TRINITY — A month after a potential moratorium on any future major subdivisions was tabled pending further review by planning and zoning, Trinity City Council will again wait another 30-day period before reaching a resolution.
At the regular February meeting of Trinity City Council, Councilman Tommy Johnson made a motion to remove from the agenda a moratorium that could have halted future major development. He emphasized that the city has not followed state law in unilaterally placing on the agenda an item that would have resulted in action without the input of the city’s planning and zoning department.
The item was sent back to the planning board, but the board recessed the meeting until March 28 for further consideration. A recommendation is expected to be forthcoming after the meeting.
By state statute, moratoriums of that nature must come before council as a recommendation by planning and zoning.
These measures follow a January reversal nine days after a year-long moratorium on any new major housing subdivisions or developments gained the approval of Trinity City Council at its regular January meeting.
At a special-called meeting, members of council voted to rescind the moratorium made at the previous meeting on Jan. 10. After a wave of large-scale housing developments arrived in Trinity over the last couple of years, the city had initially planned to wait at least another year before voting on any further subdivisions of that kind.
The measure would not have included single-family homes or commercial business, but council mentioned a pause of its review and approval of residential development and zoning applications while the city’s land-use plan is under review and revision.
In Columbus County, North Carolina, commissioners passed a similar moratorium on major subdivisions in July. County officials told local reporters the moratorium was prompted by major development happening in surrounding counties, fearing Columbus County could be next.
Homeowners in Steeplegate, Trinity’s largest housing development, have turned out in great numbers over the past several years to oppose road improvement projects and new subdivisions along the city’s most heavily-trafficked thoroughfare.
Finch Farm Road is Trinity’s busiest road, excluding Interstate 85, with traffic volumes reportedly ranging from a daily average of 12,000 to 13,000 around the two I-85 interchanges, per 2018 data. Multiple housing projects, including townhomes by Keystone, were approved over the last two years in the area near the intersection of Finch Farm and N.C. Highway 62, drawing the ire of city residents.
Staff writer Daniel Kennedy can be reached at 336-888-3578, or at dkennedy@atnonline.net.
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