Board of Commissioners

Town of Swansboro Board of Commissioners April 10, 2023, Regular Meeting Minutes In attendance: Mayor John Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Tursi, Commissioner PJ Pugliese, Commissioner Larry Philpott, Commissioner Pat Turner, and Commissioner Jeffrey Conaway. ********************************** Call to Order/Opening Prayer/Pledge The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm. Mayor Davis led the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment Junior Freeman of 714 W Corbett Avenue shared that he felt Townhomes in the Table of Permitted uses should be reconsidered as a use in the O/I district. Adoption of Agenda and Consent Items On a motion by Commissioner Philpott, seconded by Commissioner Turner, the agenda and the below consent items were approved unanimously. - December 12, 2023, Regular Meeting Minutes - Budget Ordinance Amendment #2023-5 Appointments/Recognitions/Presentations Board Appointments Town Clerk Fender reviewed that due to resignations, relocations, and reassignment of board members, there are several board appointments needed. A list of vacancies was provided as well as a Talent Bank Sheet of those citizens with an interest in serving. On a motion by Commissioner Conaway, seconded by Commissioner Philpott, Eric Young was unanimously appointed to the vacant alternate seat on the Historic Preservation Commission. On a motion by Commissioner Turner, seconded by Commissioner Conaway, Elena Messenger was unanimously appointed to the Parks & Recreation board. Business Non-Consent Joint meeting with the Planning Board The joint meeting between the Planning board and the Board of Commissioners was called to order. Planning Board members in attendance were Scott Chadwick, Edward McHale, Laurent Meilleur, and Michael Favata. Edward Binanay and Sherrie Hancock were absent. Page 1 of 5 On February 13, 2023, at the joint meeting of the Board of Commissioner and Planning Board, a subcommittee was appointed, along with staff, to review the Table of Permitted/Special Uses and pertinent sections. The committee met once a week since its creation and developed a draft text amendment for review. Planning Board Chair, Scott Chadwick thanked those on the committee for their time and efforts in reviewing and proposing amendments to the table of permitted uses. He reviewed that Planner Correll had met with all members of the Planning Board and reviewed the amendment with them individually. On a motion by Mr. Chadwick seconded by Mr. McHale, the planning board recommended approval of the proposed amendments to the Board of Commissioners. The motion passed 5:1. Ayes: Chadwick, McHale, Ramsey, Binanay, Favata No: Meilleur In response to inquiries Planner Correll clarified the following: - Uses in the table identified as Minor Special Use would be reviewed by the Board of Adjustments. - The Minor Special Use and Use Standards designations would require addressing specification requirements for lighting, buffers, sights, and noise. - Future amendments could be made to the document as needed. - Next process would be for the Board of Commissioners to hold a public hearing prior to adoption of an ordinance amendment for this recommendation. - In review, there were many uses discovered as already existing in several zoning districts. Therefore, those uses were recommended to be permitted to eliminate those already existing businesses from being/becoming non-conforming. Comments were made by the following board members. Mr. Meilleur felt that the amendment should be reviewed by the Planning Board at an official meeting of the board. Mr. Binanay shared that Mrs. Correll did a wonderful job reviewing the amendment with the board members and supported the review made by the committee. He felt returning it to the planning board for review again was unnecessary. Page 2 of 5 Mr. Chadwick shared that the planning board does not need to review the amendment again, as the members appointed to complete the review of the table have completed their task and provided a recommended amendment. The Board of Commissioners need to move forward and make a decision from there. Mayor Pro Tem Tursi agreed that the appointed committee did as they were tasked, however he had concerns with Tire Sales now being permitted in the B1 zoning district. Commissioner Turner shared that as a part of the committee she agreed that the planning board should not have to review the amendment again and that future amendments can be made to address any uses that become a concern or issue. With a consensus from the majority of the Board, the amendment would be scheduled for a public hearing at a future meeting. The joint meeting ended, and the Planning Board adjourned at 6:24 pm. EOC/PSB Project Update Commissioner Larry Philpott provided an update on the EOC/PSB Committee’s