Russell Ledbetter | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | April 4, 2008

With their eyes firmly focused on the future, members of the Troutman planning and development committee held a workshop Thursday to further refine the town’s land-use plan. Final changes to the plan, which must ultimately be approved by the town board, will be incorporated into Iredell County’s land-use plan.

“What the land-use plan does is keep things out that you don’t want,” Town Manager David Saleeby said. “You may not want to (build) as big as you can.”

Avoiding future conflicts between residential and commercial development like the one “in Statesville right now where they’re fighting because (of) a (new) asphalt plant” has been proposed near homes was a goal noted by P & Z committee member Wes Edmiston.

“I think we made good progress tonight, but still it’s hard looking at the future,” Edmiston said.

While primary discussions continued to center around Exit 42, Saleeby asked the committee: “Do you see (development) going any further down the 21 corridor?”

“Ten years is a long time,” Edmiston replied. “I don’t know if you’re going to fill all that in 10 years or in two years?”

A subset of the town P & Z committee members present was joined by Town Planner Emily Jackson, County Planner Eleanor Hiltz, Saleeby and a handful of investors and developers.

Plotting hypotheticals and tentative plans with colored pencils and crayons, Saleeby addressed Jackson and said, “What you’ll do now is take these ideas and update them to the plan and then present them to the (P & Z) committee who will then massage and change them at their workshop. Then we’ll have what is called a public recommendation hearing where we’ll display copies of the proposed plan around the boardroom and the public can come in and look at it. And the town board can choose to adopt the plan by probably the June board meeting.”

Developer Howard Bryan said the planning process can be a challenge for all sides because “no one has a crystal ball.” The entire process requires a “team effort,” he said.

“It’s a difficult job. Troutman has prepared infrastructure and can plan for the future, but there’s still uncertainty,” Bryan added. “New Troutman has to be successful for Old Troutman to succeed. If people choose to live here, Troutman will grow.

It’s hard to get retail if people don’t live close by. You need retail employees and moderate-priced housing has to be included in the over-all mix. You gotta have jobs, you gotta have employees and housing. It all goes together.”

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