OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Greenville Board of Adjustment April 25, 2024: Ironwood Special Use Permit Amendment

Board of Adjustment — Thursday, April 25, 2024
BodyGreenville, North Carolina
SessionBoard of Adjustment
DateThursday, April 25, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:00

The meeting will now come to order.

1:02

Welcome to the April 25th, 2024 meeting of the City of Greenville Board of Adjustments.

1:08

Ms.

1:09

Clerk, would you please call the roll?

1:11

Chair Evans here.

1:13

Christopher Lilly.

1:14

Here.

1:14

Nathan Collin.

1:15

Here.

1:16

Ryan Perdle.

1:17

Here.

1:17

Daniel Warren.

1:18

Here.

1:19

Carol Baz.

1:20

Here.

1:21

Jermaine McNair.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Sterling Ruffman.

1:24

Here.

1:24

Nola Dixon.

1:25

Here.

1:26

We have Coron.

1:27

Thank you.

1:28

Mr.

1:28

Phillips.

1:29

Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board.

1:31

The voting members for all agenda items are as follows.

1:34

Mr.

1:35

Lilly, Miss Evans, Mr.

1:37

Cohen, Mr.

1:38

Purdle, Mr.

1:39

Warrell, Miss Bass, and Mr.

1:41

McNair, Mr.

1:42

Ruffin, and Miss Dixon are not voting members but are allowed to participate in the discussions and are allowed to ask questions.

1:50

Okay, thank you.

1:52

You might as well stay present.

1:54

Oh, just a few minutes away.

1:57

Is there a motion to approve last month meeting minutes?

2:02

So a second.

2:04

Okay.

2:05

It's been moved by Mr.

2:06

Chris Lilly, second by Mr.

2:08

World.

2:08

All those in favor of approving the minutes, please do so by saying aye.

2:12

Aye.

2:13

All those opposed, please say nay.

2:16

Thank you.

2:17

Mr.

2:17

Phillips.

2:19

The following general instruction to quasi judicial hearings and disclosure statement applies to all evidentiary matters for consideration by the board tonight.

2:27

To the board and to the members of the public.

2:29

Please note that for any variance hearings, a fourth-fifth vote of the board is required to grant a variance.

2:36

For all other evidentiary hearings, the decision will be made by a simple majority vote of the board.

2:41

The hearings tonight are quasi-judicial evidentiary hearings.

2:45

That means that they are like a court hearing.

2:47

Court hearing.

2:48

State law sets specific procedures and rules concerning how this board must make its decision.

2:54

These rules are different from other types of land use decisions like rezoning cases.

2:59

The board's discretion is limited.

3:01

The board must base its decision upon competent, relevant, and substantial evidence in the record.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Legal Procedure█████████████████████████████29%
Zoning And Land Use███████████████████19%
Housing███████████████15%
Procedural██████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████9%
Noise Pollution████████8%
Traffic Signal Management████4%
Transportation Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Greenville Board of Adjustment Meeting – April 25, 2024

The Greenville Board of Adjustment met on April 25, 2024, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers to consider an amendment to a special use permit for a master plan community (agrihood) proposed by Ironwood Development, Inc. The meeting included roll call, approval of prior minutes, a quasi-judicial hearing, public testimony, and a unanimous vote to approve the amendment.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (March 28, 2024): Moved by Christopher Lilly, seconded by Daniel Warren. Unanimously approved by voice vote (all aye).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Thomas Chaplinski (Bluebanks Farm homeowner): Initially opposed, then withdrew opposition after the applicant clarified that sewage infrastructure would not run through his property. The applicant confirmed a pump station on-site and a force main under NC 43, avoiding the stream (Sains Branch) adjacent to Chaplinski's land.
  • Dr. Timothy Gates (Rock Springs subdivision homeowner): Initially opposed, citing concerns about increased noise, stormwater drainage, and lack of data on buffer widths. After the applicant explained a 100-foot undisturbed wooded buffer and 150-foot setback from Rock Springs, plus noise restrictions in community covenants, Gates withdrew opposition.
  • Both speakers were granted standing as parties withstanding (special damages claim) and were allowed to testify and cross-examine.

Discussion Items

  • Staff Presentation (Brian Phillips, City Staff): The property (tax parcel 18678, 205 acres) is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development). The original special use permit (Feb 2021) allowed 346 dwelling units on 196 acres; a Dec 2021 amendment increased to 356 units on 203 acres. The current request seeks 489 dwelling units on 205 acres (density 2.38 units/acre, well below the 4 units/acre maximum). The change is considered a major amendment requiring board approval. The proposal complies with the Comprehensive Plan and all development standards.
  • Applicant Presentation (Tim Newell, Rivers & Associates): The developer seeks to increase density by reducing lot widths from mixed 60/70/90 ft to uniformly 60 ft, keeping the same street layout, open space (55 acres, 26.8% of site, exceeding 25% minimum), and agricultural character. The community will be an agricultural master plan community (agrihood). Traffic impact analysis is being updated; a roundabout at NC 43 entrance is planned. The applicant emphasized the need for more housing units to offset inflation and construction costs.
  • Board Questions: Board members asked about lot sizes (1,800–3,000+ sq ft), affordability (smaller lots reduce per-unit cost), and traffic impacts (new TIA underway, no expected changes to road design).

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Approve Finding of Facts: Moved by Mr. Cohen, seconded by Mr. Warren. Passed unanimously (voice vote, all aye).
  • Motion to Classify as Modification (not rehearing): Moved by Ryan Perdle, seconded by Carol Bass. The board found the application is a modification under NCGS 160D-705(c) and City Code 9-4-170, not a rehearing, because the current application presents new issues. Unanimously approved.
  • Motion to Approve the Petition (with recommended conditions): Moved by Mr. Warren, seconded by Jermaine McNair. Unanimously approved (voice vote, all aye). The decision is effective upon filing a written decision with the Secretary of the Board of Adjustment.
  • Adjournment: Moved by Mr. McNair, seconded by Mr. Cohen. Meeting adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for June 2024 (no May meeting).

Meeting Transcript

The meeting will now come to order. Welcome to the April 25th, 2024 meeting of the City of Greenville Board of Adjustments. Ms. Clerk, would you please call the roll? Chair Evans here. Christopher Lilly. Here. Nathan Collin. Here. Ryan Perdle. Here. Daniel Warren. Here. Carol Baz. Here. Jermaine McNair. Here. Sterling Ruffman. Here. Nola Dixon. Here. We have Coron. Thank you. Mr. Phillips. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. The voting members for all agenda items are as follows. Mr. Lilly, Miss Evans, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Purdle, Mr. Warrell, Miss Bass, and Mr. McNair, Mr. Ruffin, and Miss Dixon are not voting members but are allowed to participate in the discussions and are allowed to ask questions. Okay, thank you. You might as well stay present. Oh, just a few minutes away. Is there a motion to approve last month meeting minutes? So a second. Okay. It's been moved by Mr. Chris Lilly, second by Mr. World. All those in favor of approving the minutes, please do so by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. Thank you. Mr. Phillips. The following general instruction to quasi judicial hearings and disclosure statement applies to all evidentiary matters for consideration by the board tonight.

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