Taylor Clement

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Southern Pines focuses on balancing growth and conservation to maintain the town's unique character. Key areas of focus include protecting open space, promoting diverse housing options, enhancing the public realm, supporting economic vitality, and ensuring long-term financial stability. The plan emphasizes community character, infill development, and a mixed-use approach to development, aiming to create a vibrant and sustainable community that preserves its small-town feel while accommodating future growth. The plan utilizes a framework of areas to preserve, strengthen, enhance, and transform, guiding development patterns and intensities to achieve these goals.

This work session included a presentation on the Town's Water Treatment Plant receiving the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award. Action items included consideration of a written decision for PD-09-21, Morganton Park South PDP. Council updates and discussion covered police technology (Citizen Connect portal), a code amendment regarding skateboards and similar devices, NCDOT water main relocation on US-1, the street resurfacing program, and current development projects. A closed session was held for the Town Manager's annual review.

The Town Council meeting agenda includes an architectural compliance review for a whiskey distillery, action items such as introducing a community connectors group and considering a resolution for a retiring police officer, and hearings for voluntary annexation, conditional use permits, and planned development plans for various mixed-use projects. The consent agenda includes items such as setting a public hearing for a voluntary annexation, reducing a speed limit, surplussing library materials, approving agreements with NCDOT and the Town of Aberdeen, and approving sewer waivers. Minutes from previous meetings will also be reviewed.

The council meeting included public hearings on a planned development for the expansion of Legends Apartment Community, a planned development for a whiskey distillery, text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance, and the FY22 budget. Action items included the adoption of the FY 2021-2022 budget and tax rate, approval of an architectural compliance permit for Southern Pines Crossfit, a resolution awarding a badge and service weapon to a retiring officer, and a consent agenda covering various resolutions and ordinances related to annexation, funding agreements, budget amendments, capital reserve funds, code of ordinances amendments, capital project funds, impact fees, and the American Rescue Plan Act. Public comment procedures were also outlined.

The Southern Pines Town Council held a virtual meeting on March 9, 2021, to discuss various agenda items. Key decisions included the appointment of Cynthia Dowdy to the Appearance Commission, amendments to Chapter 32 of the Town Code of Ordinances, and consideration of refinancing the installment contract for the Fire Station. Public hearings were scheduled for a planned development district and a voluntary annexation of property.