Greenville City Council Meeting - June 11, 2026
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Greenville City Council Meeting - June 11, 2026
The Greenville City Council met on June 11, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. All council members were present. The meeting opened with an invocation by Councilmember Portia Willis, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. All votes taken during the meeting were unanimous (6-0).
Agenda Approval
- The council unanimously approved the agenda as presented.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Deborah Scorowitz, a Greenville resident, said she walks 6 to 8 miles a day and described rental properties in her neighborhood as a 'personal dumping ground' littered with beer cans, food containers, broken furniture, and a fire pit. She criticized a five-month delay in code enforcement inspection and notices, urged businesses and the city to provide trash containers, and called for sidewalk power washing. She provided photographs to the council.
Appointments
- The council approved numerous appointments to boards and commissions, all by 6-0 votes. These included:
- Board of Adjustment: Sterling Ruffin and Jermaine McNear (reappointments)
- Environmental Advisory Commission: Craig Becker
- Firefighters Relief Fund Committee: Landon Minji
- Greenville Utilities Commission: Mark Edmondson (county nomination)
- Housing Authority: Lynnwood Smith
- Human Relations Council: Randolph Michael Stevenson, Lakisha Bishop, and Donald Rivers
- Multimodal Transportation Commission: Maddox Ruffin
- Airport Authority: Travis Albia
- Planning and Zoning Commission: Spencer Newton and Kimber Stone
- Police Community Relations Committee: Aileen Peacock
- Recreation and Parks Commission: Antoine Smith
- Invest Greenville Board: William Litchfield
- Several appointments were deferred (continued) to a later meeting, including Invest Greenville Board seats and a city council liaison assignment for the Invest Greenville Board.
Public Hearing – Rezoning Request
- Sweet Living Capital, Inc. requested rezoning of 14.20 acres on the southern right-of-way of Charles Boulevard between Signature Drive and Bluebill Drive from RA20 (Residential-Agricultural) to R6 (Residential High Density Multi-family).
- Assistant Director Gooby presented the staff report. Staff recommended approval, saying the request is in compliance with the Horizons plan and the future land use plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission had voted unanimously on May 19, 2026 to recommend approval.
- Traffic projections: At full build-out, the current RA20 zoning would generate 409 trips; the proposed R6 zoning would generate an increase of 1,200 trips, with a net of 833 trips. Charles Boulevard is currently operating at 98% of its design average daily trips (ADT) and would reach 104% under the proposed rezoning.
- The property is located in the Hardy Creek watershed, requiring 10-year detention for stormwater. It is not in a special flood hazard area but may contain jurisdictional wetlands, streams, and buffers. The RA20 zoning could accommodate roughly 40–45 single-family lots; R6 could accommodate about 185–200 multifamily units.
- Jim Walker, speaking on behalf of the owner and developer, asked for approval. He said the 14 acres are surrounded by multifamily uses and the project would include one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. He noted that the first steps after zoning would be a sketch plan and coordination with staff and NCDOT, including a traffic impact analysis.
- No opposition speakers came forward.
- Councilmember Robinson expressed concern about traffic, noting the road is at or over capacity and that growth is outpacing NCDOT infrastructure. The city manager provided context about design ADT versus capacity, noting the future widening project would reduce the facility to 38% of design ADT.
- A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Robinson and seconded. After discussion, the council voted 6-0 to approve the rezoning.
City Manager's Report
- The City Manager had no report.
Council Comments
- Councilmember Robinson thanked first responders during the heat advisory, congratulated 2026 high school graduates, and praised the police department for arresting an international South American theft ring.
- Councilmember Scully congratulated graduates, described participating in the Chamber intern experience, celebrated the 15th anniversary of The Scullery restaurant (which started with a $15,000 city forgivable loan), and read Governor Josh Stein's proclamation declaring June 2026 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in North Carolina.
- Councilmember Willis wished everyone a good summer and mentioned the upcoming June 22 council meeting.
- Councilmember Hardy commented on code enforcement, saying the city will be proactive in cracking down on landlords with subpar units and on tenants, to improve neighborhood quality of life.
- Councilmember Jones congratulated the class of 2026 (including her own child), recognized National CNA Week, Juneteenth, and Father's Day.
- Mayor Pro Tem Foreman mirrored the sentiments.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the agenda (6-0).
- Approved all appointments and re-appointments (6-0 each).
- Approved the rezoning of 14.20 acres from RA20 to R6 (6-0).
- Deferred several appointments to a future meeting.
- Adjourned by unanimous consent.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening. I'd like to call the June 11th, 2026 meeting of the Greenville City Council to Order. I'm Mayor P. J. Connolly of presiding over tonight's meeting. First, I'd like to call on Councilmember Portia Willis for the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mayor. Let us pray. Lord, I thank you, Lord, for today. I thank you, Lord, that you are good. Lord, your word says that goodness and mercy, they follow us every single day. Lord, your word says that your mercies are new every morning. You are great and greatly to be praised. I pray, Father God, for my peers on council, Lord. Lord, I pray for their families, Lord. I pray for their prayer requests that are spoken and not spoken, Lord, you know it all. And Lord, I pray, Lord, that as we seek to serve our community, Lord, that you would perfect what concerns us. Father God, I pray for our citizens. Lord, those that may be hurting. Lord, those that need a touch from you, those that need encouragement, those that may be grieving. Your word says that you are near to the brokenhearted. So I pray that you would provide what they need in abundance. I thank you for our city staff, Lord, who work in excellence every day to serve our citizens' father. I thank you, Lord, because every city doesn't have staff like we have and employees like we have, Lord, help us to make decisions that keep them in mind and keep those that we serve in mind. And I pray, Lord, that we would always keep at the forefront the people that we're called to serve. It's in your name that I pray. Amen. Amen. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to suicide for the United States of America and true republic for which it stands one nation under God invisible with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes, sir. Mayor Connolly. Here. Mayor Partem Foreman. Here. Councilmember Jones. Here. Councilmember Hardy? Here. Council Member Stully. Here. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Councilmember Willis. Here. All right. Mayor Conley, you have a forum. Thank you very much. We'll now move on to the approval of tonight's agenda.
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