* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [1. Call to order and Welcome] [00:00:06] GOOD EVENING. I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MAY 14TH, 2025 MEETING OF THE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TO ORDER. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, UH, THIS AFTERNOON AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE REVITALIZATION OF OUR COMMITTEE. SO AT THIS TIME, UH, STAFF, PLEASE GIVE US A ROLL CALL. YES, SIR. BETH WALKER. TABARI WALLACE. PRESENT. SHARON C. BRYANT. PRESENT. JIMMY DILLA HUNT. HERE. SARAH PROCTOR. LEANDER MORGAN. STEVE STRICKLAND. JULIUS PARHAM. KIPP VOY. HERE. RICK PRI. BARBARA BEST A IS ROYAL, SIR. CHAIR, YOU DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM. OKAY. SO BEING THAT WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM, UM, TONIGHT, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE ANY ACTION. OKAY. WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM. UM, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF DISTINGUISHED GUESTS IN THE AUDIENCE AND BEING THAT SOME HAVE TRAVELED FAR NEAR, UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALL HERE, UH, I THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO ACTUALLY, UM, YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO PLEASE, UM, UH, GIVE YOU, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU TIME TO SPEAK, BUT WE CANNOT TAKE ANY ACTION TONIGHT BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A HOME. OKAY? OKAY. AND I JUST WANNA KNOW, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME AS CHAIR. I'M THE VICE CHAIR, AND THIS IS THE ABSENCES IS NOT A REFLECTION OF MY LEADERSHIP . JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNEW THAT. ALRIGHT. [6. Public Comment] SO I KNOW LOOKING KIND OF, KIND OF SLEEK, UM, BUT THAT'S THE LEAST WE CAN DO BECAUSE WE KNOW Y'ALL TOOK A LOT OF TIME TO COME THIS WAY. SO, UM, SO NO PARTICULAR ORDER, UM, IF YOU, IF YOU WOULD, IS THAT, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M GOOD. ALRIGHT. SO, UH, WANT BE FIRST? YEAH, WE'RE GENTLEMEN. WE'RE IN THE SOUTH. LADIES FIRST. WELL, THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, MA'AM. ALL RIGHT. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE SLIDES. CAN WE PULL THOSE UP? WE, I DID NOT LOAD THEM. I'M SO SORRY. , THEY'RE ON THE, THEY'RE ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE. OKAY. WELL, I DO, UH, I DID BRING MY NOTES SO I CAN TALK THROUGH THOSE ANYWAY. THANK YOU, LESLIE. ALL RIGHT. SO FIRST OF ALL, MY NAME IS LESLIE ALLEN, AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, FOR CAROLINA EAST NOW FOR 21 YEARS. AND, UH, I, UM, HAVE WORKED IN BOTH THE, AS A DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION AND WAS PROMOTED EVENTUALLY TO THE VICE PRESIDENT FACILITIES. AND ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, I ATTEMPTED TO RETIRE AND I STEPPED DOWN TO A PART-TIME ROLE AS THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGER. SO I'M PRETTY MUCH FOCUSED ONLY ON OUR CONSTRUCTION THAT WE HAVE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. UM, SO I DO WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU AS YOU, UH, VERY LIKELY, REMEMBER WE HAVE A JOINT PROJECT TOGETHER AND, UM, WITH THE GRACIOUS DONATION OF A PIECE OF LAND THAT IS BEHIND STANLEY WHITE AND, UH, SOME MONEY TO GO WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STARTED A CLINIC THAT IS, UH, BEING DEVELOPED RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK. SO IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN BY THERE, UH, THE GRASS HAS BEEN SHAVED OFF AND WE GOT A NICE SAND BED THERE FOR OUR FOUNDATION TO GET STARTED ON. UH, WE ARE GOING TO BE PUTTING A MODULAR BUILDING IN. THE BUILDING IS ALREADY CONSTRUCTED AND WAITING. WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY. UH, AS YOU KNOW, OUR AGREEMENT WAS TO HAVE THIS IN PLACE FOR, UH, IN, WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR WHEN WE SIGNED THE AGREEMENT. I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST