Good morning! It has been a few days since my last post, and for that I apologize. We have been busy over the past 2 weeks with a number of exciting projects that necessitated evening meetings. That has reduced my time allowance for posting information to the blog site.
As the Jamestown News reported, the Town hired Hilary Greenberg of Greenberg Development Services to give us a rundown on the health of our business community. Originally, this was to be a collaborative effort between the Town and the Jamestown Bussiness Assocation (JBA). While we had a good turnout for the individual interviews (many thanks to Martha Wolfe for her help in getting that set up for us!!!!), I was a little disappointed that more folks did not show up for Hilary's presentation on Wednesday evening. Often, the Town is accused of being "difficult" when it comes to businesses. I suppose I hear that more often than most becuase of my job as the "Enforcement Officer", though. However, when the Town does attempt to open the channels of communication, it is discouraging to see such a meager turnout! I hope we can correct these issues in the future! Hilary's report on the "health" of our business community will be coming soon. I will make sure a digital copy is posted on our website. Stay tuned!
On Tuesday, our Town Council adopted the 2008-2009 budget, which begins on July 1. The Planning Dpeartment has outlined several goals that I would like to see completed in the upcoming fiscal year:
-- Complete a Deep River Paddle Trail/Greenway Plan
-- Complete the Development Ordinance Rewrite
-- Complete the Tree Preservation Ordinance
-- Complete a Pedestrian Master Plan
-- Complee a study of our Downtown areas with Greenberg Development Services
-- Acquire neighborhood park lands and re-apply for a PARTF grant (to develop)
-- Complete the expansion of our ETJ
-- Investigating the possibility of annexations
If you have specific questions about any of these tasks, I would encourage you to contact me at 336.454.1138 or mjohnson@jamestown-nc.gov.
Have a great weekend!
6.20.2008
6.05.2008
Birthday "Surprise"
This is what your co-workers do to you when: 1)You are responsible for enforcing the Town's sign ordinance; 2)Election "season" just passed; 3)It's your birtday; 4)All of the above.
Yes...my office was plastered with old election signs as a "birthday surpise". So, as you can see, I had to pick these signs up TWICE! It was a thoughtful gesture, though, and I had a great laugh. Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT 42...but rather, 32 this year.
I suppose it just goes to show you that government employees CAN have a sense of humor, too!
Enjoy your day...
~Matthew
6.03.2008
Greg Niles Remembered
The planning community, as well as the citizens of Guilford County, lost a great guy this past Saturday. Greg Niles was one of the most sincere and genuine folks I have ever met. I had the pleasure of working with him on a number of projects, the most recent being the expansion of our ETJ, which required County approval. I had a lot of respect for Greg and enjoyed his keen sense of humor. He will certainly be missed by his family, his staff, and those who had the pleasure of working with him.
This is from the Greensboro News & Record:
Kenneth Greg Niles
GREENSBORO — Kenneth Greg Niles passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday, May 31, 2008, in Greensboro, N.C.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.
Greg was the planning and development director for Guilford County.
Greg was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 23, 1963, and grew up in Oneonta in Upstate New York. He attended school in Oneonta and graduated from Oneonta High School in 1981. During high school, Greg was a Rotary Exchange student and spent a year living and studying in Australia. Greg earned a bachelors degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va., in 1985. Shortly after graduating from Washington & Lee, Greg joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to the Island of Cebu in the Republic of the Philippines. Greg specialized in community water projects.
While serving in the Philippines, Greg met fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Claire Conlan. They married on their return to the United States and Greg began his Masters studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Greg's career in municipal planning included positions with Otsego County in Cooperstown, New York, the city of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the city of Marco Island, Florida before assuming the position in Guilford County in 2005.
Greg will be remembered by all who knew him as a loving husband, father, son, brother friend and neighbor. He was completely dedicated to his family and to public service. His warmth and sense of humor will never be forgotten.
Greg is survived by his wife, Claire; their three sons, Connor, Aidan and Liam; his mother, Isabelle Niles of Oneonta, New York and his brother, George Lee Niles of Edmond, Oklahoma. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
The family will receive visitors from 3 until 5 and from 7 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, at the Forbis & Dick Funeral Home, 5926 West Friendly Ave. in Greensboro, N.C.
The family requests no flowers. Contributions may be made to the Greg Niles Educational Fund at any Bank of America.
On-line condolences may be offered at www.forbisanddick.com
This is from the Greensboro News & Record:
Kenneth Greg Niles
GREENSBORO — Kenneth Greg Niles passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday, May 31, 2008, in Greensboro, N.C.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.
