The Town Board approved a budget amendment Tuesday that allocates money from the affordable housing fund to help pay for administering the affordable housing program this year. Commissioners also OK’d an agreement clearing the way for a downtown farmer’s market beginning this spring, approved several minor planning ordinance amendments, and spent more than two hours discussing spending priorities for sidewalks, street repairs, road connections and traffic calming.

The board also honored about 40 citizens who completed this year’s Civics 101 program. Two sessions of the program have been running weekly for the past two months, giving residents a chance to learn the ins and outs of town government. (See related story, CLICK HERE>)

AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUDGET

The budget amendment dealing with affordable housing costs had come up last month, but was tabled after Commissioner Evan Webster raised concerns that the town was dipping into the affordable housing fund for expenses other than creating affordable housing. The fund includes money paid by developers in lieu of building affordable housing.

Town Manager Leamon Brice had requested to transfer money from affordable housing fund account into a new account to pay the salary, benefits and other expenses of the town’s affordable housing coordinator, Cindy Reid. On Tuesday, Mr. Webster was the only board member to vote against the budget transfer. A supporter of the town’s affordable housing efforts, he favors paying most administrative costs from the general fund, not from the affordable housing fund.

“Philosophically, I’d say we need to use as much as possible for affordable housing. I’m not going to support that amendment,” Mr. Webster said. The vote was 4-1. Mr. Brice and other town officials did agree, however, to look for ways to shift the administrative costs of the affordable housing program to the general fund, perhaps gradually over the next few years. One option proposed was to boost developers’ payments enough to cover administrative costs.

The town requires residential developers to provide at least 12½ percent of their housing units at prices deemed affordable for middle or lower income residents, who meet certain income limits. Dozens of units are under construction or on the drawing board right now, and should come on the market over the next few years. Ms. Reid is in charge of ensuring developers’ compliance, helping them to craft affordable housing plans, marketing the units that are built and ensuring future sales keep units affordable.

Also Tuesday, the board approved an affordable housing plan for South Main Square, a condominium project off South Main Street. It also approved an affordable housing plan amendment that adds one affordable unit at Walnut Grove, off Walnut Street. Walnut Grove now has three units.

STREETS AND SIDEWALKS

The street and sidewalk discussion was intended to help Town Manager Leamon Brice plan his budget for 2008-2009. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

But as they discussed longer-term goals, commissioners gave Mr. Brice an immediate assignment: Installing stop signs at several key intersections. That came after several Town Board members, including Brian Jenest, wondered aloud whether there was any need to wait to fix problems residents have raised concerns about recently.

Among the immediate projects, the town agreed to put stop signs at Lorimer Road and College Drive, and Catawba Avenue and Hamilton Street.

Doug Wright, the town’s new head of projects and public works, outlined priorities for street repaving and sidewalk construction. He said 8.23 miles of city streets lack sidewalks. At a projected cost of $130 per foot, the total to put sidewalks everywhere would be $6.2 million, he said.

He listed 15 high priority projects, including those requested by the Davidson Walks citizens’ committee and other citizens, which would cost just over $1 million total.

Mr. Wright also talked about the need for street repairs. Based on a consultant’s survey last year, the town has an overall pavement condition rating of 75.8, which is below the average of 81 among similarly sized communities in North Carolina.

Paving and repairing town streets to improve the town’s rating to 81 would cost an estimated $1.08 million, he said.

He also said the town needs to increase the amount it spends yearly on road repairs to maintain that rating of 81. He estimated it would cost $395,300 per year to keep town streets in repair at that level, though the town currently allocates only about $95,000.

The town has put $1 million into its capital budget for next year to undertake the repairs. But it has yet to figure out how to pay for ongoing repairs. “What worries me,” Mr. Brice said, “is how do we get from $95,000 to $395,000.”

Town board members and Mr. Leamon said they might be able to lump together several big projects and pay for it with a bond issue. That question would be decided later as the new budgets take shape.

PLANNING AMENDMENTS

Also Tuesday, the board held a public hearing and then later voted 5-0 to approve a planning ordinance amendment that would revise the language that sets the maximum height for buildings in the N.C. 73 planning area at 75 feet. According to the text of the amendment, language will be added to set the height at 75 as “measured from the point of fire department vehicle access.”

Total building heights – including steeples, parapets or other architectural features – would still have to be approved by the Design Review Board.

The board also held a brief hearing on amendments to sections 7 and 8 of the planning ordinance, which govern the process by which new developments may be proposed and approved in town. Planning Assistant Sandy Kragh outlined the changes, which clarify and spell out in a new format exactly what’s required of developers.

The changes, she said, are designed to improve communication between town staff and developers and clarify expectations.

The amendments passed 5-0.

FARMER’S MARKET

The town and organizers of a proposed downtown farmers’ market have agreed on a memorandum of understanding that will permit the farmer’s market to use an area of land beside Town Hall and behind Summit Coffee.

The farmer’s market has been organized by a group of local residents working in cooperation with Downtown Davidson Inc. Their plan is to have area farms and vendors sell produce and other items on Saturdays from May to October. (See our Jan. 23, 2008, article “Farmer’s market eyes downtown site.”)

The agreement was included on the consent agenda, which was approved without discussion Tuesday. Also on the consent agenda were minor amendments to the town personnel policy.