Land use, transportation plan slides through roadblock
By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer
It has been tabled, debated, presented and presented again.
But not until recently did Columbus County Commissioners adopt a comprehensive transportation plan prepared by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The main objective of the plan is to reduce existing and projected traffic congestion and improve traffic safety.
A few commissioners were at odds over an expectation of little growth in the land use plan, which had to be adopted before the transportation plan was adopted.
The land use plan noted that substantial growth is not expected throughout the planning area with the exception of a state prison now under construction northwest of Tabor City. “The county expects past trends of minimal growth and development to continue and follow existing land use and development patterns in the future,” it further stated.
“This is contradictory to what my expectations are,” Commissioner Ronald Gore said.
County Planner Stevie Cox explained that the study had been completed over a number of years and was accurate at the time the study was underway.
“I don’t want this to come back to bite us,” Gore said.
“You’re right,” Commissioner Lynwood Norris said.
“All this is, is a bare minimum,” Commissioner Bill Memory said. “This will get us by.”
“I don’t want to just get by,” Gore declared.
“At the moment, for what we need as for getting a county transportation plan, this meets those needs,” Cox said.
“I don’t think anything listed here is going to jump up and bite you,” said Tyler Bray with the NCDOT.
Commissioner James Prevatte asked if it were possible to change the wording.
Memory pointed out that the transportation plan was based on the land use plan.
“What is written here is what we used; it is not necessarily what happened,” Bray said.
“At some point you have to have a starting point,” Cox explained.
“It’s nothing we are bound by in any way,” Chairman Sammie Jacobs said.
“If you’re adopting the maps, in a way you are adopting this report,” Bray said. The plan was unanimously adopted.
Don Eggert with the Cape Fear Council of Governments who currently serves as part time planner for the City of Whiteville calmed commissioners’ fears of adopting the transportation plan.
There was concern that the NCDOT would take part of the Riegelwood Park in expanding and widening roads in the future.
“I don’t think the DOT would come through and take park property,” Eggert told commissioners. “I’m not of the opinion this is automatically going to make (NC 87) go through Riegelwood.”
Eggert said adopting the plan was a good idea. “I think it’s a great step forward; I’m excited about it.”