MARCH AND THE DATE, COMPLETION DATE WAS MARCH. UM, WE POSTPONED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT MODULAR BECAUSE WE HAD A MAJOR, MAJOR SOFTWARE UPGRADE GOING ON AT THE HOSPITAL. AND ALL OF OUR IT PEOPLE, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM WAS HIGHLY INVOLVED IN THIS UPGRADE. SO EVEN IF WE HAD THE BUILDING IN PLACE, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PUT TELEPHONES, COMPUTERS, SECURITY, ALL THE THINGS WE NEED TO MAKE IT OPERATIONAL. SO WE CHOSE TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY TO HAVE THE BUILDING DELIVERED. AND THEN A LITTLE HURRICANE CAME ALONG CALLED HELENE, AND THE MANUFACTURER IS DOWN IN GEORGIA. OH, WOW. SO IT GOT PUSHED BACK A COUPLE MONTHS FOR SOME COMPLICATIONS THAT THEY HAD. SO ANYWAY, UH, HERE WE ARE IN MAY AND WE HAVE GOTTEN THIS KICKED OFF. THE BUILDING IS COMPLETE. UH, WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE THE FOUNDATION STARTED THE WEEK OF MAY 25TH. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO START [00:05:01] NEXT WEEK, BUT THE RAIN AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THAT'S KIND OF COMPLICATED THINGS, MADE THE GROUND REAL MUSHY. UM, AND WE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING TO SET THAT MODULAR BUILDING THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO IT'S A VERY QUICK PROCESS. SO AFTER IT GETS SET, THEN WE STILL HAVE THE PARKING LOTS, HAVE UTILITY CONNECTIONS TO MAKE, WE HAVE ALL THE LANDSCAPING TO PUT IN. UM, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE IT COMPLETE, UH, IN JULY. SO, UM, THAT'S THE BUILDING PART OF IT. WE STILL HAVE TO OPERATIONALIZE IT. UH, WE DO, WE ARE, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW OF, UH, LOOKING TO HIRE PEOPLE. AND, UH, SO IF ANYBODY KNOWS ANYBODY, WE ARE REAL GOOD. I HAVE MY RECRUITER HERE, SHE'S WILLING TO SIGN UP ANYBODY WHO'S READY TO GO. SO, UH, BUT WE ARE, UH, ONE THING I I SHOULD NOTE IS THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN THE FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS OF THE MODULAR BUILDING. SO THE FIRST SECTION IS TO ACCOMMODATE ONE PROVIDER WITH THREE EXAM ROOMS IN THE STAFF, A LAB, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE GONNA NEED TO SEE PATIENTS. AND AS THAT PATIENT BASE BUILDS AND WE START NEEDING ADDITIONAL STAFF THERE, WE HAVE THE ABILITY AND HAVE DESIGNED THIS TO DOUBLE THE SIZE. THE CURRENT SIZE IS EIGHT, A LITTLE OVER 1800 SQUARE FEET. SO THE SECOND HALF OF THAT WILL ALLOW US TO PUT A SECOND PROVIDER IN THERE AND BE ABLE TO DOUBLE WHO THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE SEE AND THE PATIENTS THAT WE SEE. SO, UM, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I CAN TELL YOU AT THIS POINT. UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE PICTURES IF YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT. YOU CAN SEE SOME PICTURES OF THE MODULAR BUILDING AND THE SITE WORK THAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE RIGHT NOW. AND THAT PRETTY MUCH CONCLUDES MY REPORT, UNLESS YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. DID YOU SAY THAT'S THE ACTUAL, WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE OR SCHEMATIC? NO, THIS IS THE ACTUAL, THESE ARE PICTURES FROM THE MANUFACTURER. OH, GEEZ. I'M DOWN IN, SORRY, DOWN IN, UH, IT'S DOWN IN GEORGIA AT THE MANUFACTURER'S SITE. UH, IT'S, THEY'RE NOT GREAT PICTURES. THE PICTURES I WOULD'VE TAKEN ARE A LITTLE BIT FARTHER BACK IN, UH, IN VIEW, BUT, UH, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE. IT'LL HAVE A BLUE, UH, MANED ROOF AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF IT. AND A, UH, BASICALLY A RAMP AND A PLATFORM BEFORE YOU GO INTO THE DOOR THERE ON THE FRONT OF IT. NICE AND UNDERPINNING. SO ANYWAY, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE THIS PROJECT UNDERWAY AND GET IT OPERATIONALIZED AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. OKAY, MR. CHAIR, I'LL, I'LL JUST ADD TO YOUR PRESENTATION THAT, UH, LESLIE AND JUDY HAVE BEEN