Greg was the planning and development director for Guilford County.
Greg was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 23, 1963, and grew up in Oneonta in Upstate New York. He attended school in Oneonta and graduated from Oneonta High School in 1981. During high school, Greg was a Rotary Exchange student and spent a year living and studying in Australia. Greg earned a bachelors degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va., in 1985. Shortly after graduating from Washington & Lee, Greg joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to the Island of Cebu in the Republic of the Philippines. Greg specialized in community water projects.
While serving in the Philippines, Greg met fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Claire Conlan. They married on their return to the United States and Greg began his Masters studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Greg's career in municipal planning included positions with Otsego County in Cooperstown, New York, the city of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the city of Marco Island, Florida before assuming the position in Guilford County in 2005.
Greg will be remembered by all who knew him as a loving husband, father, son, brother friend and neighbor. He was completely dedicated to his family and to public service. His warmth and sense of humor will never be forgotten.
Greg is survived by his wife, Claire; their three sons, Connor, Aidan and Liam; his mother, Isabelle Niles of Oneonta, New York and his brother, George Lee Niles of Edmond, Oklahoma. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
The family will receive visitors from 3 until 5 and from 7 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, at the Forbis & Dick Funeral Home, 5926 West Friendly Ave. in Greensboro, N.C.
The family requests no flowers. Contributions may be made to the Greg Niles Educational Fund at any Bank of America.
On-line condolences may be offered at www.forbisanddick.com
5.27.2008
Tree Ordinance Update & Pruning at Town Hall
"Before"
"After"
Good morning, folks. We are wrapping up our tree ordinance and will hopefully have it ready for a public hearing at the July Town Council meeting. If you'd like to see a copy of the draft document, please let me know and I can email you a PDF of it. I will be meeting with our consultant this afternoon to decide which graphics to insert and just where they will go. I believe most people would rather see decent graphics instead of reading the actual text...so we will try hard to get some images in there that are self-explanatory.
Speaking of images, I want to share a couple of pictures with you of the pruning job that Davey Tree performed on a couple of oak trees here at Town Hall. The work was completed on Friday, May 23rd. As you can see in the "Before" and "After" shots, there isn't a LOT of visible difference. However, if you were to actually walk up and inspect the tree, quite a bit of material was removed. This is how a pruning job SHOULD look. Your trees should NOT look like this:
Tree "Topping" is actually VERY harmful to the tree and is NOT the correct method of pruning! The Town of Jamestown highly recommends that you seek the services of an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist. If you have questions or would like more information, I urge you to contact me at 336.454.1138 or mjohnson@jamestown-nc.gov for more information. I would be happy to discuss your trees with you, as I am also a Certified Arborist. While the Town does not perform tree work or make diagnosis of trees, I would be happy to point you towards those companies which employ Certified Arborists.
Have a great afternoon!
~Matthew (ISA Certified Arborist #MA-3153A)
5.15.2008
Sailing Away...
I've been away from posting for a few days, but I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. Part of the reason is that I've been taking a sailing class after work, which leaves little time to post. But, that is over now...and I'm getting back on the right tack. Ha ha. The course is sponsored by the the City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Dept and Lake Townsend Yacht Club (http://www.laketownsendyachtclub.com/Includes/homeport.asp). I would encourage anyone interested in sailing to check out the course. The instructors are great and I'd recommend it for persons of any age!
Well, we do have some news to report that relates to Planning! The Town recently learned that it was the recipient of a grant award from NCDOT's Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning Division for $24,000! This grant is an 80/20-style grant, where the Town will be responsible for matching the award with 20%...or $6,000 in this case. We will be using these funds to create a Pedestrian Master Plan, which will discuss the state of our current pedestrian facilities and make recommendations for new facilities. Our goal is to have a prioritized list of needs, and to then begin to tackle those needs in a logical fashion. We will coordinate efforts with our Development Ordinance Rewrite folks, our Downtown Study folks, and our citizens to ensure we come out with a plan that complements our other planning efforts! Stay tuned for more info, or feel free to call me at 336-454-1138!
Well, we do have some news to report that relates to Planning! The Town recently learned that it was the recipient of a grant award from NCDOT's Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning Division for $24,000! This grant is an 80/20-style grant, where the Town will be responsible for matching the award with 20%...or $6,000 in this case. We will be using these funds to create a Pedestrian Master Plan, which will discuss the state of our current pedestrian facilities and make recommendations for new facilities. Our goal is to have a prioritized list of needs, and to then begin to tackle those needs in a logical fashion. We will coordinate efforts with our Development Ordinance Rewrite folks, our Downtown Study folks, and our citizens to ensure we come out with a plan that complements our other planning efforts! Stay tuned for more info, or feel free to call me at 336-454-1138!
