of 28 million. um give you some highlights

[47:15] on some recently approved plans. These are obviously plans that you have seen

[47:18] through the TRC approval. Uh there was definitely more plans than I'm going to

[47:22] say, but I'm not going through the minor modifications or slight modifications

[47:26] you've seen from approvals. So, the Taco Bell off of New Point in front of

[47:29] Walmart was approved. Um the uh 1,500 800 I'm sorry, 15,800 mixeduse retail

[47:36] building that's off of Westgate Drive next to the self self storage business

[47:40] was also approved. Uh and the 20,000 plus square foot retail and office space

[47:45] off of old regent way next to the custom home furniture outlet was also approved.

[47:49] So those are those recent approvals that have gone through the planning staff.

[47:53] Other than that, that's pretty much all I have. Um all the other reports

[47:56] including the transportation report is in your packet. Um any questions or

[48:00] comments? I'd be glad to try to address any.

[48:02] » You mentioned um the ability to do annexations. Now um could you briefly

[48:07] mention what kind of limitations, if any, have been put on that?

[48:10] » Sure. Um, if I recall correctly, it's everything that uh any part property

[48:15] that the town of Leland owns or it's also any applications that we have

[48:20] received prior to July 1st of this year that are no more than three

[48:26] is it three miles? I'm getting confused from from the previous language, but

[48:30] there's a geographical limitation of how far we can go, but the application had

[48:34] been received prior to that July 1 um adoption date. So, um, those are pretty

[48:40] much the limitations that we have. So, we can't

[48:42] » So, after July 1st, >> we cannot annex those properties at this

[48:46] time. >> Thank you.

[48:50] » Other questions? Um, >> yes, Mr.

[48:52] » The uh the property there next to Lowe's, it was a sports center. It seems

[48:57] like it's closed. Is there any uh discussions about what's going to happen

[49:02] with that property? >> Um, are you talking about Lowe's

[49:04] hardware? >> Yeah. where the um

[49:06] » I think O2 fitness >> um I am not aware of any um new

[49:11] businesses going in there at this point applications.

[49:15] » Okay. >> No, unaware.

[49:16] » People have asked questions. I >> Yeah, I don't know the status on that.

[49:21] » Okay. Anything else? And item 11 is

[49:25] adjournment. Do I have a motion to adjurnn the meeting?

[49:29] » So moved. >> Do I have a second?

[49:31] » Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? I

[49:35] » I any opposed? Then the next regular meeting of the planning board will be

[49:38] held September 22nd um at 6 PM right here.

[49:43] » Thank you.

Planning Board - 25 Aug 2026

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