Courtesy The Smithfield Weekly Sun
SMITHFIELD – Following a public hearing that drew no opposition at the August 20 meeting of the Smithfield Town Council, members present voted 5-0 to approve a special-use permit for a 94-unit townhouse project on vacant land in West Smithfield.
The 9.6-acre site is owned by Dan Heavner. Paul Embler of TerraEden Landscape & Design presented the plan, which includes extending Hartley Drive west of Coates Drive to provide access to the project. Although the site extends northward to Durwood Stephenson Parkway, no access is planned from that roadway.
Following another public hearing at the August 20 session that drew no opposition, the council agreed to rezone a 0.38-acre tract on Massey Street between Sixth and Seventh streets to allow construction of three single-family detached houses. Adams & Hodge Engineering presented that plan in behalf of the property owner, Twin States Farming (Holding family).
A third rezoning case on that evening’s agenda was withdrawn by the applicant, Samuel O’Brien, who had requested the town’s permission to construct 16 townhouses on 1.88 acres off Waddell Drive.
Council members Marlon Lee and Sloan Stevens as well as Mayor Andy Moore were absent from the August 20 session.
Town to add stormwater fees to 2025 tax bills
The amounts are yet to be determined but are likely to be as high as $72 for a typical residence and much more for commercial properties.
The Town Council decided Tuesday evening to choose annual property-tax bills rather than monthly utility bills as the vehicle for collecting the fees that will feed a Stormwater Enterprise Fund making the town eligible for Stormwater Infrastructure Investment grants from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
Town Manager Mike Scott recommended that the town ask for inclusion in state legislation that authorizes specific municipalities to collect stormwater fees in the same manner as it assesses and collects property taxes, including liens on delinquent accounts. Neighboring towns already on that list include Garner, Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon.
While exact amounts of Smithfield’s fees will be determined at a subsequent Town Council meeting, we do know that the basis will be the average amount of impervious surface measured within bounds of the town’s residential properties. KCI Engineering, a stormwater consulting firm employed by the town last year, has determined that Smithfield’s average – the town’s Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) – is 4,111 square feet.
Mr. Scott told the council Tuesday that the town’s staff is recommending a charge of $72 per ERU. Council members looked upon that as a maximum, suggesting it could be lower. And while that amount would be applied to most if not all of the town’s residential properties, it would be higher for larger commercial and industrial tracts.
Because the fee would be assessed for the first time on 2025 tax bills along with revised property-tax rates following this year’s real-estate revaluation by the county, Mr. Scott suggested the council could adjust the town’s tax rate next year to offset the additional expense of stormwater fees on Smithfield’s property owners.
Downtown Development board gets a new member
The council confirmed the appointment of Andrew Wagner of the Little Brown Jug to the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation’s Board of Directors.
VIEW the list of board members posted on the DSDC website
