On October 21, 2008 the Greensboro City Council had an agenda item which pertained to closing a loophole in the planning process. It was an ordinance amending chapter 30, sections 30-3-12.2(c) and 30-3-12.2(i) related to resubmitting applications for rezoning property after final action by the zoning commission, after final action by the city council and when the application is withdrawn from consideration less than 19 days before zoning commission public meeting date for the said property.
It was defeated 8-1 with Dianne Bellamy- Small the lone dissenter. The Yes votes were Rakestraw,Matheny,Wade,Perkins,Barber,Wells,Groat, and
Johnson
Once the item was open for discussion from the Mayor it didn't take long for Greensboro City Council member Zack Matheny to chime in on how he felt about this ordinance, CLICKHERE then proceed to October 21, 2008 at 3:23 mark on video. He started off by saying that at tonight's meeting they have already overturned 3 zoning commission decisions. In a later post TRIADWATCH will make a case to DUMP THE GREENSBORO ZONING COMMISSION to never decide a zoning case because the Greensboro City Council will ultimately approve your development, just like this loophole will bring back the Wedding Planner on New Garden Road under some other classification and the Friends of New Garden CLICKHERE will have to come back to council chambers for the 5th time on this piece of property.
One of the reasons why Dick Hails brought up this ordinance is because of the shenanigans of Derek "Conflict of Interest"Allen from the Brooks Pierce Law Firm who continued the Wedding Planner case right before it went to council. Then right before it was going to the City Council he withdrew the case because he didn't have the 5 votes needed, and the notification to the neighborhood was pathetic to make them go in front of council not once but twice and never make their case.It is not fair to see these lawyers and developers try maneuvers like what Derek Allen did to the Friends of New Garden.
This ordinance should have passed with flying colors but with a pro developer city council all bets are off and the citizens are the ones getting screwed in the process.
Zack Matheny also stated that neighborhoods are involved in the process.
If you have seen some of these zoning cases lately that is not the case. For example, Kim Reittinger brought up a rezoning case off of New Garden Road in front of the zoning commission on October 14, 2008 she stated that she had spoke to neighbors, no one opposing it, which was a lie to the zoning commission and to note she didn't have a neighborhood meeting at all. Come to find out from a representative on robinridge road and the turner hills neighborhood almost 101 out of 108 homes were against this rezoning case and their presentation showed a colored map of all the homes against this zoning case .Let's also ask the Garden Lake area or the neighbors off of Friendly Avenue and how about the neighborhood off of Rehobeth Church Road who had the developer bring up the same case again a few months later for approval how they feel about the process in Greensboro. This process is broken and to make the neighborhoods keep on coming back up in front of City Council again and again is not acceptable.
Other cities have different ways when zoning cases get denied but to do nothing like Greensboro did with this vote and to see Dick Hails from the Planning Department bring up a reasonable ordinance to no avail really shows what a pro development city council acts like when a reasonable ordinance is denied.
But as you can see from the vote and seeing Matheny,Perkins and Barber chime in on this ordinance it was apparent that they got their marching orders from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition otherwise known around these neck of the woods as the TREBIC CARTEL.
The icing on the cake came from Greensboro City Council Member Mike Barber.Here is what he said about developers bringing back up zoning cases in front of the city. CLICKHERE then proceed to October 21, 2008 3:26 mark on video.
"If somebody wants to bring back a half a dozen times . We should hold the door for them,hug their neck, give them a coke, figure out a way to build what they want to build because it's a new day and if we don't grow tax base , we will raise their taxes."
As you can see where Mike Barber stands on the issue not one regard for these neighborhoods who have to come up in front of zoning, and council to make their case against this unwanted development over and over again. But to hear him say "build them what they want to build" is proof that TREBIC CARTEL is and will get their way on the Greensboro City Council no matter what happens.
The only council member who spoke for the citizens of Greensboro was Dianne Bellamy-Small but as you can see from the vote nobody was listening.
2009 will be a pivotal year in Greensboro politics. It might be time to have some formidable candidates to compete against this pro development Greensboro City Council and make a change for the better . The time has come to have a "DUMP THE DEVELOPER PARTY" on Greensboro City Council in fall of 2009.
Below is a part of the process in High Point N.C. . Where before a case gets to the Planning and Zoning Commission they have already met with the neighbors.This process needs to be a part of the process in Greensboro but I am sure Marlene Sanford President of TREBIC will fight a ordinance like this because having the citizens most effected by a zoning case meet with the developers is unnecessary to them, as reported in a High Point Association of Realtors newsletter in August of 2005. But as you can see with a City Council like High Point who is not beholden to TREBIC , they passed this ordinance below which has helped informing neighbors in the zoning process.It is time Greensboro do the same thing for the neighbors in these zoning cases.
City of High Point
Citizen Information Meeting
(22 days prior to P&Z meeting)
This step is only required for zoning requests which include a Conditional Use Permit.
Applicants are required to notify owners of property within 300 feet of the proposed zoning site and conduct a citizen information meeting or meetings. The applicant shall submit to the citizens a written description of their development proposal and a statement, provided by the Planning & Development Department, outlining the purpose of the citizen information meeting and the zoning process. The purpose of the citizen information meeting is to allow the applicant the opportunity to inform citizens about their zoning proposal and to provide citizens the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the proposal prior to the public hearings.
Following the information meeting(s), and at least 22 days prior to the P&Z Commission meeting, the applicant is required to submit a citizen’s information meeting report. At a minimum, this report shall include the following:
Names & addresses of property owners notified and date & method of notification;
Date, time and location of the citizen information meeting(s);
Written description of the development proposal presented at the meeting; and
Any comments, ideas, or suggestions from citizens that were incorporated into the zoning
If the Citizen Information Meeting Report is not submitted by the required date, the Zoning Application will be considered incomplete and will be removed from that months P&Z agenda.
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