By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council today will hold a public hearing and consider the voluntary annexation of Rowan Woodland Apartments.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. and be held virtually. It will be streamed live at salisburync.gov/webcast.

The apartments are located at 2715 Statesville Blvd. If annexed, the annexation would be effective Sept. 15. The complex is slated to have more than 200 units.

When approved for a rezoning in February, developers said there were be one community buildings and several on-site accesory structures. At the time, developers also said rents would range in price from $850 to $1,300 per month, have options ranging from one to three bedrooms and be 725 to 1,150 square feet.

By annexing the property, the city would levy property taxes on the development. Voluntary annexation sometimes occurs in conjunction with the extension of utilities to a new development.

City council members will also hear a presentation of the market analyses performed by the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative, which seeks to provide specialized finance and real estate development expertise. In January, the Salisbury Community Planning Services department engaged the initiative to complete a Downtown Opportunity Site Selection, as well as a pre-development analysis for Kesler Mills and the Civic Center, which are both city-owned parcels. Part of the initiative is to identify “sites that present catalytic (re)development opportunities within downtown,” according to a memo sent to the city’s Planning Director Hannah Jacobson.

Anyone who wishes to speak during public comment must sign up by 5 p.m. today by contacting city clerk Kelly Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or 704-638-5233.

Also at the meeting:

• Council members will vote to approve modifying first-class mail notification for public hearings based on a presentation from the Aug. 18 City Council meeting. The proposal would modify the current mailed notification to 250 feet for legislative causes, such as rezonings and conditional district rezonings, and 100 feet for quasi-judicial hearings, which cover special use permits, Historic Preservation Commission matters, variances and appeals. Doing so would modify Chapter 15 of the Land Development Ordinance Text Amendment TA-01-2020.
• The council will consider a resolution that authorizes the mayor to execute an agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, LLC, for the Peeler Road Water Main project. Annexation is proposed as well for a project to connect a Pilot Travel Center at 985 Peeler Road.
• Council members will consider authorizing the city manager to renew a contract with Atlantic Coast Contractors, Inc., for $500,000 for construction related to the fifth phase of the Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project. The contract costs were included in the 2020-21 fiscal year budget.
• City council members will consider awarding a contract to Diversified LLC. in the amount of $348,584 for construction of the Rowan Regional Crime Center. The project is funded by a Strategies for Policing Innovation grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2019.
• City council members will award Salisbury Police Officer Rebecca Sexton her sidearm and badge in recognition of her retirement on Oct. 3.
• The council will consider appointments to the Greenway, Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee.
• Mayor Karen Alexander will proclaim the city observe Suicide Prevention Month and Salisbury Go Transit Month throughout September, along with First Responder’s Day on Sept. 11.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.