~Matthew
5.08.2008
New Ordinance Kick-off & Rezonings
Ok...it has been about a week since I was able to last post an update...which is terrible. I hope to get back on track, but have been extremely busy with a number of items which needed attention. Town staff have been working diligently to get our new Development Ordinance project up and running. The consultant which was hired to assist in this endeavor, GreenPlan/Chenevert Architects of Asheville, met with Town staff, local business owners, Town Council members, P&Z Board members, and landowners on April 11th. In this meeting, the consultants' goal was to listen to the citizens concerns about development and to get first-hand knowledge of the Town by touring the area.
Following this meeting, the consultant provided the Town with a diagnostic report which included their initial reactions and ideas. To summarize their comments, they provided us with four categories: Locations of Concern; Issues of Concern; Ideas; and Desired Components.
Locations of Concern included: Downtown or the "Town Core", GTCC, Jamestown Bypass area, Oakdale area, Large vacant properties near town, Gateway Corridors (Main St., Guilford Rd., Guilford College Rd, Scientific, Oakdale), and "Barriers" such as the Deep River and the Railroad tracks.
Issues of Concern included: Signage, Loopholes, Enforcement, Property maintenance/minimum housing standards, Aesthetics, community participation, festivals and events, respecting our history.
Ideas included: Redevelop Food Lion Center as "urban village" (think Friendly Shopping Center on a SMALLER scale), Oakdale Road (mill area) conservation district, Proactive regulations, Historic district.
Desired Components included: "Green" Building Code, livability, bike paths/greenways, historic features, flexibility, strong design focus, destination streetscaping (Town Core), and Overlay districts.
If you have ANY questions about these items, please feel free to call me. The consultant will be back in Jamestown on May 23rd to meet with business owners (11am-12:30pm), large property owners (9am-10:30am), and our Advisory Committee to discuss some of the "nuts and bolts" of the new Ordinance. Martha Wolfe, Town Clerk, will be sending invitations to specific persons, but anyone is welcome to attend. The following is an excerpt from the "invitation" from GreenPlan:
At the meeting, GreenPlan-Chenevert Architects will give a brief presentation about the community’s goals that came out of the Land Development Plan process. We will then explain various zoning and development tools that Jamestown can use to achieve these goals. The majority of the meeting will be used to get your feedback regarding the development regulation ideas that we presented. GreenPlan-Chenevert Architects will have specific questions (many of which include signage) for you and we will also have time to talk freely.
We hope you will be able to attend the meeting on May 23, 2008 11:00AM -12:30PM at the Jamestown Town Hall.
Please RSVP by calling Matthew Johnson, Town Planner, at 454-1138.
SO....please let us know if you can join us!
NEXT TOPIC: Rezoning request at 5299 Mackay Rd.
We have received a rezoning request for a property located near the intersection of Mackay Rd. and Guilford College Rd. This property was rezoned from Agriculture (AG) to CU-R-12 PUD (Residential, with a special use permit to allow 'townhomes') in 2006. The initial developer has decided not to build on this site and the current owner would like develop this property on their own. However, this particular developer builds a number of 'high-end' condominium properties in the Triad and would like to petition the Town for a new special use permit which would allow condominiums.
The Town has worked very closely with this developer and I believe we will be seeing a much nicer project than was originally designed for this site. The new rezoning would allow condominiums, but we have limited the height to a maximum of two stories, and restricted the construction materials to 80% brick. Additionally, we have requested sidewalks to be installed on this property along Mackay Rd. Instead of the more typical condo projects (ex- Lennox Square), this project will look more akin to 'townhomes'. This developer has completed a similar project in Greensboro, and here are a couple of pictures that I snapped to demonstrate:
The P&Z Board will consider this request at their meeting on Monday, May 12th, at 6:30pm here at Town Hall. If you have questions regarding this rezoning, please feel free to contact me at 336.454.1138.
-Matthew
Following this meeting, the consultant provided the Town with a diagnostic report which included their initial reactions and ideas. To summarize their comments, they provided us with four categories: Locations of Concern; Issues of Concern; Ideas; and Desired Components.
Locations of Concern included: Downtown or the "Town Core", GTCC, Jamestown Bypass area, Oakdale area, Large vacant properties near town, Gateway Corridors (Main St., Guilford Rd., Guilford College Rd, Scientific, Oakdale), and "Barriers" such as the Deep River and the Railroad tracks.