THE, UH, PICTURE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND COMMUNITY MINDEDNESS BEEN THE PERFECT, UH, PARTNERS TO WORK WITH, UH, AS THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THIS, UH, PROCESS IN CAROLINA. S UH, KEPT ME INFORMED OF EVERY, UH, ALL THE CHANGES AS THEY'VE HAPPENED, AND I'VE TRIED TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO YOU MM-HMM . AND SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB OF BETTER COMMUNICATING THAT TONIGHT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TONIGHT, AND, UH, WE'LL BE SURE TO INVITE YOU, UH, BACK AT A FUTURE, AT A FUTURE DATE WHEN WE'RE CELEBRATING A RIBBON CUTTING IN JULY. OH, THAT'S TRUE. YES. WE ARE GOING TO BE HOSTING A RIBBON CUTTING. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE CAN GET THAT SCHEDULED. PERFECT. NICE. ALL OF YOU ARE INVITED. I HAVE, WE'LL HAVE A PARTY. YES, SIR. YOU DID SAY LI STAFF. YES. ONE TIME. MS. STAFF, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WELL, WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, WHAT WE REFER TO AS AN A PP OR A MID-LEVEL PROVIDER. UM, AND I THINK JUDY'S ACTUALLY BETTER PREPARED. SHE'S THE NURSE BETWEEN THE TWO OF US , SO I'M GONNA LET HER SPEAK TO THAT. BUT, UM, YES, IT, TO MENTION A MID-LEVEL PROVIDER, UH, A NURSE PRACTITIONER MM-HMM . PHYSICIAN, A PA PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, UH, A, UH, AN RN, AN MA AND A LAB, LAB PERSONNEL THAT WOULD BE THERE. AND ONE MORE QUICK, UH, WHAT HOURS ARE WE ANTICIPATE ON? WE, I THINK OUR COMMITMENT INITIALLY WAS TO HAVE FLEXIBLE HOURS MM-HMM . AND THAT WOULD BE WHEN WE IDENTIFY OR ABLE TO SECURE OUR, OUR PROVIDER THAT WILL BE THERE. WE'LL BE WORKING THAT TIME OUT AND WE'LL SORT OF GET A FEEL OF WHAT WORKS FOR THE, WHAT WORKS BEST FOR, FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, THAT WE ARE IN, WE'RE SERVING IN THAT AREA, UH, TO LOOK AT, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EXTENDED HOURS IF YOU WILL, RATHER THAN, UH, EIGHT TO FIVE IN GENERAL, HOURS BEING EXTENDED A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THAT. BUT WE WILL WORK THROUGH THAT AS WE BEGIN TO OPEN AND SEE WHAT THE FLOW IS LIKE, IF YOU WILL, WITH REGARDS TO INDIVIDUALS COMING THROUGH OR STOPPING BY FOR, FOR CARE AND TREATMENT. THANK YOU LADIES. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. OKAY. AS FAR AS, UM, THE, [00:10:01] THE HIRING, IS THERE ANY, UH, UH, CLERICAL CLASSIFIED OR CUSTODIAL NEEDS OUT THERE? OR WOULD THE HOSPITAL JUST SEND THEIRS OVER TO HIM? WELL, I'M NOT WITH, I'LL BE HONEST TO THIS POINT, WE HAVEN'T ARRIVED THERE. WE DO HAVE, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES STAFF AT OUR MAIN HOSPITAL, AND THEN WE HAVE CONTRACT OKAY. WITH OTHER, UM, GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT PROVIDE OUR PRACTICES. SO WE, WE'LL NEED SOME TO CHECK OUT. OH, YES, YES, THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE USED TO HAVE A FRONT OFFICE PERSONNEL THAT, UM, FILL IN THAT POSITION FOR CHECKING PEOPLE AND IN DOING SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS IF, UH, IF THAT NEED BE. BUT YES, THAT WOULD BE, THEY'RE INTERESTED IN THAT KIND OF CLASSIFIED TYPE OF, UM, POSITION. DO THEY JUST CONTACT YOU OR WHAT'S THE PROCESS THAT, ONCE IT'S LISTED. OKAY. OH, YOU CAN CON THEY CAN CONTACT ME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND LASTLY, THE INTER, OH, GO AHEAD. WELL, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH A, THE COMMUNITY HAS TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEERS, VOLUNTEERS AS WELL, ESPECIALLY WITH, UM, UM, THE RESIDENTS THAT'S NEARBY THAT MAY HAVE OPPORTUNITY OR WANT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT AGAIN, JUST TO CONTACT ME, WE WILL, YOU KNOW, HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE PROCESS OKAY. OF, UH, BECOMING A VOLUNTEER OR AN EMPLOYEE WITH CAROL, PUT ON MY EDUCATION HAT. LAST QUESTION, I PROMISE. NO, NO, NO, THAT'S FINE. OKAY. UM, THE, UH, INTERNS, UH, IS THAT, HAS THAT BEEN DISCUSSED ONCE YOU GET YOUR STAFF SETTLED? UM, THE HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A