By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Whiteville’s Planning and Zoning Board meeting was packed Feb. 5 with residents opposed to two zoning changes.

Residents turned out en masse to protest a new type of development tentatively planned for Tram Road. A number also spoke out against a request by B&D Enterprises to change 8.5 acres near Bob White Lane from R-6 (small lot single family) to R-6 MF (Multi-family).

In the first measure, the planning board forwarded to the City Council a request to define Active Adult Retirement Communities in the city code.

The request for the new designation came from CIW Developments, which in November sought to build a new type of community, an Active Adult Retirement Community (AARC), on a plot just off Tram Road. The plan was later withdrawn, but the developer requested the city add a definition of AARCs to the code for possible later use.

At a special meeting Jan. 22, the board instructed Interim Planner Don Eggert to draft a definition of AARCs as a conditional use in R6 MF zones.

Mark Richardson and Coburn Powell, representing CIW, had requested the city allow AARCs in R12 Residential, Office and Industrial, and R6 Residential areas, but with the stricter setbacks required by R6 MF designations.

Lot sizes in R6 MF must be at least 6,000 square feet for the first structure, and 3,000 for each additional building.

The board recommended the definition be approved for use R6 and O&I with R 6 MF setbacks, but rejected allowing AARCs in the additional areas.

The board also approved requiring that an AARC provide nine specific requirements to qualify.

CIW’s original proposal offered seven features, of which an AARC would have to meet five.

The board approved forwarding the definition, but not without some reservations.

Board member Freddie Stell was just one of the members who worried such projects could change course, and be turned into subsidized housing.

“Do we have rules in our city to prevent someone from changing their mind halfway into a project?” she said. Eggert explained that if the proposed text is approved, a builder would have to meet the requirements to gain a certificate of occupancy.

“If there is a violation after the development is completed,” he said, “such as a household without one person 55 or older, then they would be forced to come into compliance or face fines and legal action.”

Crime problems in other high-density developments in town weighed heavily on the board’s minds.

“Let’s say you have 10 apartments,” Stell said, “and people in there became involved in criminal activities that cause people to be afraid. At what point can something be done?”

City Attorney Carlton Williamson explained that crime is not “a zoning issue – it’s a legal issue.”

“If there are any HUD (Housing and Urban Development) funds used for the project,” he said, “then there are rules regarding criminal activity, but that’s not a problem for this board.”
Board chairman Mary Lou Smith noted a service report from the Whiteville Police that listed 500 calls to another area housing project.

Richardson explained that by its definition, an AARC would not “turn into that kind of place.

“By restricting its use to the elderly and retired,” he said, “you avoid the kind of problems you’re concerned with.”

Richardson reminded the board and the audience that CIW was seeking the addition of a definition, not a zoning change for a specific piece of property.

He said providing rules for AARC developments in Whiteville would “give the people power” to attract new residents.

“We have an aging population,” he said, “and a lot of people are becoming disenchanted with the beach communities. They’ll be looking for somewhere new to move, and this type of community would give Whiteville a head start on attracting them.”

Richardson and Powell said their original concept called for 40 units of one and two bedroom multi-family housing. All residents would be lessees, he said.

“I don’t think the elderly and retired people we’re trying to attract would give you the kind of crime you’re worrying about,” he said.

“We need this kind of development,” Powell said. “We just want to get clear now what will be required, because it’s only a matter of time before this trend reaches Whiteville.”

Richardson explained that an AARC would fit “nicely” into the Tram Road community, due to its proximity to the hospital and shopping.

“This would be a boost to the community,” he said.

The proposed text change was sent on to the City Council with a favorable recommendation. Doug Spivey cast the sole dissenting vote.

A date has not been set for a public hearing on the new terms and a vote by the council.

Resident Phil Ward warned the planning board that “sometimes plans change.

“We were promised that Knight’s Ridge would be high-end construction,” Ward said. “Look at what’s out there now.” Ward’s family originally owned the property, which has become one of the most troublesome projects in town for law enforcement.

“I think you need to think about what’s attractive to individual homeowners,” he said. “Things change sometimes and what was promised is not always what happens.”