By David Purtell

david.purtell@salisburypost.com

Salisbury’s new city manager will be sworn in during City Council’s meeting Tuesday.

Lane Bailey, who comes from the city of Lenoir and began working for the city in March, will take the oath of office and attend his first council meeting as city manager.

Before Tuesday’s meeting, a reception will be held for Bailey in council chambers at City Hall. The reception starts at 3 p.m.

Council’s meeting begins at 4 p.m.

Council will have three public hearings regarding land development ordinances. One is for the proposed Home2 Suites hotel on Jake Alexander Boulevard, another is to allow “daycare” as a permitted use in an office building off Statesville Boulevard and the third is for a small change to the master plan for the school system’s new central office building.

Narsi Properties wants to build a six-story hotel on a 1.43 acres of land between the Econo Lodge hotel and the Interstate-85 on-ramp on Jake Alexander Boulevard South. The city’s height limit for commercial mixed-used zones, like the site the hotel is planned for, is four stories. But because the site is so small, the developer is requesting the building be six-stories to accommodate a 93-room hotel.

Also, due to state Department of Transportation regulations, no left turns would be allowed into or out of the hotel’s parking lot, and the developer would have to pay the cost of installing a median on Jake Alexander Boulevard to prevent left turns.

The city’s Planning Board approved the plans last month. A concern that did come up during the Planning Board’s discussion was the potential for the hotel to lead to more traffic congestion in the area.

The ARC of Rowan, an organization dedicated to assisting people with intellectual disabilities, wants to start an after-school program for  middle-schoolers and high schoolers at the office building at 108 Dorsett Drive off Statesville Boulevard. To do so, the property needs to have “daycare” as a permitted use. It currently doesn’t and needs council’s approval. ARC of Rowan is leasing the property from A&H Investments Inc..

The change to the plans for the school system’s new central office on North Main Street include adding windows to the north face of the building now that the house next door, owned by Shulenburger Surveying, has been demolished. The land parcel that the house sat on has been split, with a portion going to the school system and the rest going to Richard’s Bar-B-Q on the adjacent lot.

In other business Tuesday, Council will:

• Consider a request from Sacred Heart Catholic Church to place a statue in the traffic circle on Lumen Christi Lane.

• Consider the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization and the 2015-2016 Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant and HOME program funds.

• Consider a request for a predevelopment site grading permit for 685 Julian Road. The site, 5 acres, will be used as a “borrow pit” where dirt is removed and used at another site. Predevelopment site grading is any land-disturbing activity of one acre or more that is not regulated by a previously approved site plan.

• Vote on a supplemental agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation regarding bicycle lanes and sidewalks on Newsome Road between Stokes Ferry and Bringle Ferry roads. The bike lanes have already been approved, and this new agreement allows sidewalks to be built along one side of the road.

• Hold a public hearing and consider closing an alley located in the 600 block of North Church Street.

• Consider adopting a resolution of support regarding the placement of a piano at the Square for the “Come Tickle Our Ivories” project beginning May 1 and ending Sept. 30.

• Open public comment and receive presentations regarding Special Community Organizations 2015-2016 city budget requests.

• Receive a presentation from Downtown Salisbury Inc. regarding a 2015-2016 city budget request.

• Receive a presentation from the Economic Development Commission regarding a 2015-2016 city budget request.

• Go into closed session to consult with an attorney.

Contact reporter David Purtell at 704-797-4264.