GREAT, UM, NURSE ASSISTANTS, THE INTERNS FROM THE COLLEGE OR FROM THE SCHOOLS, THE HIGH SCHOOLS. OH, YES, YES. WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR, WE HAVE A PROCESS. THERE'S A PROCESS FOR THAT. BUT YES, IF WE HAVE INTEREST, STUDENTS HAVE INTEREST FOR THAT, WHETHER IT'S IN HIGH SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THEN NOW THAT ONCE AGAIN, THERE'S A PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, THAT THEM, IF YOU WILL, AND THE SCHOOL THAT THEY'RE WITH. BUT YES, WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE WITH US NOW AT OUR OTHER PRACTICES, SO ABSOLUTELY. THAT WOULD BE, IT'S SUCH A GREAT PRESENTATION AND A GREAT DAY, Y'ALL. OH MY GOODNESS. I AM OVER HERE OVERJOYED RIGHT NOW. OH MY GOODNESS. YES. WE HERE TO SERVE. UM, I HAD ONE OTHER THOUGHT TO SHARE WITH YOU AS WELL. ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE PUTTING IN IS A PAD FOR MOBILE TECHNOLOGY. SO IF YOU REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN THIS FIRST, THE CONCEPT FIRST STARTED MM-HMM . WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING THINGS LIKE THE SMILE, MOBILE, MOBILE MM-HMM . AND OTHER THINGS. SO WE PLAN TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO SEE, UH, WHO IS CAPABLE OF BRINGING MOBILE TECHNOLOGY TO OUR AREA AND BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE THEM IN. BUT THERE WILL BE A CONCRETE PAD THERE FOR THAT PURPOSE AND HAVE AN ELECTRICAL AND WATER AND, UH, OTHER CONNECTIONS, UH, FOR THEM TO USE WHILE THEY'RE THERE. IS THAT AWESOME. OKAY. AND I DO HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. YES SIR. WHAT LEVEL OF CARE ARE YOU ANTICIPATE? PROUD LEVEL I, PRIMARY CARE, PRIMARY CARE, UH, EMERGENT SITUATIONS, INDIVIDUALS THAT, UM, MAY HAVE AN EMERGENT SITUATION THAT WOULD BE ASSESSED. UH, IF IT MET A PARTICULAR CRITERIA, THEN OF COURSE WE'D HAVE TRANSPORT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, IE UH, HEART, UH, OR SEVERE ASTHMATIC, UM, RESPONSE THEY MAY BE HAVING. THEN ONCE AGAIN, THEY WOULD BE TRANSPORTED TO THE, TO THE MAIN CAMPUS, BUT OTHER EMERGENCIES ABOUT EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OR, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD A HEADACHE FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS, OR I GOT THIS BUG BITE AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO GO AWAY. I'VE GOT STRIKES ON MY LEGS NOW. THAT SORT OF THING THAT MAY HAS PROGRESSED OR MAY HAVE RECENTLY OCCURRED THAT THEY WANT TO HAVE ASSESSED TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, DO I NEED TO TAKE THIS FURTHER OR WILL WE BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT HERE? AND THE THE BEAUTY OF THAT PRE PRESENTING THERE FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY, UM, WITH THE EMERGENCY ROOM, YOU KNOW, THE ACTIVITY THAT WE HAVE THERE, WE WANT TO, UH, INDIVIDUALS TO, TO RECEIVE THEIR CARE IN A TIMELY FASHION. AND ONCE AGAIN, BEING ABLE TO COME THERE WITH IS A PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY OR MEDICAL CHALLENGE. WE'D BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT ASSESSMENT AND HELP. AND THEN YOU RETURN AND BE BACK HOME IN MUCH LESS TIME THAN, UH, OKAY. I GET A TWOFOLD QUESTION. UHHUH, UH, IF NECESSARY, IT WOULD BE TRANSPORTED FROM THAT FACILITY TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. EXACTLY. OKAY. YEAH, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY SECOND. BUT YOU ANSWERED THAT YES. WHILE YOU WAS TALKING. THANK YOU. YES, I'M EXCITED. YEAH, ME TOO. SO EXCITED. