By Noelle Edwards
nedwards@salisburypost.com
The Salisbury Planning Board came close to recommending new rules for front porches on Salisbury houses before sending the issue to a committee again.
The Planning Board sent the Front Porch Provision of the Land Development Ordinance to a committee at its Aug. 11 meeting, and at Tuesday’s meeting, the committee brought a recommendation.
The recommendation was to simplify the language of the current provision and adjust some of the requirements.
The key points are that no house would have to include a front porch but if one were included, it would need to cover at least 35 percent of the home’s front facade.
Also, the committee recommended that porches that cover 35 percent to 40 percent of the facade should be 6′ deep, and porches that cover more than 40 percent of the facade should be at least 8′ deep.
Preston Mitchell, senior planner for the city, said at the board meeting the provision aims to get builders to make front porches functional, not just an aesthetic element.
The board held an impromptu courtesy hearing, and two people spoke from the public, both against the proposed changes.
Karen Alexander, a board member and architect, said she didn’t think the 8′ minimum requirement for large porches allowed enough flexibility for designers to decide what would look best given the size, scale and style of the house and its rooms.
She suggested a requirement that porches be at least 6′ deep and leave it up to the designer to add more depth when it’s appropriate.
She said that would allow for the 5′ by 5′ turnaround area the city’s building code requires to make a house accessible for people with disabilities.
The Planning Board voted 8-0 to send the issue back to committee to further edit the existing provision. Board members Tommy Hairston, Diane Young and Mark Beymer were absent. The issue will come up at the Oct. 6 Planning Board meeting.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the Planning Board voted 8-0 to recommend rezoning .19 acre at 310 Mocksville Ave. to Neighborhood Mixed-Use, which allows for small retail operations.
The petitioner, Jennifer Woomer, spoke at the meeting and said she intends to start a yarn shop in the existing building and wanted a retail space close to her home and close to the colleges and a space that would accommodate older customers.