Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - December 15, 2020

The Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission met on December 15, 2020, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included opening remarks, an invocation, roll call, and unanimous approval of the minutes from November 17 and 19, 2020. The commission then addressed two old business and two new business items. The first old business item (residential fence definition) was continued to the January 19, 2021 meeting. The second old business item (rezoning of 15.072 acres by P.B. Builders, LLC) and the first new business item (miscellaneous minor zoning ordinance amendments) were recessed for further discussion and a vote scheduled for December 17, 2020 at 6:00 PM. No public comment was received on the text amendments; only the applicant spoke on the rezoning.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the meetings of November 17 and November 19, 2020. (Motion by Mr. West, second by Mr. Parker, vote: 8-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rezoning (Item 3): Mr. Mike Baldwin, representing applicant P.B. Builders, LLC, spoke in support of the rezoning request. He stated the proposal is in compliance with the Horizons 2026 plan and the future land use map, and noted that Dickinson Avenue has capacity for added traffic. No other public comments were made for any agenda item.

Discussion Items

• Old Business - Text Amendment (Residential Fences): Staff requested a continuance of this item (to amend Title 9, Chapter 4 to create a definition and standards for residential fences) to the January 19, 2021 meeting, citing a need for further clarification of language. Commissioner Rejoiner asked to receive the November presentation materials to prepare. The commission unanimously voted to continue the item to January 19, 2021 (motion by Mr. Thomas, second by Mr. West, vote: 9-0 after a subsequent roll call confirmed nine members present).
• New Business - Rezoning (P.B. Builders, LLC): Staff presented a request to rezone 15.072 acres on Dickinson Avenue from RA20 (Residential-Agricultural) to R6 (High Density Residential). The property is partially in a flood hazard area; current zoning allows ~30 single-family homes, while R6 would allow 168–180 multifamily units. Staff noted compatibility with the Horizons 2026 future land use map and recommended approval. The commission received public comment from the applicant and then recessed the matter to December 17, 2020 for further deliberation and a vote.
• New Business - Text Amendment (Miscellaneous Minor Changes): Staff proposed six technical and housekeeping changes to the zoning ordinance: (1) re-adding 'grocery stores' to the table of permissible uses (deleted by a third-party publisher error); (2) simplifying residential separation requirements for accessory uses by deferring to the NC Fire Code; (3) adding regulations for electronic message signs, including reducing the minimum display duration from one hour to 60 seconds. Several commissioners asked about the 60-second standard and regional practices; staff acknowledged the number was not scientific and agreed to research what other communities use. The commission recessed this item to December 17, 2020 for additional discussion and a vote.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Minutes: Unanimously approved the minutes of November 17 and 19, 2020.
• Continued Item: The residential fence text amendment was continued to the January 19, 2021 meeting (unanimous).
• Recessed Items: Both the P.B. Builders rezoning request and the miscellaneous minor zoning ordinance amendments were recessed to Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 6:00 PM for further commission discussion and final votes. The public has 24 hours from the consideration of each item to submit additional comments via email.