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May 30, 2006
Heart of the Triad: A water and sewer agreement
The High Point City Council passed a water, sewer and annexation resolution this morning that makes a formal agreement with the Town of Kernersville over where in the Heart of the Triad region the two municipalities are going to provide water and sewer.
The gist of it is this: HIgh Point will provide water and sewer south of Interstate 40 in Guilford County. Kernersville will provide the same north of Business 40. The two will split the triangle-area in between the two interstates and the county line. A side piece is that High Point will get annexation rights to all of the land south of Interstate 40 in Western Guilford. There was a small sliver of land there that remained unclear whether High Point or Kernersville would eventually be the municipality that would annex it.
Update: Here's the story from today's paper.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
On the Agenda: High Point Planning & Zoning
A major north High Point development.
The Smithfield at Piedmont Crossing subdivision is part of the larger 277-acre Piedmont Crossing development of Faith Properties of the Carolinas.
It would bring between 261 and 557 residences to a 62 acre portion of the property close to the intersection of Barrow Road and Clinard Farms Road. City planners predict an influx of 231 to 255 students at the three Southwest schools. It would be a traditional neighborhood development with offices and shops mixed in with residential.
The commission is also looking at a text amendment that would limit the length of time portable storage units could sit in a residential neighborhood to 14 days.
Update: The planning and zoning commission approved the development sending it to council.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 6:31 PM | Comments (2)
May 19, 2006
You take the good with the bad...
... I guess.
The Good News: TriQuint Semiconductor is considering opening a new facility in north High Point. It could bring as many as 25 high paying jobs and the city offered $25,000 in incentives for TriQuint to come.
The Bad News: City officials are asking for a property tax increase of a penny and a half per $100 to balance the proposed $273 million budget. Strib Boynton blames rising energy costs for the need to raise taxes.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2006
Another eatery
Chef Chen Chinese Restuarant received a business lciense Tuesday. They plan to open up at 3793 Samet Drive, according to city records.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
As expected....
... Jamestown's budget didn't have any surprises. It's a little less than 4 percent smaller than last year. And the property tax rate will remain the same.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:15 AM | Comments (2)
May 16, 2006
Dilworth development delayed... because of Heart?
Shugart Management's plans for a 228-home subdivision just north of Skeet Club Road and east of Dilworth Road hit a snag Monday night: Several council members are worried about future growth out there and want Shugart to build its entrance at the intersection of Bickford Road and Dilworth to a higher standard.
They're worried about future growth in the region -- particularly the Heart of the Triad -- north of where Shugart wants to build. It should be noted that this neighborhood is near, but not in the Heart of the Triad study area, the southern boundry of which follows Sandy Ridge Road to Squire Davis Road to N.C. 66 and down to U.S. 311.
It raises an interesting question: Should developers be allowed to build at, or slightly above, whatever current road standards are? Or should they be held liable for what might, could happen in 20 years, which is the rough time frame for buildout of the Heart of the Triad region regardless of whether that specific plan goes forward?
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
On the Agenda: Jamestown Council
The agenda for tomorrow's meeting is fairly light, but the heavyweight item is the budget. Asst. Town Manager Kathryn Billings is giving the council her proposed budget for next year. I haven't seen it yet, but know that it includes the addition of a town planning department -- something Billings has said in the past she would accomplish by splitting her current duties as assistant town manager and finance officer into two jobs. A planner and a finance officer. She'll become town manager at the end of the month.
Council is also expected to set a public hearing date for the Mackay Road development.
What: Jamestown Town Council
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Town Hall
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 6:06 PM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2006
An arena downtown?
That's one of several pieces proposed by consultants to revitalize High Point's downtown.
Most of the other suggestions seem to make sense. Limit showrooms to specific districts. Encourage mixed-use development in other areas of downtown. Make transportation improvements such as sidewalks.
The one that jumps out at me as likely for debate is the arena and convention center. The idea would be for High Point University basketball to call the arena home, surely among other groups as well, and have a capacity between 6,000 and 12,000. It's an interesting. Presumably a downtown arena would be good for High Point if it had a regular draw, but I admit to not knowing how well attended HPU sporting events are. I also wonder if taking arenas off campus doesn't hurt the interest of college kids in attending events. I know we've got a couple of HPU alums who are regular readers here, and I'd be curious to hear their thoughts.
