By Liz Moomey
liz.moomey@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — City Council will get another swing at the pickleball court conversion talks at Tuesday’s 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall. 

Parks and Recreation Director Nick Aceves will give a facility options update.

Last year, talks of converting two tennis courts to six permanent pickleball courts at City Park angered tennis and pickleball players alike as they called for transparency from the council.

In January 2019, the council approved a budget amendment of $25,000 to appropriate a Parks and Recreation donation. The money was to aid with conversion of courts No. 1 and 2 at City Park.

Tennis players voiced concerns that the decreased number of tennis courts would not support the demand for the sport.

Pickleball players said the sport is growing and often on weekends people wait for a turn to play. The players described carrying pickleball nets to the tennis courts to play and packing them up after a game to haul away.

In Rowan County, there are about 75 public tennis courts and six dedicated and 17 temporary pickleball courts.

Other agenda items:

• City Council will consider a rezoning for a future apartment complex in the 2700 block of Statesville Boulevard.

The parcels for consideration are currently in the extraterritorial jurisdiction and a combination of corridor mixed-use, residential mixed use and open space primary districts. Developers requested combining the parcels and rezoning them to corridor mixed-use with a conditional district overlay.

The zoning district allows for high-density housing. The proposed 10-building complex will have 240 units.

A conditional overlay means the plans presented to city council must be followed.

The rezoning request was recommended by Planning Board on Jan. 14.

• The council will consider authorizing a sale of a parcel on the 300 block of Grim Street. Truland Development LLC is the potential purchaser and owns an adjacent parcel.

• Police Chief Jerry Stokes will give the council an update on community crime and staffing in 2019.

• The council will received a presentation from Planning Director Hannah Jacobson and Senior Planner Catherine Garner about ways citizens can participate in creating a vision for the Forward 2040 Comprehensive Plan. They include an online survey, attending a pop-in session or hosting a small group meeting.

• The council will make appointments to boards and commissions that have seats expiring in March.

• City Attorney Graham Corriher will present a resolution for the council to adopt terminating existing contracts for tank maintenance with Salisbury-Rowan Utilities.

The council will be coming back from recess at the annual retreat.