By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com

Broadway town commissioners this week held three public hearings on proposed changes to the Plan SanLee’s Unified Development Ordinance that establishes the processes for development within the county.

Amy McNeill, senior planner with Sanford’s Zoning and Design Review Division, and Thomas Mierisch, the department’s zoning administrator, were on hand to discuss the proposed changes and answer any questions that might arise during the public hearings. But the commissioners asked only a few, and there were none posed by members of the public who attended.

Aiding developers

The first amendment had been proposed by a coalition of land developers and would revise the period of time that a preliminary subdivision plat may remain valid after its initial approval, increasing the length of validation from two to five years, and any subsequent extensions that might be deemed necessary would be only for an additional two-year period.

A number of developers had approached the city about this issue, saying two years is sometimes not enough to gain all the necessary approvals needed to be ready for the start of construction.

Sanford’s City Council has already approved the change. Lee County commissioners considered the recommendation earlier this year and gave their consent to only an initial three-year initial approval time for preliminary subdivision plats to maintain their authorized status, with subsequent two-year extensions possible.

Commissioner Lynne Green asked how the differences between those two approval times could be managed. Mierisch explained the county’s action would apply only to developments outside the corporate limits of both Sanford and Broadway, and that the two municipalities were free to adopt whatever requirements worked best for them.

“We, as staff, will make it work no matter what you decide,” he said.

Shortening the review process

The second hearing concerned another text amendment to the UDO, this one also relating to preliminary plats for subdivisions, but specifically concerning the way those plats get approved. It has been a three-step process in the past, with the first review being done by the joint Technical Review Committee. This is an inter-agency group made up of representatives of the county and the two municipalities, Lee County Schools, and other offices that have a degree of interest in major large developments being planned within the county. After review and comment there, proposals have typically gone to the City/County Planning Board, and final approval has been given by the county or the governing bodies of Sanford or Broadway.

With the goal of streamlining the process and making things move more quickly where possible, the recommendation from staff would end the review process after action by the TRC if the current zoning at the site would accommodate that type of a project, and also if it meets the requirements of the UDO. The Zoning Administrator would be required to report to the Lee County Commissioners any time this action has been taken.

The county commissioners didn’t go along with this proposed change after their public hearings earlier in 2024 when the proposal was put before them for a vote. On Monday night, this idea that had been suggested was the only one to draw public comment in Broadway. A gentleman present for the meeting but who had not signed the visitor’s register said simply, “I don’t like this. I think we need to leave things the way they are now.

Electronic signage for churches and parks

The final hearing of the night related to an issue that had been brought to the Broadway commissioners previously. A small number of churches had approached the city’s Zoning and Design Review Division over the past year, seeking permission for their churches to erect new signage that could contain electronic changeable copy.

The churches wanted to put up signs that contained internal illumination in non-residential areas that could continually change messages on a rotating basis, an application that could also potentially apply to parks. County commissioners had approved the ordinance in 2023, but the Sanford City Council was concerned about the potential impact that a bright sign could have in a nearby home on a small adjacent lot, or how the rapidly changing bright lights might trigger responses in some persons, such as migraine headaches, anxiety, panic responses, sensory overload, epileptic seizures, and other conditions.

The council had asked the Zoning and Design Review staff to come back with some additional safeguards that might address those concerns, and eight proposals were offered in response to the city council earlier this year. Among them is a limit of one sign per lot, a limit of eight seconds display time for each image, the amount of brightness will be measured in prescribed foot candles established, and any images that depict animation or pyrotechnics are prohibited.

There was no discussion on a date for discussion and votes on the three text amendments that were brought before the board, but the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Broadway commissioners is set for August 26.

Service honored

As the meeting began, the board paused to honor the service given to the Town by Sue Tipton over a period of many years. Tipton passed away on July 11 at the age of 77 and had volunteered much of her time and effort as a member of the Town’s Planning Board, having recently been re-appointed in May of 2022 for another three-year term.

Mayor Donald Andrews noted that Tipton had served her community in many different ways: as a member of the Woman’s Club of Broadway, a Field Director with Girl Scouts of America, a social worker, and as a counselor at Central Carolina Community College.