BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Starke is taking steps toward a land trade in support of a downtown housing development known as Citywalk.
The project would be part of a plan still taking shape to revitalize the Call Street corridor and the Downtown Square.
The commission recently adopted an ordinance to allow for land swaps, and gave the attorney and staff permission to move forward, which includes providing notice to adjacent property owners and assuring no city department has use for the property being swapped.
The city would be trading the location of its veterans park to help make way for 45 modern and environmentally sustainable townhomes.
Dwight Hewett of The Doran Jason Group of Florida and engineer Chris Raley, president of Sustainable Construction Group, presented the plan to commissioners in October, requesting a property swap to raise the number of townhomes to make the project viable.
A final vote on the swap is slated for the Dec. 5 commission meeting.
Before that vote, Commissioner Shannon Smith said he wants a clear picture of the land the city would be receiving, which is south of the proposed development and difficult to define because of ongoing road construction. There are slopes, high and low spots, and a stormwater pond, he said.
“That was my biggest concern is I can’t see what we got down there until we get it marked off,” Smith said.
“I don’t want to swap something for a mess, and I think the veterans deserve way more than a mess,” he said, referring to the future location of the veterans park.
Commissioner Andy Redding said the new property would supplement the abandoned portion of Water Street previously discussed and expand what they are able to do with the park. He requested a visual representation of the entire area available for the development of the park.
“There’s a lot of work that we know is going to be done,” Mayor Scott Roberts said, adding that veterans will be included in that process. “We still have some things we’ve got to decide, in talking to the engineers, and trying to decide what to do with all the property down there. So I think the veterans park is included in that conglomerate of what we were looking at.”
Purchase moving forward
Attorney Clay Martin presented the commission with a contract to purchase property downtown, with the seller agreeing to allow the city 60 days of due diligence to proceed with environmental testing before finalizing the purchase.
The city had advertised for proposals to purchase property within a one and a half block area bordered on the north and south by Call Street and Madison Street and on the east and west by Church Street and the railroad crossing.
The successful proposal was submitted by John and Elizabeth Jarmon, who offered to sell 320 E. Call St. for $225,000.
The commission unanimously voted to accept the contract and allow the mayor to sign.
More utility work
City Manager Drew Mullins said smoke testing of wastewater lines would be taking place over a couple of weeks as part of a wastewater facilities report prepared by the city engineer, similar to a report previously prepared for the water system. The streets include Parker, Myrtle, Searing, Wilson, Andrews, North, Clark, Johns, South Orange and Edwards Road.
Mullins is also working on a plan to market the city’s natural gas utility. With 600 current customers, he said there is capacity for 500 more, but people don’t know it’s there.
In other business, the commission:
—adopted on final reading an ordinance annexing 177 acres at the intersection of S.R. 16 and the bypass interchange into the city limits.
—adopted on final reading an ordinance amending the land development regulations to allow telecommunication towers by special exception in each of the city’s land classifications.
—adopted on final reading the commercial rezoning of a property just south of Dollar Tree on U.S. 301.
—approved on first reading an ordinance banning smoking and vaping in city parks.