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, LADIES. OH MY GOODNESS. I WANNA JUST SAY THIS, I REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED YEAR, YEARS AGO AND YOU TALKED ABOUT THE, UM, THE FOUNDING MOTHERS AND FATHERS OF THAT COMMUNITY ENVISIONED SUCH A THING MM-HMM . AND THAT WAS JUST SO IMPRESSIVE TO ME WHEN YOU SAID THAT, THAT NOW THE GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN ARE ABLE TO, TO, TO HAVE THAT AS AN, UH, A LEGACY THAT THEY SEE THAT WHAT THEIR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, [00:15:01] THEIR GRANDPARENTS WANTED IS NOW COMING TO FRUITION. IT MEANS A LOT. AND I'M NOT, I'VE BEEN THERE THAT LONG, BUT IT MEANS A LOT TO KNOW THAT FOR THOSE THAT, THAT SHE AND THEIR GRANDPARENTS. YEAH, I KNOW . THAT'S RIGHT. UH, BEFORE I LET YOU LADIES GO, AND, UH, JUST PERSONAL PRIVILEGE SIR, UH, YOU DO HAVE AN OFFICIAL NAME NOW AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE COMMISSION THE OFFICIAL NAME? UM, YOU DO IT. NO, YOU DO IT. THAT'S WHAT I SAY. IT'S, UH, THE CAROLINA EAST COMMUNITY CLINIC. NICE COMMUNITY CLINIC. OH, RYAN, THAT IS GOOD. NICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, LADIES. OH MY GOODNESS. THIS IS IT. THIS IS IT. HE WAS ASKING, SO THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE AT ANOTHER LOCATION. YES. AND I SAID, THIS IS IT. THIS IS IT. THANK YOU LADIES SO MUCH. THANK, THANK APPRECIATE. THANK YOU LADIES MUCH. YOU YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, MR. CHAIR, I BELIEVE, UH, MR. BARRY HAT ON IS HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, AND MR. CHESTER FREEMAN IS HERE FOR A REQUEST FOR PURCHASE OF LAND. AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF EITHER WANT TO GO FIRST, UH, IN TALKING ABOUT THEIR ACTION ITEMS. UH, HI, IS EVERYBODY PRETTY GOOD? PRETTY GOOD. AND I'M A RESIDENT OF NEWBURN AND I LIVE IN 10 35 MAIN STREET HERE IN THE CITY. UH, THE PROPERTY THAT I'M TRYING TO REQUIRE IS 10 37, POSSIBLY 10 39 AND 10 41 IF POSSIBLE. UH, FOR THE LAST 15, 17 YEARS OR BETTER. I'M THE ONE HAS TAKEN CARE OF THAT PROPERTY, CUT THE GRASS, CLEAN IT UP THE CITY OR NO OWNER HAD BEEN THERE TO TAKE CARE IT. SO I'M THE ONLY ONE BEEN DOING IT. THAT WAS ONLY TO HELP THE COMMUNITY MAKE IT LOOK A LITTLE BIT BETTER OR WHATEVER. BUT WITH THAT KIND OF TIME PUT INTO IT, I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AS MUCH OF IT AS I POSSIBLY CAN. AND MY REASON FOR WANTING TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY, I WANNA MAKE MY YARD BIGGER, MY LITTLE HOUSE BIGGER, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I FEEL LIKE I COULD USE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPACE. I'M A LITTLE BIT OLDER, SO IT MIGHT TAKE ME A TIME TO GET FROM ONE SPOT TO ANOTHER, BUT AT LEAST IF I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, I CAN TAKE IT AS LONG AS I WANT TO BECAUSE IT'LL BE MINE. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. SO, UH, I DON'T HAVE VERY MANY WORDS TO SAY. I THINK I JUST ABOUT ROUNDED IT ALL UP. AND IF IT'S POSSIBLE, IF IT'S GOD'S WILL, LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY. THAT'S WHY I'LL LEAD THAT ALONG. AND THANKS EVERYBODY FOR LISTENING TO ME. CHEERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING THIS EVENING. UH, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. FREEMAN? UH, I HAVE NO COMMENT PER SECOND. DID YOU FORGET TO TELL THE FOLKS THAT YOU WERE A SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN? I COULDN'T HEAR YOU. DID YOU FORGET TO LET US KNOW THAT YOU WERE A SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN? OH, AND DAB YOU A DISABLED VETERAN? NO. YOU SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY? YES, BUT I'M NOT DISABLED. NOT COMPLETELY. OKAY. WHAT BRANCH? MARINE CORPS. MARINE CORPS. WAH AS THEY CALL IT. OKAY. WELL THANK, THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND UH, WE DEFINITELY, WE TOOK A LOT OF NOTES AND, UH, I GUESS NEXT MEETING WHEN WE HAVE A FULL , WHEN WE HAVE A A A QUORUM, WE WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK INTO, WE WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK INTO, UM, THE REQUEST. OKAY. NOW PRETTY, I'M PRETTY SURE, UH, UH, OUR ED WILL BE CONTACTING YOU PROBABLY BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING. ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT. LIKE I SAID, AGAIN, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR YOUR TIME. EVERYBODY HAVE A BLESSED DAY AND GOD, KEEP ON GOD, KEEP ON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, SIR. MM-HMM . MR. HADWAN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, COMMISSIONERS, THERE IS NO PAGE IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET FOR THIS ITEM. UH, MR. HADWAN IS HERE FOR, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. UH, GOOD EVENING, Y'ALL. UH, IT'S BEEN A COUPLE MONTHS SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE TALKING TO Y'ALL AND, UH, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE UPDATE AND, UH, I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANY ACTION ITEM FROM Y'ALL. I'M LOOKING FOR, UH, SOME SUPPORT IN SOMETHING I'M TRYING TO DO ACTUALLY. UH, I'M GOING TO BE TALKING BEFORE THE, UH, PLANNING BOARD TOMORROW EVENING. UH, AS YOU KNOW, I'M BUYING LOTS IN THE RDC, UH, VACANT LOTS. UH, CURRENTLY OWN SIX. AND I, UH, [00:20:01] CLOSING ON TWO MORE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. UH, I'M ACTUALLY STUCK APPLYING FOR BUILDING PERMIT ON 10 13 MAIN STREET. I'M GONNA BE BUILDING A TINY HOME THERE. UH, IT'S ALREADY STAKED OUT AND REALLY EXCITED TO GET THAT GOING. BUT, YOU KNOW, MY GOAL IS TO BUILD, UH, LOW INCOME TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TO WORKFORCE HOUSING IN THE RDC. AND I'M STARTING WITH VACANT LOTS FIRST BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I CAN AFFORD IN ORDER TO, UH, MAKE IT HAPPEN. UH, WHAT I'M RUNNING INTO IS IN ORDER TO HELP KEEP THE COST OF THE RENTALS DOWN, I'M TRYING TO PUT MULTIPLE UNITS ON THE LOTS. GRANTED, THESE ARE SMALL LOTS, UH, BUT THEY ARE BIG ENOUGH THAT I COULD POTENTIALLY DIVIDE THEM AND STILL MEET THE AREA'S MINIMUM LOT SIZE REQUIREMENTS. UH, MY HANGUP IS THE ACCESS PORTION TO IT. UH, SO I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, KENDRICK FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, AND THEN ULTIMATELY TALKED TO JAMIE AND ALSO J UH, JESSICA RU ABOUT THIS. AND SHE HAS SAID I SHOULD COME FOR Y'ALL BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A CODE CHANGE. UH, I HAVE TWO SKETCHES HERE THAT I'VE DONE OF, UH, 7 24 OAK STREET. IT'S ONE OF THE LOTS I'M GETTING READY TO PURCHASE. UH, THAT LOT IS JUST OVER 6,000 SQUARE FEET. UH, AND MY PREFERRED, UH, PLAN FOR IT WOULD BE TO PUT FOUR TINY HOMES ON. UH, I COULD ALSO PUT TWO LARGER HOMES ON IT, BUT, UH, I, I'M REALLY FOCUSING ON THE TINY HOMES RIGHT NOW. I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A PRETTY GOOD POTENTIAL DEMAND FOR THOSE. UH, SO THE TWO WAYS I'VE COME UP WITH TO SOLVE MY ACCESS ISSUE IS, UH, ONE IS TO ALLOW A DRIVEWAY, UH, A DEEDED DRIVEWAY TO GO THROUGH THE DIVIDED LOTS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE INDIRECT OR DIRECT ACCESS. I, I DON'T KNOW THE PROPER TERM TO PUT THERE. SO RIGHT NOW THEY'RE SAYING I CAN'T USE A DRIVEWAY TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO A LOT THAT'S 75 FOOT AWAY FROM THE ROAD. UH, MY OTHER AND MUCH MORE PREFERRED METHOD WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE MINIMUM SQUARE FEET FOR A DWELLING AND ADDITIONAL DWELLINGS REDUCED. SO I COULD LEAVE IT AS ONE LOT WITH POTENTIALLY FOUR TINY HOMES ON IT. UH, THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ALLOW ME TO CREATE A NICE PARKING LOT RIGHT OFF THE ROAD FOR PEOPLE TO PARK AND THEN HAVE A WALKWAY TO THE BACK TWO HOUSES. UM, SO LIKE I SAID, I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR ANY TYPE OF SUPPORT OR GUIDANCE YOU MAY GIVE ME. LIKE I SAID, I'M TALKING TO THE PLANNING BOARD TOMORROW ABOUT THIS TO GO FOR A CODE CHANGE. I'M GOING TO DEFER TO MY, UH, ESTEEMED AND VERY EXPERIENCED COLLEAGUE, MR. PERICO FOR THAT ONE. UH, NOT, NOT HAVING SEEN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. UH, I, I'D BE REMISS IF I COMMENTED ON IT SINCE I'M ON THE PLANNING BOARD. UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO COMMENT. SO INTERESTING. THAT'S AT THIS PARTICULAR JUNCTURE, I'D LOVE TO SHARE MY DRAWINGS WITH YOU IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT 'EM. CAN YOU ACCEPT THAT AND YOUR NAME AGAIN? CAN YOU ACCEPT BARRY NIK? CAN YOU ACCEPT THAT BEFORE ME BEFORE YOUR MEETING? SAY BARRY HODO PERRY. BARRY. OH, PERRY. B-E-R-R-B-A-B-A-R. YEAH. AND THE LAST HODO, SPELL IT FOR ME. H-O-D-O-W-A-N-I-C. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. YEAH. THIS, THE, THE CONCEPTS I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. UH, THERE'S A LOT OF LEGALITIES INVOLVED IN, IN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. I WOULD SUSPECT FROM THE LAND USE ORDINANCE, UH, AS FAR AS, 'CAUSE EACH ONE WOULD BE CONSIDERED A SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOME. UH, AND WE'RE PUTTING FOUR ON A LOT IN THEIR, IN, IN THE R SIX ZONING DISTRICT. THAT COULD CAUSE A PROBLEM. UM, FROM THE, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF, UH, IT, IT MEET THAT SPECIFIC LOT, LIKE I SAID, 6,000 SQUARE FEET FOR THE 1500 FOOT SQUARE FOOT MINIMUM IN THE R SIX RDC DISTRICT. IT, IT STAYS WITHIN THOSE [00:25:01] LINES EXCEPT THAT THE ISSUE IS DIRECT ACCESS TO A STREET. YEAH. AND THAT, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY MORE ISSUES TO THAT THAN, THAN THAT. BUT IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH KENDRICK, I MEAN, HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT IT THAN I DO BE HONEST WITH YOU. AND, AND SO THAT CONCEPT, UM, NEEDS TO BE THOUGHT THROUGH A LITTLE BIT MORE ON MY PART TO BE ABLE TO REALLY COMMENT ON IT. I SEE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THOUGH. YEAH. I, I MEAN IT'S, IT'S THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO MAXIMIZE THE USAGE OF MY LOSS TO KEEP THE R DOWN. SO OTHERWISE, IF I CAN ONLY PUT ONE OR TWO THERE, THEN THE RENT'S HIGHER. MM-HMM . AND THAT'S THAT ONE. WE APPRECIATE THE DOOR. AND I, I DO HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. YOU ANTICIPATE ON PUTTING FOUR DWELL, AM I CORRECT? SAY THAT AGAIN? YOU ANTICIPATE THEM PUTTING FOUR DWELLINGS THERE? YES. UH, THEY'RE SMALL. THEY'RE VERY SMALL. HOW MANY SQUARE FEET ARE THEY? UH, WITH THE LOFT IN IT, IT'S APPROXIMATELY 420 SQUARE FEET. 420? YES. PER UNIT? YES. AND THAT'S ONE BEDROOM? 2 1, 1 BUILDING. OKAY. THE HOUSE IS APPROXIMATELY 14 BY 26 AND THESE WOULD HAVE A SIX FOOT PORCH ON FRONT OF THEM. YOU KNOW, I'M DESIGNING IT FOR, YOU KNOW, ONE PERSON, YOU KNOW, GETTING OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN COLLEGE, TRADE SCHOOL AND STARTING WORK, YOU KNOW, OUT ON THEIR OWN. UH, OR EVEN POTENTIALLY A SINGLE MOTHER WITH ONE OR TWO KIDS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE LOFT UP ABOVE THE BEDROOM, YOU KNOW, THAT'LL BE HABITABLE 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S ENGINEERED TO BE ABLE TO SOMEBODY SLEEP UP THERE. AND AT WHAT TYPE MATERIAL ARE YOU ANTICIPATING ON UH, HAVING FOR YOUR EXTERIOR? I'M LOOKING AT, THESE ARE, THE EXTERIOR WILL BE PROBABLY VINYL SIDING IS WHAT I'M GOING TO BE PUTTING ON EM. OKAY. I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THE MOMENT. THANK YOU. YEP. GOOD. YEAH, I'M GOOD. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. BUT BEFORE YOU GO, I DO WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR INVESTING. YEAH. I GET THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE CAN KEEP YEAH, I GOT PLENTY , BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN THAT. YEAH, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I'LL, I'LL GET AROUND TO LOOKING AT Y'ALL'S PROPERTIES. AGAIN, IT'S JUST THE COST OF ENTRY'S A LOT EASIER OR CHEAPER FOR ME GOING THROUGH THE CITY'S PROPERTIES FIRST. RIGHT, RIGHT. I CAN WE UNDERSTAND THAT. LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION. YES SIR. LOOKING AT THE, UH, LAYOUT THAT YOU DO HAVE ALL THEM ON ONE SIDE AND I SEE THE OTHER ONE, YOU HAVE FOUR IN ONE AREA. SO WHICH ONE ARE YOU ANTICIPATING ON THE, THE ONE WITH THE FOUR ON ONE SIDE OR THE FOUR SEPARATE? I'LL DO WHATEVER ULTIMATELY I'M ALLOWED TO. I SEE, OKAY. I SEE. I'M TRYING TO THINK OF CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NOT CURRENTLY ALLOWED IN CODE. OKAY. SO IF YOU DO THE ONE THAT HAVE FOUR, YOU'LL HAVE A DRIVEWAY PER SE, ALL THE WAY TO YOUR LANE. YEAH, THE ONE, THE ONES THAT ARE IN A ROW LIKE THAT, THERE'LL BE A