By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — City Council today will revisit a request to rezone a parcel on Faith Road and exempt developers from setback requirements for a future Goodwill store.

The meeting will be held virtually at 6 p.m. and streamed live at salisburync.gov/webcast and on the city’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. Anyone who wishes to speak during the public comment period must sign up by 5 p.m. on Tuesday by contacting City Clerk Kelly Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or at 704-638-5233.

In February, City Council members held a public hearing and approved rezoning a 1.71-acre parcel located on Faith Road from urban residential and corridor mixed-use to corridor mixed-use only for the development of an 11,500-square-foot Goodwill retail store. 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.

At its Sept. 21 meeting, Bill Haymore of Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina requested the rezoning of one parcel located at 475 Faith Road from corridor mixed use to corridor mixed use with a conditional district overlay. The request is to allow the design plan to exceed the maximum 75-feet setback in order to meet other requirements for the store’s frontage and drive-thru drop-off area. The city’s Technical Review Committee on Aug. 19 recommended approving the request to allow a 100-foot setback to the right-of-way off Faith Road and a 110-foot front setback to the right-of-way off Dunham Avenue.

No one spoke during the public comment period at the Sept. 21 meeting, but comments were accepted up to 24 hours after the close of the public hearing.

Another item on the agenda is a request to revise the city’s remote meeting policy based on the passage of House Bill 812 by state lawmakers in June. In 2020, lawmakers passed legislation allowing members of the public to submit comments to municipal leaders up to 24 hours after a public hearing, with action taken at the following meeting. Now, the city’s new policy states council members shall allow written comments to be submitted at anytime between the notice of the public hearing and 24 hours prior to the time scheduled for the beginning of the public hearing.

City Attorney Graham Corriher stated in a memo that the new law will allow council members to vote on matters that require a public hearing during the same meeting the hearing is held.

In other items on the agenda:

• Council members will consider authorizing a stormwater grant in the amount of $22,450 to be used for improvements at 1801 Bellevue Road. The grant would help mitigate flooding and water buildup issues that have damaged the foundation of Salisbury Academy, located at 2210 Jake Alexander Boulevard North. A memo states a new storm system would be installed on the roof downspouts and run away from the building into the existing stormwater infrastructure.

• City Council members will receive a petition to permanently close the 100 block of West 16th Street, which contains a 60-foot unimproved right-of-way, and set a public hearing for Nov. 3.

• Council members will consider several requests for right-of-way use permits, including two parking spaces adjacent to 115 East Innes St., four parking spaces adjacent to the Amtrak station at 215 Depot St. and the 100 block of West Council St.

• Council members will consider amending Chapter 13, Article X of the city’s Code of Ordinances related to parking restrictions. The request is to remove the two-hour limit in the parking area on the north side of East Council Street near Depot Street.

• Council members will consider the sale of parcel 005-14001, located in the 300 block of Grim Street, to TruLand Development, LLC in the amount of $1,000. City Council authorized an upset bid process at the Sept. 7 meeting and did not receive any additional offers.

• Mayor Karen Alexander will declare the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, Rowan County United Way Month and Substance Abuse Prevention Month.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.