The Elon Town Council held a meeting March 24 to decide whether to approve or deny a conditional rezoning request presented during a previous meeting, hear public complaints about excessive speeding and discuss borrowing scenarios for recreational projects. 


Conditional rezoning request

During its meeting on March 11, the council discussed a proposal for a new mixed-use development called “Parc Village” located behind the Schar Center with plans to make a decision on the topic at this meeting.

Before approving the request, the council discussed concerns over a requested conditional waiver to allow the lengths of driveways to be 18 feet instead of 19 feet.

“We’ve all seen situations where, if I took someone's Ford F150 truck, tried to park it in a driveway that’s 18 feet, even if you park up against the garage, it’s going to stick out of the sidewalk,” Monti Allison, mayor pro tem, said.

Jeremy Medlin, associate vice president of real estate at the Greenhawk Corporation, responded and said the demographic of people living in these residential spaces would likely not be driving cars large enough to cause this concern.

“I don’t believe that the folks that we are targeting to live here are actually primarily going to be truck drivers, I think they’re going to be SUV drivers,” Medlin said.

Allison made a motion to accept the rezoning request without accepting the reduction of the driveway length, which failed.

Council member Michael Woods made a motion to approve the requested rezoning with the requested waivers and proffered conditions, which was seconded by council member Quinn Ray with no opposition. 


Speeding on Elon Ossipee Road

Elon community members Jim King, Josh Trotter and John Harmon all spoke on concerns of excessive speeding in their neighborhood, located off of Elon Ossipee Road. 

“Both Stone Gables Drive and Olsen Drive have become raceways through our neighborhood,” King said.

Trotter is a father to young children, and he and Harmon expressed concerns about the risks of speeding with young children in the neighborhood.

“It causes panic to see cars coming down the street in a 20 mile an hour zone going probably over 40 miles an hour if not 45, with his young son out riding his bike,” Harmon said.

King presented the council with a petition to put in new stop signs in the neighborhood to reduce speeding and the associated risks.

The council will not be able to take formal action until a review of the proposal has been conducted and a date for review and discussion is decided.


Borrowing Scenarios

The council was presented with borrowing scenarios by Mitch Brigulio, senior vice president at Davenport, a wealth management and financial advisory company.

Brigulio presented the council with several scenarios that would allow for the funding of potential recreational and sidewalk projects.

The goal of this presentation was for the council to identify a new level of debt obligation that it is comfortable with financing, according to the town council agenda, although no decision was reached during the meeting.

The next town council meeting will be held April 8.