By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Council members on Tuesday approved a rezoning request for a single-family housing development that will eventually offer 382 additional homes on Earnhardt Road.

The request was to rezone 101.36 acres of land located in the 600 block of Earnhardt Road to general residential with a conditional district overlay. The rezoning allows for the fourth phase of construction for a housing development called Shay Crossing. True Homes, LLC, a home builder based in Monroe, plans to use most of the 101 acres of land to construct the development, which will include 382 single-family units between Earnhardt and Stokes Ferry roads.

The city previously approved a request in June 2018 for the first three phases of Shay Crossing, with an estimated 150 lots. With the first three phases of Shay Crossing underway, developers anticipate selling more than a hundred single-family homes in October before beginning the final phase of construction.

Council member Brian Miller asked about the opportunity to implement greenways in the development that could eventually connect to a network of greenways he hopes the city continues to create. Andrew McDonald, of Dependable Development, Inc./True Homes, LLC, said he’d be willing to set aside some of the green space for greenways, but cautioned the proximity to a floodplain located within the property isn’t developable. Currently, the developer plans to implement trails within the green space of the project.

The fourth phase of the development received approval from the Salisbury Planning Board in January. Then, McDonald agreed to implementing 447 feet of privacy fencing and 3-5 feet of landscape berm to separate the development from nearby residents.

McDonald said the size of the homes would range from 1,200 square feet to 3,600 square feet, and range in price from $195,000 to $285,000. But since the market is “really dynamic right now,” McDonald said, those rates could change.

In other business at the meeting:

• Council approved an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to fund the Salisbury Station Second Platform project. The project would add a platform on the east side of the track at the Salisbury Depot, with access via a tunnel. The total cost of the project amounts to $19.75 million, with the city contributing $780,000. City engineer Wendy Brindle said the city anticipates 25% of the site plan to be completed soon, with the full design completed this summer. Construction would begin in 2022 with completion of the project anticipated in 2024. NCDOT is working with the Historic Salisbury Foundation on the design, and the city will ultimately be responsible for maintaining the platform, canopy and passenger tunnel as well as the existing platform and canopy on the west side of the tracks.

Mayor Pro Tem Al Heggins said these additions speak to the goals of becoming “a 21st century city,” while City Manager Lane Bailey called “passenger rail transit a vital part of our future.”

• Council members approved a rezoning in the 400 block of Faith Road and 100 block of Dunham Avenue to consolidate several parcels under the corridor mixed use designation. The rezoning request is from Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, which has plans to build a new Goodwill retail store on Faith Road.

• Council approved a $283,454 budget amendment to buy a new automated sanitation truck for the city’s Public Works Department.

• Council members adopted several ordinances to the 2020-21 budget, including an appropriation of $5,500 in joint operations funds from the U.S. Secret Service, an appropriation of $46,093 from the United Way’s community impact model, an appropriation of $78,281 to the Salisbury Police Department from the Department of Justice’s coronavirus emergency supplemental funding and an appropriation of $25,000 from Duke Energy for fair and impartial policing training.

• Council members authorized Bailey to execute a $101,501.10 contract with Carolina Siteworks for a sanitary sewer exertion in China Grove. Funds for the project were allocated in the 2020-21 budget.

• The council approved a 2020-21 budget ordinance in the amount of $67,200 to appropriate from the stormwater fund for phase two of the Stormwater Master Plan, along with a $147,200 agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. for services. The city’s Public Works department told council members on Tuesday that a survey is scheduled for March 1 to gather public input on the project.

The city is still seeking applications from citizens who have an interest in serving on one of the city’s boards and commissions. Information regarding the open seats and an online application are available at www.salisburync.gov under the City Council and Boards and Commissions tab. Applications are also available by emailing Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or by calling 704-638-5233.