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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1223property owner. Kidd suggested that a committee be created, with a composition similar to what some of the other speakers had mentioned, to serve as members. Talmadge Kinney, referred to comments by Planning Supervisor Warren about adjacent counties implementing minimum lot size requirements. Kinney said he didn't hear Rowan, Davie or Wilkes County being mentioned. He said this was because they didn't have large bodies of water, and this was the area in Iredell County having problems. Kinney said watershed areas were the counties' most valuable resource, and they needed to be protected. He said there was poor planning when larger roads were not built in the area. Kinney said mistakes were made when the roads were built just to meet the demand and not for the future. Mr. Kinney said the minimum lot size proposal was countywide, and he didn't see where there were traffic jams in Olin, Stony Point or Harmony. He said the county's tax base would be reduced by the larger lots, that more property would be used up, and the working class would be affected. Kinney said the problem sites were in the Brawley and Perth Road areas, or the lake. He said the proposal should be restricted to the watershed areas. Patty Marshall, a homeowner off the Brawley School Road, requested approval of the moratorium until the Brawley School Road was widened. She said a realtor had falsely told her the road would be widened in a year or so when she purchased a home in 2001. Marshall said many people had been told this, and the road was not large enough to accommodate all the residents. She said in the mornings, as she and all the other residents left to go to their workplaces, all of the construction people came in to build more homes. Mike Fisk, a resident of The Pointe off the Brawley School Road, said he worked in commercial real estate, that he believed in the free market, and in property rights. Fisk said the peninsula's traffic problems, especially in the early morning hours, were the worse he had ever seen. He said some type of growth management initiatives were needed. Fisk said the public planning for the Brawley peninsula was abysmal, and it had to be some of the worst planning anywhere in the United States. He said a moratorium was a good idea until a long-term solution could be found. Additionally, he mentioned staggering the school hours, better timing of the lights at Oaktree, and asking Crescent Resources to loan the money to the state to get the road built. Patricia Warlick, a local realtor, said entry level home buyers would be negatively impacted by the minimum lot size proposal. She said excluding the Mooresville/Lake Norman areas, that between January and the end of May 2006, the average closed sale price was $127,500. Warlick said looking at a $100,000 home with a half -acre lot at $15,000.00, and then enlarging the lot to three-fourths of an acre, the price increased to $22,500 (lot only). She said the $7500 increase was just for the land, and this didn't include any improvements. Warlick said many builders were "generous" in trying to help entry-level people by paying the closing costs, and she was afraid that a market of homes would not be available if the lot sizes increased. Karen Sheffield, said she was the Branch Manager for the Allen Tate Realty Office located on the Brawley School Road, as well as a resident in the same area. Sheffield, a former resident of Jacksonville, Florida, said one reason why she moved to North Carolina was because there wasn't any affordable housing, and many people had to rent. She requested for the proposal to be postponed for further study. Sheffield said halting growth would not correct the problems. Lee Ann Cosack, a resident of the Brawley School Road area, said something had to be done. Cosack said she had lived in the area since 1977, and the lack of infrastructure to support the growth had caused an "untenable problem." She said morning commutes could take 45 minutes just for a couple of miles. Cosack said the infrastructure needed to be installed before any new construction occurred to keep the quality of life at a beneficial level for all residents. She said appointing a committee was fine, but something needed to be done before the situation became worse. Mrs. Cosack urged the board members to expand the lot sizes and to implement a moratorium. Cathy Lynch, a Brawley School Road resident, business owner, and realtor/broker, said she required home purchasers to sign a waiver about the road problem. She said the roadway had many businesses, and much of the traffic was caused by people who did not reside in the area. Lynch said the people were seeking services, such as those provided by the dance academy and the churches. She said anytime a shopping center was built, people from outer areas would be attracted. Lynch said she wasn't "big" on paying more taxes, but this might have to be done to achieve better roads and more schools. She suggested that a committee study the proposal.