Issues of Concern included: Signage, Loopholes, Enforcement, Property maintenance/minimum housing standards, Aesthetics, community participation, festivals and events, respecting our history.
Ideas included: Redevelop Food Lion Center as "urban village" (think Friendly Shopping Center on a SMALLER scale), Oakdale Road (mill area) conservation district, Proactive regulations, Historic district.
Desired Components included: "Green" Building Code, livability, bike paths/greenways, historic features, flexibility, strong design focus, destination streetscaping (Town Core), and Overlay districts.
If you have ANY questions about these items, please feel free to call me. The consultant will be back in Jamestown on May 23rd to meet with business owners (11am-12:30pm), large property owners (9am-10:30am), and our Advisory Committee to discuss some of the "nuts and bolts" of the new Ordinance. Martha Wolfe, Town Clerk, will be sending invitations to specific persons, but anyone is welcome to attend. The following is an excerpt from the "invitation" from GreenPlan:
At the meeting, GreenPlan-Chenevert Architects will give a brief presentation about the community’s goals that came out of the Land Development Plan process. We will then explain various zoning and development tools that Jamestown can use to achieve these goals. The majority of the meeting will be used to get your feedback regarding the development regulation ideas that we presented. GreenPlan-Chenevert Architects will have specific questions (many of which include signage) for you and we will also have time to talk freely.
We hope you will be able to attend the meeting on May 23, 2008 11:00AM -12:30PM at the Jamestown Town Hall.
Please RSVP by calling Matthew Johnson, Town Planner, at 454-1138.
SO....please let us know if you can join us!
NEXT TOPIC: Rezoning request at 5299 Mackay Rd.
We have received a rezoning request for a property located near the intersection of Mackay Rd. and Guilford College Rd. This property was rezoned from Agriculture (AG) to CU-R-12 PUD (Residential, with a special use permit to allow 'townhomes') in 2006. The initial developer has decided not to build on this site and the current owner would like develop this property on their own. However, this particular developer builds a number of 'high-end' condominium properties in the Triad and would like to petition the Town for a new special use permit which would allow condominiums.
The Town has worked very closely with this developer and I believe we will be seeing a much nicer project than was originally designed for this site. The new rezoning would allow condominiums, but we have limited the height to a maximum of two stories, and restricted the construction materials to 80% brick. Additionally, we have requested sidewalks to be installed on this property along Mackay Rd. Instead of the more typical condo projects (ex- Lennox Square), this project will look more akin to 'townhomes'. This developer has completed a similar project in Greensboro, and here are a couple of pictures that I snapped to demonstrate:
The P&Z Board will consider this request at their meeting on Monday, May 12th, at 6:30pm here at Town Hall. If you have questions regarding this rezoning, please feel free to contact me at 336.454.1138.
-Matthew
4.29.2008
Busy, Busy, Busy...
I have been catching up on a lot of loose ends the last few days, so my posts have been lower on the totem pole, lately. I promise to have some new information to post in the next few days. But, for now, I would like to remind folks of the upcoming events:
Wednesday, April 30th - "Wacky Wednesday" or "Sip 'n Shop"...either way, our local businesses will again be sponsoring this unique shopping event where local businesses stay open a little later, serve tasty treats, and invite folks to drop in to chat and shop. I met up with Betty Coleman of the new Art Nest Gallery and Frame Shop, who shared her idea of a "Scavenger Hunt" which will happen at tomorrow's event. RUMOR HAS IT...that Rich Brenner, of Fox 8 Sports Fame, will even be on-site to welcome folks... You'll just have to find him!
Saturday, May 3rd- "Jamestown Day", which is sponsored by the Jamestown Business Association will be held on the Library grounds this coming Saturday. You can find out more information from visiting JBA's website at http://www.jamestownba.org/jamestown-day/ .
I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!
-Matthew
Wednesday, April 30th - "Wacky Wednesday" or "Sip 'n Shop"...either way, our local businesses will again be sponsoring this unique shopping event where local businesses stay open a little later, serve tasty treats, and invite folks to drop in to chat and shop. I met up with Betty Coleman of the new Art Nest Gallery and Frame Shop, who shared her idea of a "Scavenger Hunt" which will happen at tomorrow's event. RUMOR HAS IT...that Rich Brenner, of Fox 8 Sports Fame, will even be on-site to welcome folks... You'll just have to find him!
Saturday, May 3rd- "Jamestown Day", which is sponsored by the Jamestown Business Association will be held on the Library grounds this coming Saturday. You can find out more information from visiting JBA's website at http://www.jamestownba.org/jamestown-day/ .
I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!
-Matthew
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