?
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
The Regular Council Meeting was held on November 12, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. with Council President Carey presiding. Council members present were Mr. Ritter, Mr. Pitts, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Truitt, Mr. McGlumphy, Mr. Speed, Mr. Salters, and Mr. Ruane.
Council staff members present were Chief Horvath, Mr. Cooper, Mr. DePrima, Mrs. Mitchell, Ms. Melson, Mrs. Green, and City Solicitor Rodriguez.
OPEN FORUM
The Open Forum was held at 7:15 p.m., prior to commencement of the Official Council Meeting. Council President Carey declared the Open Forum in session and reminded those present that Council is not in official session and cannot take formal action.
There was no one present wishing to speak during the Open Forum.
The invocation was given by Chaplain Dixon, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. McGlumphy moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Speed and unanimously carried.
ADOPTION OF MINUTES - OPEN TOWN MEETING OF OCTOBER 15, 2002
The Minutes of the Open Town Meeting of October 15, 2002 were unanimously approved by motion of Mr. McGlumphy, seconded by Mr. Speed and bore the written approval of Mayor Hutchison.
ADOPTION OF MINUTES - REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2002
The Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 28, 2002 were unanimously approved by motion of Mr. Speed, seconded by Mr. Salters and bore the written approval of Mayor Hutchison.
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION - MAKE-A-DIFFERENCE DAY
Mayor Hutchison advised members that on October 26, 2002, several City employees participated in Make-A-Difference Day and commended them for taking time from their personal lives to serve the community in this way. He stated that there were three (3) major projects in which employees assisted: 1) building a handicapped ramp on Slaughter Street; 2) beautification project on New Street; and 3) collecting in excess of 200 books for the Read-Aloud Program. Mayor Hutchison felt that this participation was a reflection of the employees of the City of Dover. Those employees that participated were Henry Baynum, Jerome Cooper (and son), Tony DePrima, Denise Devine, Lisa Gardner, Sam Gonzalez, Janice Green, Cheryl Jackson, Terry Kreer (and husband), Traci McDowell (and husband), Dawn Melson, Vicki Runyon, Victoria Runyon, and Dave Truax.
Mayor Hutchison indicated that there were volunteers from other communities that came to assist Dover in supporting this event and thanked them, as well as the employees, for giving of themselves to help someone else in making a difference in our City.
PUBLIC HEARING/FINAL READING - REZONING OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1, 15, 17, AND 19 NORTH GOVERNORS AVENUE, 199 WEST DIVISION STREET, AND 2 BRADFORD STREET, OWNED BY WESLEY COLLEGE, INC. AND ZIMMAL PROPERTIES, LLC
A public hearing was duly advertised for this time and place to consider rezoning of property located at 1, 15, 17, and 19 North Governors Avenue, 199 West Division Street, and 2 Bradford Street, owned by Wesley College, Inc. and Zimmal Properties, LLC. The property is currently zoned RG-1 (General Residence) and C-1A (Limited Commercial) and the proposed zoning is I-O (Institutional and Office).
Planner's Review
The present zoning of RG-1 permits one family detached dwellings and other uses allowed in One-Family Residence zones; multiple dwellings (garden apartments and multiple dwellings created by conversion of dwellings); off-street parking accessory to uses in C-2; rooming houses. Currently, a moratorium limits some of these uses. Conditionally permitted are planned senior housing developments.
The C-1A zone permits convenience retail stores; personal service stores; service establishments; residences; banks; business, professional, or governmental offices; and retail and service establishments (with some exclusions). Conditionally permitted are gasoline pumps as an accessory use and planned senior housing developments.
The property is presently under demolition/reconstruction.
The proposed zoning of I-O permits business, professional, and governmental offices; research, design, and development laboratories; public and institutional uses; and restaurants accessory to permitted uses. Conditionally permitted are planned senior housing developments, fire arm ranges, correctional facilities, and public incinerators. The proposed use of the property is expansion of Wesley College to provide for parking and a future building.
The recommendation of the Planning Commission is for approval of the rezoning. In taking this position, the Commission considered the following points:
Surrounding Land Uses: The subject property is located on the northeasterly corner of the intersection of Division Street and North Governors Avenue, and also has frontage on the corner of Division Street and North Bradford Street. To the north, immediately adjoining the subject property are lands of Wesley College that comprise the main campus. Further north are lands zoned RG-1 which is predominantly residential in character with older residential structures involving single family and multi-family structures. To the east across North Bradford Street are lands zoned I-O which include the location of the Campus Community School and the Wesley College Chapel. Further east along North State Street are lands zoned RG-O (General Residence and Office) which include a variety of office and residential occupancies including State Street Assisted Living. To the south across Division Street are lands zoned C-1A along the frontage of Division Street, and a large area of land zoned RG-1 which comprises a significant portion of the Victorian Dover Historic District, a National Register Historic District. To the west are lands along the Division Street frontage that are zoned C-1A, which are occupied by a mix of small commercial shops and residential occupancies. To the northwest are lands zoned RG-1 which also consist of a significant traditional residential neighborhood.
Comprehensive Plan: The Comprehensive Plan recommends that this area be utilized for Downtown Mixed Use purposes. With respect to institutional land uses, the Comprehensive Plan (see Ch.7, Page 7-12) asserts that:
?Dover will continue to be home to major institutions including places of higher learning that are readily accessible to an urban population; and,
?Employment in the education sector will continue to play an important role in Dover