Mount Airy schedules annexation hearing after hours of public comment opposing sports-complex plan
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Summary
Mount Airy officials set a public hearing for proposed annexation of the Warfield property after residents raised traffic, water and town-character concerns tied to a proposed private sports complex. The council emphasized the hearing is a procedural step; final annexation would require further county and state review.
The Mount Airy Town Council on March 2 set a public hearing for a proposed annexation tied to a privately proposed sports complex, after more than an hour of public comment from nearby residents pressing the council to reject the plan.
Council president called the meeting and walked the audience through the multi-step timeline: tonight the council only set the public hearing; on April 6 the council will approve or disapprove an annexation plan (approval of the plan would not itself effect annexation); the plan then goes to county and state review before a potential August 3 vote on actual annexation.
Residents from Nottingham and Kings Forest Trail described the sports-complex proposal as likely to increase traffic, strain water resources and change the character of neighborhoods. ‘‘The sports complex is not a done deal,’’ said Michael Rash, a Kings Forest Trail resident, urging neighbors to engage county processes as well as the town’s public hearings. He explained that, if the town votes the annexation down, the developer would still need county rezoning or a conditional-use permit and would face mandatory public hearings before the Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals.
Several speakers cited the planning commission’s recommendation: the Mount Airy Planning Commission voted unanimously to oppose the Warfield annexation and offered seven conditions if the council were to approve it. Amanda Everett, a Nottingham resident, said the planning commission’s months of review and its unanimous recommendation to reject ‘‘speaks for itself’’ and urged the council to heed that advice.
Other public commenters focused on infrastructure concerns: Pat Coleman, a long-time baseball coach, questioned whether the town and surrounding area have the lodging and restaurant infrastructure tournaments typically require; Jennifer Block worried about long-term maintenance should such a facility fail. Multiple residents raised water-supply and traffic impacts and asked when developers would speak to community concerns; council members said developers will have the opportunity at the public hearing.
The council tentatively scheduled the public hearing for June 10 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall and said the process would include county and state reviews before any final annexation vote. The council stressed that setting the hearing is procedural and does not itself approve annexation.