WAKE FOREST — Community plans, transportation and greenways plans and annexation boundaries dominated the agenda at the annual Wake Forest commissioners’ retreat held Friday at Town Hall.

These plans create blueprints for the town’s future and its growth, which is occurring rapidly, officials say.

The commissioners also briefly discussed issues that were important to them, such the return of the town’s Christmas parade and diversity and equity training.

Town events

Commissioner Adam Wright brought up the idea of hosting town-sponsored events toward the end of the year if the COVID-19 pandemic had subsided enough. He specifically brought up the idea of holding a Christmas parade again if it could be held safely.

Commissioner Liz Simpers, who works for the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber was looking at finding a way to start hosting events, even if they weren’t the same as before. It’s complicated because they can’t control who attends a public event, so a small gathering might bring 20,000 people, Simpers said.

Mayor Vivian Jones wanted an event that everyone feels comfortable going to, she said. However, she can’t see a way to host a Christmas parade like that. She expressed her support for an event, though.

Diversity training

Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon presented information about the Racial Equity Institute, which offers a three-hour workshop.

The institute would perform an organization assessment to determine attitudes about race and diversity among the town’s staff. Then it would talk to staff and elected leaders understanding implicit bias and more. Up to 100 people could attend a session for $7,000, according to Wall-Lennon. While commissioners said the training was worth it, a few expressed concerns about the price. The item was presented for information only, and no decision was made.

Community plan

Nik Davis and Sean Tapia with Houseal Lavigne presented survey results about the community plan and future land use map. More than 1,300 people responded over a four-month time period. Around 40% had lived in Wake Forest for more than 10 years.

The survey found that the town’s image was its No. 1 strength while its commercial and industrial opportunities was its main weakness. However, it also found that people felt industrial uses and gas stations would have a negative impact on the town’s image.

“When you go through feedback, it’ll contradict itself because its from the community. Everybody has different ideas,” Davis explained.

Respondents also strongly desired senior housing but felt new duplexes and apartments would have a negative impact.

Around 92% of people said they were satisfied or very satisfied with life in Wake Forest.

Houseal Lavigne also examined existing conditions in Wake Forest to figure out what opportunities are available to the town. They pointed out an opportunity for more commercial business along Capital Boulevard as well as areas for potential light industrial and office space.

They also felt downtown could be expanded along South White Street for more mixed-use development and that the northeastern community needed more neighborhood-level commercial uses, such as grocery stores.

The next step is to determine the town’s vision and goals for the future, Davis said.

Northeast community plan

Rhodeside & Harwell, an architecture firm, is currently examining existing conditions in the Northeast Community to determine opportunities for the future, according to Deana Rhodeside.

They’ve conducted site visits at several locations, including the community garden and Ailey Young Park, along with stakeholder interviews with the Dubois Alumni Association, Hope House and more.

The community has a strong sense of pride with great facilities and parks, according to residents. However, some people feel they are being pushed out in part because new housing has a different character from the existing styles.

People are also worried about gentrification and the lack of affordable housing in the area. There are also no grocery stores and few jobs for young people, respondents said.

People want to see physical improvements, such as better sidewalks, and a better mix of housing types while retaining the community’s character, Rhodeside said.

Rhodeside and Harwell just finished a survey. Physical copies were mailed to residents while an online version was also available. Now, the consultants are finalizing the results and preparing for a public meeting on March 9.

For more information about the plan, visit https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/northeast-community-plan.

160D changes

A new state law, commonly referred to as 160D, is changing the roles of the design review and planning boards while also changing who has to go through quasi-judicial hearings.

The design review board will no longer be able to approve major architectural changes. While the board will continue with all of the changes on its agenda, staff recommended disbanding the board with current members finding new roles in other advisory boards. Simpers and Wall-Lennon recommended making the design standards objective, so staff can approve designs.

The law also keeps the Board of Commissioners from considering the planning board’s discussions and recommendations when it comes to quasi-judicial meetings. Currently, both boards hold public hearings, including quasi-judicial ones, together. Then the planning board makes a recommendation, which the governing board uses to help make its decision.

Staff recommended eliminating the distinction between major and minor subdivisions and major and minor site master plans. Currently, staff can approve minor subdivision and site master plans while the major subdivisions and site master plans go before the governing and planning boards.

By changing the criteria, staff will be able to approve the plans at the administrative level. Also, the planning and governing boards would only host joint hearings for rezoning, text amendments and comprehensive plan amendments, which do not require quasi-judicial meetings.

Staff also recommended increasing the number of people notified of quasi-judicial hearings. Currently, people within 100 feet of the rezoning are notified. Staff wants to increase that to 500 feet and to add the date of the hearing to yard sign notices.

Annexation boundaries

The annexation boundaries with Youngsville and Rolesville need to be updated. They are typically used for water-sewer agreements, according to Planning Director Courtney Tanner.

The current Rolesville agreement with Rolesville had a map that doesn’t align with the text. Staff presented four options to the board at the retreat.

Tanner recommended an option that gives Rolesville approximately 15 acres of non-watershed land, which cleans up the line and gives Rolesville a hard corner at Jones Dairy and Averette streets.

It could give Rolesville a strong commercial corner and give them everything east of N.C. Highway 96. The current agreement expires in March, but the town is not required to adopt a new one as long as it follows state law.

Wake Forest is looking at expanding its agreement with Youngsville by around 490 acres. Staff from both towns agreed they were reasonable locations for Wake Forest to expand to.

The town would provide most services, such as trash pickup. Extending water and sewer to those areas would require the agreement with Raleigh to be modified, requiring them to be developed under septic and well services until that goes through, Tanner said.