Davidson’s Town Board does not usually hold a work session in June, as commissioners scatter along with the rest of us for summer vacations. But with a building moratorium ending in a couple of weeks in the area east of town, the board has scheduled an extra meeting Monday, June 30, to discuss proposed zoning changes aimed at guiding development along Davidson-Concord Road and N.C. 73.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 216 S. Main St.

The board will discuss the N.C. 73/Davidson-Concord area plan, which the towns of Davidson, Huntersville and Cornelius developed over the past year, with consultants’ help and following a series of public meetings.

Much of the area is facing intense development pressure. It’s under a moratorium on new development, which was enacted a year ago to give the towns time to plan for new development. But that moratorium will expire July 10. And at least one property owner, the Mayes family, is eager to proceed with a project.

The town would like to amend the planning ordinance to allow for something other than residential development – something town officials say Davidson already has too much of. They’d like to put language into the ordinance that will ensure commercial, office, retail and other mixed-use projects will get built, so the town can broaden its tax base and achieve a better balance of development types.

The proposed rezoning came up at last Monday’s Planning Board meeting. Some officials had hoped the planning board would recommend the proposed changes. But after a lengthy discussion, including comments from property owners, the planning board ended up recommending only that planners revise language in the proposal. Planner Lauren Blackburn said the Planning Board recommended balancing requirements for open space and office development “with perceived market demand for mixed use development.”

The planning ordinance amendments remain a work in progress. After discussing the issue Monday, the Town Board could schedule a final vote at its July 8 meeting on whether to adopt the rezoning.

Meanwhile, Monday’s meeting will include one other item: a vote on a resolution that to authorize Mayor John Woods to sign an extension of the agreement that established the Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan Housing Consortium. It’s an initiative Davidson joined previously that tries to take a regional approach to solving concerns over affordable housing.

The formal agenda for Monday’s meeting is on the town website.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Previous articles about the N.C. 73./Davidson-Concord area planning process:

June 20, 2008, “Stroll on Mayes property shows concern for development.”

June 13, 2008, “On-site meeting to look at Mayes project”

June 11, 2008, coverage of town board hearing on the area plan.

June 6, 2008, “Planning board backs N.C. 73 plan, but stops short on new zoning’

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”

July 10, 2007, “Board OKs east side building moratorium”