The Planning Board on Monday endorsed in concept the proposed N.C. 73 / Davidson-Concord Area Plan, which would allow for mixed-use development in some areas east of town. But the board stopped short of endorsing the specific proposals for three mixed-use “nodes” in the plan. And it offered no recommendation on proposed planning ordinance changes that would help the town implement the plan.

Property owners and other residents packed Town Hall for the 3½ hour meeting, which included 9 of the Planning Board’s 12 members.

The N.C. 73 / Davidson-Concord plan is a joint initiative by Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville and includes parts of all three towns. The study area is expected to be the a major growth corridor in the years ahead. In all three towns, current zoning is primarily rural residential, which calls for homes on large lots.

Davidson is nearing the July 10 end of a 1-year moratorium on new development in the area east and southeast of the intersection of East Rocky River and Davidson-Concord roads. The moratorium was enacted last summer as town officials sought time to plan amid mounting development pressures. (More background, text of the proposed changes and maps of the draft plan, see links at the end of this story.)

Monday night’s meeting was the latest session in a planning process that began last year. The three towns have been working with consultants and have held a series of public meetings to get input from citizens, property owners, developers and other “stakeholders.”

Map shows proposed development “nodes” in the N.C. 73 planning area, from Highway 115 on the left to Davidson-Concord/N.C. 73 intersection at right.

Town Planner Lauren Blackburn, who has been overseeing Davidson’s work on the plan, said Tuesday that the Planning Board agrees in principle with the plan, but had concerns about details in the draft plan and in the proposed planing ordinance amendments shown at the meeting.

“They recommended the concepts described in the draft plan,” Ms. Blackburn said, referring to a map in the plan that shows the locations of the mixed-use nodes that have been proposed.

“But they weren’t comfortable with talking about intensities or land-uses within the nodes,” she said. “They even had some concerns about numbers of connections to existing neighborhoods, such as River Run. In general, they support the plan, but they have a number of caveats.”

Planning Board members and some property owners expressed concern about the complexity of the plan they were being asked to consider. And Ms. Blackburn said there was discussion Monday night “about wanting to ask the Town Board to consider extending the moratorium, to allow more time to talk about the plan and the zoning.” She said the discussion was not a formal recommendation.

Planning Board chair John Chesser said the town has attempted to accomplish a lot, seeking public input and working with consultants to draft the plan in a relatively short time frame. Although the moratorium is for one year, he said, “The way we like to do things in Davidson doesn’t always conform to what you can do in a year. We’ve tried to compress it.”

He said the citizens and property owners who spoke at Monday night’s session brought a variety of opinions and ideas. “I was very impressed by the size of the group and the heartfelt, passionate feelings of the people in the area. They were very concerned about how this all worked out,” he said.

As of today (Tuesday), the timeline remains as previously planned:

• Tuesday, June 10, 7 p.m. – At its monthly meeting, the Town Board will hold a formal public hearing on the plan and the proposed zoning changes.
• Monday, June 23, 7 p.m. – The Planning Board monthly meeting will include contiued discussion of the draft plan and planning ordinance changes.
• Tuesday, July 8, 7 p.m. – The Town Board would vote on the plan and ordinance changes at its regular meeting.

If the Town Board were to decide to extend the moratorium, they could do so as early as the June meeting, Ms. Blackburn said. It’s not certain the board will do that, but Ms. Blackburn said town officials want to ensure the proposals are carefully considered.

“We want community consensus as much as possible around this decision. Whatever is necessary should be explored to make a good decision,” she said.

RELATED LINKS

Davidson town web page on the N.C. 73 area plan, including presentations, the text of proposed ordinance changes and other documents, CLICK HERE>

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

June 2, 2008, “Planning Board looks at N.C. 73 area plan tonight”

May 23, 2008, “Workshops Tuesday on N.C. 73 plan, IB school project”

Jan. 30, 2008, “Towns to show draft of N.C. 73 plan”

Oct. 27, 2007, “Planning begins for N.C. 73 area”