Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - November 21, 2023

The Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission met on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. Chair Alan Brock presided. The commission approved two rezoning requests, two preliminary plats, and tabled two text amendments to the December 19, 2023 meeting after extensive discussion.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the October 17, 2023 meeting were approved unanimously.
• Continuations: Items 3 (RaceTrac rezoning) and 4 (Dalton T. Jones Subdivision preliminary plat) were continued to the December 19, 2023 meeting by unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 2 (Bells Fork rezoning): Scott Anderson, representing the applicant, spoke in favor. No opposition was voiced.
• Item 5 (Davencroft Section 4 preliminary plat): Mike Baldwin, representing the property owners, spoke in favor. No opposition.
• Item 6 (Greenville Station Road Apartments preliminary plat): Scott Anderson spoke in favor. No opposition. Commissioner West recused himself due to a client relationship.
• Item 7 (MUI text amendment): No public comments were offered. Chair Brock opened and closed the public hearing without speakers.
• Item 8 (Commercial recreation in RA20 text amendment):
  • In favor: Amanda Bambrick, attorney for the applicant (Sawyer's Fun Park), and TJ Sawyer, owner, spoke in favor, describing plans for electric go-karts, mini-golf, and other recreational uses with extensive mitigation measures (200-foot setbacks, evergreen buffers, 60 dBA noise limit, annual special use permit review). They noted that a neighborhood meeting had been held on August 31, 2023, and that electric go-karts operate at approximately 60 decibels.
  • Opposition: Jerry and Louise McRoy, residents of Quarry Ridge subdivision adjacent to the property, and Hugh Bryan, president of the Cory Ridge Homeowners Association, spoke in opposition. They cited past noise complaints, lack of trust, concerns about traffic, lighting, and the impact of a two-story golf driving range. They argued that the text amendment would remove future neighborhood input and that the applicant had not been a good neighbor historically. Louise McRoy stated that special use permit conditions were insufficient based on past behavior.

Discussion Items

• Item 7 – MUI District Text Amendment (Elliot Sidewalk Communities): Staff presented a request to change the residential cap in the Mixed-Use Institutional district from 25% of building square footage to 35% of total land area with a 400-unit cap. Staff noted that the only MUI district in the city is the Intersect East project near ECU. Commissioners raised concerns that the new formula could allow a developer to build 400 residential units without building any commercial uses, creating a loophole. The applicant’s representative, Alex Flint, could not explain how the 400-unit cap was determined. Commissioner West moved to table the item to December for more information from the applicant. Motion passed unanimously.
• Item 8 – Commercial Recreation Text Amendment (Amanda Bambrick): Staff described the proposed amendment to add “commercial recreation; indoor and outdoor” as a special use in RA20 on parcels at least 20 acres, with strict standards: 200-foot setbacks (reduced to 100 feet adjacent to city-owned recreational facilities), buffer yard E (evergreens), 60 dBA noise limit, lighting limits of 0.5 foot-candles at property line, and annual special use permit review. Commissioners debated the potential for uses like Top Golf, driving ranges with tall netting, and the citywide impact. Concerns were raised about height restrictions, pole heights, and whether such uses were adequately defined. Chair Brock suggested tabling to gather information from other cities on similar uses. Motion to table passed (voice vote).

Key Outcomes

• Item 2 (Bells Fork rezoning): Approved (voice vote, unanimous).
• Item 5 (Davencroft preliminary plat): Approved (voice vote, unanimous).
• Item 6 (Greenville Station Road Apartments preliminary plat): Approved after commissioner recusals left three voting members; all voted aye.
• Item 7 (MUI text amendment): Tabled to the December 19, 2023 meeting for additional applicant input.
• Item 8 (Commercial recreation text amendment): Tabled to the December 19, 2023 meeting to allow staff to research comparable city standards for specific recreational uses (e.g., driving ranges, Top Golf) and to permit potential language tweaks.