SALISBURY — City Council on Tuesday approved requests from city staff for rezoning and overlay removal.
No one spoke against either change.
City Council rezoned about 20 acres along the east side of Faith Road from general residential to rural residential. The addresses are 1210, 1230, 1304, 1308, 1312 and 1316 Faith Road.
Resident Ann Meacham, who lives at 1312 Faith Road, spoke in favor of the rezoning, explaining that she and her husband want their disabled son and his wife to move their mobile home onto the Meachams’ property. The rezoning will allow a double wide mobile home but not a single wide, said Preston Mitchell, the city’s Planning and Development Services manager.
However, City Council on June 17 will consider a text amendment that would allow secondary homes, including single wides, on lots zoned rural residential.
The parcels that were downzoned had limited future development potential because they are sandwiched between the east margin of Faith Road and Crane Creek. The area is not suitable for additional development, according to staff.
City Council also voted to remove the general development A overlay from roughly seven acres or 12 parcels located between Wood Avenue, West Jake Alexander Boulevard and Statesville Boulevard near Community One Bank and the American Red Cross. The city said the overlay has outlived its usefulness.
“It is simply not business-friendly,” Mitchell said.
He said the overlay creates a barrier to new business development in an area that is already zoned for commercial use.
Developer Jake Alexander spoke in favor of the change and said he and two partners own 1.5 acres in the area and are in the process of putting the property under contract. The overlay was “duplicative and overkill,” considering the city’s new Land Development Ordinance, Alexander said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
• Frank Goodnight is the new liaison to City Council from the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. He said members of the chamber’s governmental affairs committee are serving as liaisons to elected boards in all 10 Rowan municipalities to stay abreast of what’s happening in local government and find ways to facilitate growth and partner with elected officials.
Chamber member David Post is the liaison to the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.
• City Council approved a 2014 Justice Assistance Grant worth $34,260 for new equipment for law enforcement officers. The grant requires no match and will be split between the police department ($20,958) and Rowan County Sheriff’s Office ($13,302).
• City Council appointed Jane Riley to the Hurley Park Advisory Board.

Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.