Greenville City Council Workshop – August 5, 2024
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Greenville City Council Workshop – August 5, 2024
The Greenville City Council held a workshop on August 5, 2024, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Conference Room 337. The meeting covered updates on a proposed vertical mixed-use text amendment, discussion of a Village of the Arts District, a proposed residential curbside cart rollback service fee, and a traffic safety task force update. Council members asked questions, expressed positions, and provided direction on next steps.
Update on Proposed Text Amendment to Allow Vertical Mixed-Use
- Chief Planner Chante Goody presented a text amendment to allow vertical mixed-use development in 12 zoning districts outside downtown. The amendment would permit buildings with ground-floor non-residential uses (retail, office, etc.) and upper-floor residential units. Key features include a minimum of two stories, a 20% parking reduction for shared parking, a density bonus for structured parking (25% of required spaces), and transparency/architectural standards. Three community engagement meetings were held June 4–6, 2024. Council Member Foreman expressed strong support for the proposal. Council Member Scully asked clarifying questions about current restrictions and the types of non-residential uses allowed. The presentation showed that the proposed districts are primarily along corridors, not interior to neighborhoods.
- Key Outcomes: Council gave its blessing to move forward. The text amendment will be considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its August 2024 meeting, then come to City Council for final approval at the September 12, 2024 meeting.
Discussion on the Creation of a Village of the Arts District
- Chante Goody presented options for creating a Village of the Arts District, based on a June 2023 council motion. The current home occupation regulations in Greenville do not allow on-site sale of products, which is a barrier for artists. Staff reviewed similar districts in Asheville, NC; Bradenton, FL; Blacksburg, VA; Aston, PA; and Paducah, KY. Two approaches were discussed: (1) modifying citywide home occupation rules to allow product sales, or (2) creating a geographic overlay district limited to arts-focused live-work uses. Council Member Robinson, who brought the issue, emphasized the overlay concept as a small, community-driven area (e.g., center city) where artists could live and work, with events like art walks. Council Member Scully expressed a conservative view, citing concerns about noise, traffic, and impact on residential neighborhoods. Council Member Willis noted that HOAs may restrict such uses. Council Member Foreman suggested community engagement and that the district should be driven by neighborhood demand. Council Member Daniels noted that the overlay would need to be in an area where residents want it.
- Key Outcomes: Council directed staff to take the matter to the UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) Committee for further discussion as part of the ongoing zoning rewrite. The UDO Committee will conduct public engagement. No formal vote was taken; the item will return to council after committee review.
Proposed Residential Curbside Cart Rollback Service Fee
- Public Works Director Kevin Mulligan presented a proposal to address rollout carts left at curbside for extended periods. Current ordinance requires carts to be removed by daybreak after collection, with a $50 civil penalty to the property owner, but enforcement has been minimal. The proposed plan: city staff would identify improperly placed carts, roll them back to the resident’s property, apply a sticker, and issue a warning for the first violation. For a second violation within six months, a $50 fee would be charged to the utility account (GUC). Council discussion focused on enforcement burden on staff, safety concerns, and the fairness of utility billing. Council Member Foreman supported enforcement but opposed having staff roll back carts, stating it would be babysitting. Council Member Scully agreed, noting that enforcement alone would solve the problem. Council Member Willis expressed concern about senior citizens and potential utility disconnection. Council Member Robinson noted that the $50 fee could be a hardship for students and urged clear communication on stickers. Several council members cited citizen complaints and support for stricter enforcement. Council Member Foreman emphasized that the city should enforce existing rules without rolling back carts.
- Key Outcomes: Council leaned toward enforcing the existing ordinance without having city staff move carts. Instead, staff would document violations, issue citations, and apply the $50 fee to the utility account. A communication plan will be developed, including social media and stickers. The timeline anticipates ordinance revisions and educational outreach in August–October, with enforcement beginning in November 2024. Council asked for further thought on the rollback element and to consider senior citizen exemptions. The item will return to council for a formal vote after revisions.
Traffic Safety Task Force Update
- Police Chief and Ms. Kirby (Engineering) presented updates on the Traffic Safety Task Force. The task force includes partners from ECU Health, ECU, NC DOT, Highway Patrol, and others. Crash data for Greenville showed an increase in reportable crashes in 2023 (just over 2022). Successful initiatives include: motorcycle enforcement unit (reduced speeds on 10th Street Bridge), civilian traffic crash investigators (handled 400+ crashes, freeing officers), and traffic calming projects (13 completed in two years, 5 new locations planned). Engineering projects: Evans and Howell improvements (speed reduction, crosswalk with refuge, pedestrian signals; traffic signal planned for March 2025), 10th and Anderson Hawk pedestrian signal (funded by NC DOT), and Vision Zero Action Plan (Safe Streets for All grant: $500,000 federal, $50,000 city, $50,000 state), including a rapid flashing beacon at Arlington/JH Rose. Council Member Robinson asked about education for pedestrians on using new crosswalks and the Hawk system. Chief noted past positive enforcement campaigns (e.g., gift cards for correct behavior). Council Member Foreman emphasized the need for education on crosswalk rules and speed limits. Chief recommended championing a hands-free texting while driving legislation and seeking statewide automated enforcement options. He also noted a donation to restart the motorcycle unit.
- Key Outcomes: No formal action taken. The task force will continue efforts. Council encouraged continued education campaigns and the use of social media. The police department will pursue legislative advocacy for texting and driving law and automated enforcement. The motorcycle unit will remain active. The Vision Zero plan will be developed over the next year.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the August 5th, 2024 workshop for the Green City Council. I'm Mayor PJ Connolly. I'll be how about I'll preside over this one today? Sounds like our city clerk for the roll call. Mayor Connolly. Here. Mayor Pratin Daniels. President. Councilmember Foreman. Councilmember Blackburn. President Councilmember Scully. Here. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Councilmember Willis. Here. No change. All right. Second. All right, Mr. A by Council Blackburn, second by Council Stuller. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Of course and A. New business. Thank you, Mayor. First item up on a new business update on proposed text amendment to allow vertical mixed use. Call forward chief planner Chante Goody for the presentation. Good afternoon. All right. I'm gonna um preface this. This is a text amendment that city staff has been working on. Um we did provide an update to council in June of 2023. So there's gonna be a few of you who have not seen this before, okay. Um I did want to go ahead and highlight we did uh three community engagement meetings. Um we held those June 4th, 5th, and 6th. Two of those were in person, and then one was virtual. At that meeting, we had um some handouts. We had the vertical mixed use FAQ, which is what you see on the left. Uh we had a map showing what properties this could affect, and then we also had the actual ordinance language. So these are the things that were in your meeting packet. And then also if you looked at your FAQ, you're gonna find that my slides follow it in order. So first of all, vertical mixed use, why are we talking about this? Um Horizons 2026 has this in uh included in various different places within our comp plan. Um specifically, it uh talks about the need to uh adopt regulations for vertical mixed use, and then sometimes on our future land use plan, um you'll hear me talk about the future land use plan recommends mixed use, and so this again is tying all back to the vertical mixed use. First of all, so what is vertical mixed use? Um it is a multi-use building, and it has to have a mix of residential and non-residential uses in that building. When I say non-residential units, you can think of retail, restaurants, offices, etc. Typically, those are going to be located on your ground floor, and then your residential units are going to be located on your upper floors.
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