AYDEN — A local church is looking to add a funeral home, a recreation center and an adult day care now that the Ayden Board of Commissioners rezoned its property to allow for expansion.
New Deliverance Church on March 11 asked the town Board of Commissioners to change the zoning for 17 acres at 4346 S, Edge Road, from residential and residential/agricultural to rural residential.
Bishop Glen Williams said the church wants to build the funeral home, a recreation center for children and an adult day care facility on the property. The proposal was opposed at the meeting and previously. Williams said he is trying to help Ayden grow and did not understand why people would oppose the development.
Jenny Garriss and Scottie Gaskins, trustees of a 20-acre parcel on the north property line nearest the church, said the rezoning could open the door for increased traffic and unrelated development allowed rural residential zoning.
“There is no guarantee that they’re going to follow through with exactly their current intent,” said Gaskins. “It could be sold, it could be changed to anything. Consider the fact that this would be the first RR zone in the town limits; is that really the precedent that you want to set?”
The board had a split decision with commissioners Cindy Goff, Sarah Connor and Johnny Davis voting in favor of the rezoning. Commissioner Brian Newell and Mayor Protem Raymond Langley opposed it. The zoning request passed.
A second public hearing was held on an amendment or removal of an ordinance regulating concession stands at the Collard Festival.
Town Manager Scott Howard said that Goff led a committee last August that researched the ordinance. Staff has since revised it to slim it down and make it easier to follow, he said.
“Anyone wishing to sell food, beverages, souvenir items, or other concessions during any town festivals or events must follow the process of the organization hosting the festival or event; that is the gist of what’s left of that ordinance and the penalty,” said Howard.
Goff said that the ordinance is several years old, and at the time it was developed the only festival the town had was the Collard Festival.
“We have since added additional festivals such as the BBQ Festival, and other events are broadening, so we want to make this open and fair for all festivals and events,” Goff said.
Sarah Coltrain, the owner of Coltrain Hardware, spoke on behalf of 15 businesses that signed a petition stating that the ordinance directly contradicts the town’s initiatives to support business and Ayden. Petitioners believe the ordinance should be removed.
“We’ve reviewed the (revised) ordinance that has been presented to you; it’s a great start moving away from a specific event. It’s moving into a town ordinance with slimmed-down guidelines, but it’s not complete,” said Coltrain.
Commissioner Connor said that the ordinance should be amended because she thinks it sets penalties that are too harsh, and that vendors should simply be asked to leave by the police if they are in violation of an event’s rules.
Police Chief David Dempsey said that without an ordinance there would be no way to enforce festival rules. Howard said that violators could just ignore the police if no enforceable rules were in place.
Collard Festival committee members Jessica Edwards and Wayne Hardy came forward to advocate on behalf of the vendors who participate at the festival. Edwards said that the ordinance helps vendors make money and protects brick-and-mortar businesses.
“The Collard Festival has been in this town since 1975; in 1992 this ordinance was added because the commissioners and committee saw a need,” said Edwards. “Since that time, it has served its purpose and met this need, and we as a festival committee feel it needs to be in place.”
The board voted to table the issue.
During the third public hearing, the board unanimously approved accepting a grant from the Division of Water Infrastructure for $1.5 million through the Community Block Grant-Infrastructure program to replace all aged sewer lines in the Woodcrest Housing Authority development.
Most Popular
Comments / 0