Village Commons / Super Wal Mart development
This was a good development but in the wrong place. Many people with different backgrounds came together to fight it, some for different reasons than others. I believe most were, as I was, against the rezoning of the property to allow a huge development to be put there. Others were against “big box” stores entirely and a few were just against Wal Mart. One thing we all had in common is that we were against the rezoning. Zoning is a type of contract the town has with the people and I believe that contract should not be taken lightly.
The front half of the property was zoned "highway business" and the back half was zoned "multi-family". They rezoned it all to “highway business conditional” and granted many exceptions so that Wakefield Associates could develop that property. There are many homeowners with adjacent property to this rezoned portion. They will lose value in their homes. The council went against the advice of the citizen's Land Use Review Board, or LURB, and broke their "contract" with the people so that it could give an advantage to the developer.
But there are other issues. The neighborhood traffic in the area will increase significantly because Sternwheel Way will connect Laurens Way to this development. So in addition to the adjacent property owners, hundreds of people throughout Widewaters, Planters Walk, Timber Ridge, Parkside Commons and other adjoining areas will be negatively affected by this development.
I believe we need to put the past behind us but learn from this situation as a mistake that should be avoided in the future. Commercial development is necessary to the success of this town. It will help keep our taxes low. It will also help pay for open spaces for much needed parks and recreational facilities. But we don’t have to bend over backwards for developers. They are beating down the door to get in. We must insist that all development is in its proper place. And that means making the UDO more in tune with the comprehensive plan.
We need to put the people first. We need to respect property rights and consider the safety of our neighborhoods when we decide what’s best for the town. To me that means what’s best for all of the people of Knightdale.
The front half of the property was zoned "highway business" and the back half was zoned "multi-family". They rezoned it all to “highway business conditional” and granted many exceptions so that Wakefield Associates could develop that property. There are many homeowners with adjacent property to this rezoned portion. They will lose value in their homes. The council went against the advice of the citizen's Land Use Review Board, or LURB, and broke their "contract" with the people so that it could give an advantage to the developer.
But there are other issues. The neighborhood traffic in the area will increase significantly because Sternwheel Way will connect Laurens Way to this development. So in addition to the adjacent property owners, hundreds of people throughout Widewaters, Planters Walk, Timber Ridge, Parkside Commons and other adjoining areas will be negatively affected by this development.
I believe we need to put the past behind us but learn from this situation as a mistake that should be avoided in the future. Commercial development is necessary to the success of this town. It will help keep our taxes low. It will also help pay for open spaces for much needed parks and recreational facilities. But we don’t have to bend over backwards for developers. They are beating down the door to get in. We must insist that all development is in its proper place. And that means making the UDO more in tune with the comprehensive plan.
We need to put the people first. We need to respect property rights and consider the safety of our neighborhoods when we decide what’s best for the town. To me that means what’s best for all of the people of Knightdale.
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