The Town of Southern Shores announced today that the Town Council will hold hearings during its June 5 meeting on the zoning-law changes recommended by the Planning Board this week to restrict the creation and (re)development of nonconforming lots and to regulate the installation of small-cell wireless facilities in residential districts.
The Town also announced that the Town Council will hold a second reading of zoning text amendment (ZTA) 18-05, which would allow a “small” drive-through facility to operate on a lot that is less than 20,000 square feet, provided it fronts on U.S. Hwy. 158.
The Town previously gave notice that a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2018-19 budget would be held on June 5, too, making the agenda on the Town Council’s only meeting of the month a very heavy one. The session will be held in the Pitts Center, behind Town Hall, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The Beacon reported May 23 on the action taken by the Planning Board on ZTA 18-07 (nonconforming lots) and ZTA 18-06 (small cells). We also posted blogs on May 11 and 17 that examined concerns over the creation of nonconforming 50-foot-wide lots and the granting of side-yard setback variances on them. On May 14, we looked at the Town’s authority to regulate small cells, which are radio-access nodes installed on existing or new utility or other poles to improve cellular-phone coverage.
The Planning Board has recommended that the Town Code be amended to differentiate between “small” and “large” drive-through facilities, so that 5415 OBX LLC may open a drive-through ice cream shop on the commercial lot at 5415 N. Croatan Hwy., between Wells Fargo and First National banks, which is only 18,260 square feet.
The Town Code currently requires a drive-through facility to be located on a lot that is equal to or greater than 2.5 acres, in order to minimize traffic congestion.
The Beacon reported May 3 on the Town Council’s first reading of ZTA 18-05, which would establish the new two-sized drive-through facility distinction. It failed 3-1.
Ann G. Sjoerdsma, May 24, 2018
The Southern Shores Beacon 