A public hearing — and possible action — is scheduled today by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners on the proposed annexation and rezoning of property near Walmart, for which the owner says there are no plans.
“At this point, nothing,” Bill Juno said of the land located in the 1400 block of Edgewood Drive, off U.S. 601 (Rockford Street).
In addition to requesting that the two parcels involved — a total 1.48-acre site — be brought into the city limits through voluntary annexation, Juno, through an entity known as Rockford Street, LLC, of which he is the principal, is requesting that its zoning be changed.
The property now is classified as RL, a Surry County designation that stands for Residential Limited. In conjunction with the proposed annexation, city officials are being asked to alter its zoning to B-4, or Highway Business.
Citizens will have a chance to weigh in on those issues at today’s hearing, to be held during a commissioners meeting that begins at 6 p.m.
Although the rezoning would facilitate further business development in a bustling section of town on the property in question, Juno says there is nothing on the drawing board regarding this.
“At this point, no plans for anything right now,” he said.
Juno is the longtime owner of multiple Subway restaurants in Mount Airy, including one near the site being considered for annexation/rezoning.
“It’s behind the other property we have,” he said of the 1.48-acre tract.
Juno added that it is appropriate for the site’s zoning to be altered to a business classification.
Mount Airy’s B-4 districts typically are located on major thoroughfares and collector streets, according to city planning documents.
Municipal staff members specify that the rezoning request is consistent with future high-intensity land-use recommendations in the Mount Airy Comprehensive Plan. The high-intensity designation applies to both residential and a wide variety of retail, service, office, institutional and civic uses along major arteries, planning documents state.
Annexation, meanwhile, aids the obtaining of municipal services such as water and sewer as a result of property being taken into the city.
The parcel eyed for annexation on Edgewood Drive has direct access to public water and sewer lines would have to be extended by the developer about 175 feet down that road to serve the property.
Later in tonight’s meeting in the wake of the public hearing, the commissioners are scheduled to vote on the annexation and rezoning in separate decisions.
The Mount Airy Planning Board, an advisory group to the commissioners, voted 7-0 in favor of both on May 23.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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