DRIVEWAY DOWN ONE SIDE AND YOU'LL PARK IN FRONT OF 'EM. MM-HMM . OKAY. YEAH, THAT'S, TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S AN OKAY OPTION. LIKE I SAID, MY PREFERRED OPTION WOULD BE TO HAVE THE FOUR CLUSTER WITH A PARKING LOT OUT FRONT. I MEAN YOU'RE, THE THING IS YOU'RE ONLY TALKING FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THE BACK HOUSE. YOU'RE TALKING 40, 50 FEET. GREAT IDEA. THAT'S LESS THAN WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE, I GOT A APPROACH. OKAY. AND ONCE AGAIN YOU DID SAY THE ONE BEDROOM. ONE BEDROOM WITH A LOFT ABOVE IT. AND WHAT'S GONNA BE IN THE LOFT? ANYTHING LIVING SPACE UP? YES. IT WOULD BE A LIVING SPACE, SIR. IT COULD BE, IT COULD BE A BEDROOM FOR A CHILD OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY COULD SET UP AN OFFICE UP THERE IF THEY NEEDED IT. IT'S, IT'S REALLY FLEXIBLE. SO POSSIBLE TWO BEDROOM UNITS IF YOU CONSIDER THE LOFT? YES. OKAY. AND HOW MANY SQUARE FEET WOULD YOU HAVE IN YOUR LOFT? UH, MS. LIVER, UH, THE LOFT IS APPROXIMATELY 8, 5 13. OKAY. GOOD IDEA. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY, GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU BARRY. [00:30:01] YOU ARE ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, COMMISSIONERS. WE ALSO HAVE MS. MARGARET SHIELDS IN THE AUDIENCE, UH, TONIGHT. I DON'T THINK SHE PLANNED ON MAKING ANY COMMENTS, . UM, BUT SHE IS HERE. DO YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING? WE DON'T HAVE QUORUM, SO WE CAN'T TAKE ANY ACTION. UH, SO, UH, YOU'RE FREE TO SAY SOMETHING IF YOU WANT TO. DON'T, DON'T FEEL COMPELLED IF YOU DON'T WANT TO. UM, I DON'T QUESTION ANYBODY WANT TO DO I KEEP IT KEEP ANYMORE, SO I GOT IT. YEAH. I, I'LL SEE 'EM AGAIN. YEAH. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE GRANT, UM, RESOURCES THAT WE'RE EXPLORING RIGHT NOW? I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UM, THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. SO DO WE HAVE ANY POTENTIAL GRANTS THAT MAY BE COMING ON THE HORIZON OR? YEAH, A COUPLE OF, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND GONNA SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT TO, UM, MARY REYNOLDS BABCOCK, UM, NEXT WEEK. THAT'S, UH, AN ONGOING, UM, OPEN CYCLE AND THEY HAVE TO AGREE TO, UM, OR HAVE TO APPROVE OUR LOI BEFORE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THEM. SO, UM, IT'S JUST A FIVE QUESTION LOI SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF, OF, UM, GETTING THAT DONE AND WE'LL BE SUBMITTING IT IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND ANY OTHER THAT'S KIND OF OFF THAT YOU HADN'T EVEN STARTED LISTENING, BUT YOUR I THE NEXT PROJECT, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT NORTH CAROLINA, UH, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MIGHT COME THROUGH WITH SOMETHING LIKE THEY DID LAST YEAR. UM, OF COURSE THEIR GRANTS ARE USUALLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. UM, BUT THEY ARE, UM, FOCUSING ON VACANT PROPERTIES, VACANT LOTS, UM, WITH THE IDEA OF A PROJECT THAT WOULD BE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, BUSINESS SORT OF PROJECT FOR THE, FOR THOSE SPACES. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE HAVE ONE. ANY COMMISSIONS? ANYTHING? NO. THANK YOU MS. SHIELDS. LAST PERSON IN OUR GALLERY. MR. GLENN FEELY. DID YOU WANNA MAKE ANY COMMENT TONIGHT? NO. ALL RIGHT. THAT IS ALL FOR, UH, OUR GALLERY THIS EVENING, MR. CHAIR. ALRIGHT. UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO ADJOURN 'CAUSE WE NEVER CONVEN. OH YEAH, NO, WE DO HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO. WE DO HAVE TO. DO YOU NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN SIR? YOU DON'T NEED A MOTION. YOU CAN JUST SAY WE'RE LET US KNOW THAT WE'RE DONE. OKAY. CAN'T ENTERTAIN MOTIONS. OKAY. WELL, SINCE THERE IS, THERE MAY NO FURTHER BUSINESS MAY HAVE, I MAY HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN ME. NO, NO, NO. DON'T NEED A MOTION. OH, BUT THAT, THAT'S FORMAL ACTION. WE'RE DONE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.