progress. See timeline attached herein as Attachment A. Commissioner Philpott shared that since the funds of $6 million was awarded to the Town, construction cost has increased drastically and most likely would not cover the project cost in full. Future consideration for obtainment of funds will need to be given by the board. The consultant, Becker Morgan, was working to finalize the feasibility study which would provide further details of cost. Future Agenda Topics Future agenda items were shared for visibility and comment. In addition, an opportunity is provided for the Board to introduce items of interest and subsequent direction for placement on future agendas. No additional items were introduced and/or added. Mayor Davis shared that he had met with High School Principal, Dr. Gross as agreed the month prior, and she stood by her recommendation that the board provide a recommendation document to be submitted by teacher for selection of students to be recognized. The board agreed for Mayor Davis to work with Dr. Gross to draft the form and share it with the board for approval. Page 3 of 5 Public Comment Junior Freeman of 714 W Corbett Avenue urged the board again to reconsider making Townhomes a use in the O/I district. The only area in Swansboro that was zoned O/I was surrounded by B1 and townhomes were permitted in that district. Manager's Comments Manager Webb shared that in addition to her report provided, another firm had been scheduled to be interviewed for consideration on the Emerton School project. Board Comments Commissioner Conway shared that he understood the concerns and comments made regarding the Table of Permitted Uses amendment but there was a large amount of time spent already reviewing the table and it was time to make a final decision. Future amendments would be made as needed to the document. Commissioner Philpott shared that he would continue to keep the board updated on the EOC/PSB project. He also shared his appreciation to the committee for their hard work on reviewing the Table of Permitted uses. Commissioner Turner shared that agreed with Commissioner Conaway’s comments and that she had faith in the Board of Adjustment handling the Minor Special Uses. Mayor Davis commented that he thought the amendment should have still been reviewed by the Planning Board and asked that consideration be provided for Mr. Freemans request for Townhomes to be allowed in the O/I district. He also shared that there would be a National Day of Prayer event on May 4th at the soccer fields as well as an evening event at the Carteret County Speedway. Adjournment On a motion by Commissioner Philpott, seconded by Commissioner Turner, the meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm. Page 4 of 5 Attachment A Page 5 of 5  Regular Meeting April 10, 2023 1 1. Please turn cell phones to “off” or “vibrate”. 2. The Board offers the public three opportunities to speak during the meeting: A comment period is offered at the beginning and end of the meeting. Please note that a separate opportunity is provided for those items requiring a public hearing. Public Hearing(s) – There are no public hearings scheduled for this meeting. 2 1  PUBLIC COMMENT Citizen opportunity to address the Board for items listed on the agenda. 3 AGENDA AND CONSENT ITEMS Action Needed: Motion to Adopt the Agenda as prepared (or amended) and approval of the Consent Items 4 2  Board Appointments Presenter: Alissa Fender – Town Clerk 5 NEW BUSINESS/NON-CONSENT Text amendment to the Table of Permitted/Special Uses and pertinent sections. On February 13, 2023, at a joint Board of Commissioner/Planning Board meeting, a subcommittee was appointed, along with staff, to review the Table of Permitted/Special Uses and pertinent sections. The committee met once a week since its creation and has developed a draft text amendment for review. Recommended Action: Recommended Action: 1. Review and provide feedback on the text amendments 2. Following discussion, the Planning Board may make a motion to recommend the text amendments; or 3. Return the draft amendments to the committee for further review/edits Presenter: Andrea Correll – Planner 6 3  EOC/PSB Project Update Presenter: Larry Philpott – Commissioner 7 NEW BUSINESS/NON-CONSENT Future Agenda Items Future agenda items are shared for visibility and comment. In addition, an opportunity is provided for the Board to introduce items of interest and subsequent direction for placement on future agendas. Action Needed: Discuss and provide any guidance Presenter: Alissa Fender – Town Clerk 8 4  PUBLIC COMMENT Citizen opportunity to address the Board. 9 MANAGER’S COMMENTS Paula Webb, Town Manager 10 5  BOARD COMMENTS Mayor John Davis Mayor Pro Tem Frank Tursi Commissioner Pat Turner Commissioner Harry “PJ” Pugliese Commissioner Larry Philpott Commissioner Jeffrey Conaway 11 ADJOURN 12 6