Likely approval of rezoning request at next city council meeting will clear way for future Goodwill store
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, February 3, 2021
By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — With a rezoning request for a parcel on Faith Road likely to be approved at the next meeting, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina on Tuesday cleared a necessary hurdle to add a new Goodwill retail store on Faith Road.
City council members held a public hearing to consider rezoning a 1.71-acre parcel located on Faith Road from urban residential and corridor mixed-use to corridor mixed-use only. The parcel, 070-012, is located within 417-425 Faith Road as well as 112 Dunham Ave., near the Innes Street Market shopping center and an Aldi grocery store.
Currently, properties in that area range from residential use to office space.
Following the public hearing for the rezoning request is a 24-hour public comment period in which locals can submit comments to Senior Planner Catherine Garner at catherine.garner@salisburync.gov or at 704-638-5212. Locals can also submit comments to city clerk Kelly Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or 704-638-5233. Formal action will be taken at the Feb. 16 city council meeting.
The rezoning request comes from Bill Haymore of Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina. The Salisbury Planning Board unanimously approved the rezoning request at its Jan. 12 meeting.
Haymore told council members the current market shift to more commerce and housing is ideal for a retail and donation center location. There is currently a Goodwill Career Connections located at 1923 S. Main St., which offers free services to help job seekers.
“We want to serve the entire town of Salisbury,” Haymore said.
If the rezoning request is approved, Garner said the store will be submitted for a site plan review that will check for conformity with the zoning ordinance since no master plan is required to be tied to the rezoning approval.
Haymore said a North Carolina Department of Transportation study will be conducted to determine how vehicles will enter and exit the store since it’s located mid-block. He did not state when the retail store could be expected in Salisbury.
Council member David Post praised Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, a nonprofit organization, for its affiliation with the county’s college access program, the Rowan County Crosby Scholars. While the county program aims to remove barriers to college, Goodwill’s affiliation aims to remove barriers to employment. Crosby Scholars currently serves Forsyth, Rowan and Iredell counties.
“It’s good news that it’s an additional investment in our community,” said council member Brian Miller.
Mayor Pro Tem Al Heggins added that there’s “certainly a need” for a new Goodwill retail store in the community.
In other business at the meeting:
• Council members awarded a contract to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for bridge repairs to North Ellis Street bridge and East Fisher Street bridge to bring them up to current standards. The contract and estimated cost of both projects amounts to $185,758, with another $122,242 designated for additional materials, inspections and services. In the 2020-21 fiscal year budget, the city allocated $215,000 for the bridge repairs, but to cover the projects’ cost, members on Tuesday also approved appropriating $93,000 from the 2020-21 fund balance.
• Council members approved a right-of-way encroachment by Spectrum to install a directional bored duct in the 200 block of West Council Street. The installation will be made at no cost to the city.
• Council members amended chapter 13, article X of the code of ordinances for parking restrictions on Newsome Road. With the completion of the Newsome Road widening project, sidewalks and bike lanes were implemented into the roadway from Bringle Ferry Road to Stokes Ferry Road, and the new cross-section design doesn’t allow for on-street parking. The approval prohibits parking at all times along the entire extent of Newsome Road.
• The city is currently seeking applications from citizens who have an interest in serving on one of the city’s boards and commissions. An online application along with more information on open seats is available at salisburync.gov under the “City Council and the Boards and Commissions” tab. Applications are also available by emailing Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or calling 704-638-5223. Current boards and commissions with open seats include the Alternate Methods of Design Commission; Community Appearance Commission; Greenway, Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee; Historic Preservation Commission; Housing Advocacy Commission; Human Relations Council; Hurley Park Advisory Board; Planning Board/Board of Adjustment; Transportation Advisory Board and the Tree Board.
About Natalie Anderson
Natalie Anderson covers the city of Salisbury, politics and more for the Salisbury Post. She joined the staff in January 2020 after graduating from Louisiana State University, where she was editor of The Reveille newspaper. Email her at natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com or call her at 704-797-4246.
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