The convention piece is interesting too. If High Point could do a solid convention business, that might spur more downtown hotel growth. And that's one of the most consistant complaints I heard at the spring and fall furniture markets: there aren't enough places to stay downtown.
But attracting conventions isn't an easy thing to do when there are so many places to chose from. A Brookings Institution study last year called the business an "arms race" as the amount of convention center space is growing rapidly, while the actual attendance at conventions hovers around the same level it did in 1993.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
May 9, 2006
Mackay Road development
The Jamestown planning board approved a zoning request Monday night that would allow as many as 100 homes to be built on 12 acres near Mackay Road. Developer Randy Dixon said the actual number would be closer to 75.
Now it's in the Town Council's court.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 5:54 PM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2006
Heart of the Triad: Some additional perspective
Piraino has an interesting political cartoon and opinion about Heart of the Triad over at his blog. It's worth checking out. He's also linked to several other blogs that were previously noted here at the NHP&J page.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 8:52 PM | Comments (2)
Dunkin Donuts in High Point
Business reporter Sue Schultz asked me to post the following:
“Time to make the donuts.” At least it will be Tuesday morning when Dunkin’ Donuts open in High Point.
For years, the popular donut shop, founded in Massachusetts, was known as a northern treat, making Krispy Kreme the glazed gladiator of the south.
But with two locations in Winston-Salem, and a former location in Greensboro, Dunkin’ Donuts is moving into the Triad.
Located on Eastchester Drive, just north of the Main Street and Eastchester Drive intersection, Dunkin’ Donuts will pair up with Baskin Robbins, an ice-cream shop.
Featuring 52 varieties of donuts, Dunkin’ Donuts has also branched out to brand its own coffees.
The donut shop will open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 3:43 PM | Comments (1)
On the Agenda: Jamestown Planning
The Jamestown Planning & Zoning Commission is meeting tonight to discusss a request to zone roughly 13 acres off MacKay Road for residential development. The land has and agricultural designation. It's outside the town's limits, but falls in its planning area.
Developer Randy Dixon, of Dixon Properties, is planning a townhouse development on the site and the change would allow as many as 100 townhouses to go in. He's told Jamestown staff that the actual number would be closer to 60.
What: Jamestown Planning & Zoning
When: 6:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Jamestown Town Hall,
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 2:39 PM | Comments (0)
May 5, 2006
Jamestown Day
Just a reminder: Tomorrow is the 12th annual Jamestown Day festival sponsored by the Jamestown Business Association, which uses it as a major fundraiser.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the library is the center of it all. There will be plenty of activities, a lot of them geared around children, all day. The thing is free and open to the public.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 1:55 PM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2006
Blue Ridge gets its last OK...
... for that development between Eastchester Drive and Whites Mill Road.
Council members Michael Pugh and Lisa Stahlmann voted against it, with Chris Whitley abstaining. The planning department de-certified the protest petition after several people withdrew their names, that meant the development only needed a simple majority to win approval. It died previously in front of the city council when it had a simple majority but not a super majority.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:45 AM | Comments (3)
Speaking of being out-of-town ...
... I spent my weekend on the coast.
Two houses down: A "Honk if you've been Grier-ended" sticker on one of the visitor's trucks.
I didn't get a chance to speak with the owner, but kept my eye out for them.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:43 AM | Comments (2)
Heart of the Triad opposition
The North Carolina Alliance for Transportation Reform issued a statement over the weekend opposing Heart of the Triad and questioning PART's role in it. (Sorry for the delay in getting this up, but I was out-of-town until this morning).
The gist of the statement is that the Heart of the Triad project needs to be closely watched and they're calling for "legal scrutiny." The group also questions PART's involvement because the agency contributed $200,000 toward the current study of grant money awarded by the state to study land-use and transportation plans that help improve air quality. The group is arguing that the concepts proposed will worsen air quality by promoting development on open space.
PART's executive director, Brent McKinney, has said in the past -- and this was not in response to NCATR -- that Heart of the Triad has the potential to do the opposite. The argument being that the area is going to develop at a density of roughly two units an acre, without much of an industrial or commercial job base nearby, leading to an end-result of the new residents driving longer distances to get to work lessening air quality.
It's an interesting debate.
You can read NCATR's statement here.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
