BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — Starke City Commissioners approved a $11,000 traffic study for Westmoreland and Pratt streets that could impact approval of a housing development in that neighborhood.
According to City Clerk Jimmy Crosby, a revised site plan for the Sandcastles Pines development has been submitted and is being reviewed by city engineers.
Additional traffic and wear and tear on the roads were among the concerns that led the commission to deny a requested zoning change that would allow for multifamily housing last October.
At the time, Sandcastles Foundation Board Chairman Christopher Crowder said they would spend $7.5 million in mostly state housing funds to construct 25 4-bedroom rental homes for working professionals who met median income requirements, including teachers and correctional officers.
Sandcastles requested a zoning change to a category that allowed multifamily housing to decrease lot sizes for the homes. Representatives testified the six-plus-acre parcel could accommodate 25 homes without the zoning change, but the engineer for the project said smaller lot sizes improved the layout.
It is unclear whether the new version of the site plan would require a zoning change.
Residents spoke out at the previous hearing about the flooding that already exists in the neighborhood as well as the condition of the streets and lack of sidewalks. They also didn’t want a rental development with a revolving door of tenants who weren’t invested in the neighborhood.
That convinced the commission to vote against it.
Most commissioners, however, approved the traffic study, even if they didn’t like the price. Commissioner Shannon Smith cast a dissenting vote because of the cost.
The same engineers at Kimley-Horn reviewing the site plan for the city will perform the traffic study. The study will determine what, if any, improvements are needed to accommodate current residents and the development. The improvements could become conditions on the developer to receive project approval.
City Manager Drew Mullins supported the study and called for even more data on local roads to help plan resurfacing and other projects. Mayor Scott Roberts said one reason to put impact fees back in place is to cover the cost of infrastructure studies and improvements.
Crosby wasn’t sure when the development would come back before the board for approval, but he expects it will be sooner rather than later, he said.
RJE grant still possible
Last year, Starke was informed it would not be eligible for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant that would be used to help the restoration of the RJE gymnasium. The city appealed, and Crosby has reported that Starke will be considered for the grant after all.
Starke’s committal of $200,000 from its federal relief funding to the Concerned Citizens of Bradford County was contingent on not receiving the grant. If the grant is approved, the city would hold onto the relief funds for another purpose, while bringing the Concerned Citizens even closer to their goal of restoring and modernizing the gym.
Crosby credited Mullins with writing an effective appeal.
