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Daycare owner urges Aberdeen to press developer, DOT on chronic flooding at Atrium/Johnson
Summary
A daycare proprietor told the Aberdeen board that repeated flooding at 503 Johnson Street has forced closures and financial losses; town staff said Johnson is DOT-owned, the developer has not turned over the road, and the town will contact the attorney while pursuing DOT and shopping-center stormwater agreements.
Judy Orkey, who operates Kitty Corner Daycare, told the Aberdeen Board of Commissioners on Aug. 25 that water collects on Atrium Street and runs onto her property at 503 Johnson Street after nearly every rainfall.
"The Atrium Street area ... causes water to run onto our property at 503 Johnson," Orkey said, and she told the board she has hundreds of photos documenting repeated flooding and that the business had closed for months at one point. "We have lost thousands of dollars over this," she said.
Board members and staff explained the complication: Johnson Street is part of a state-maintained corridor and the developer has not yet conveyed the subdivision road to the town. Town staff said engineers have produced a design for a relief pipe under Johnson that would provide partial drainage but would not eliminate the problem without a wider stormwater upgrade behind nearby commercial properties. Staff noted that a full fix could require upgrading the stormwater system behind the PetSmart and Best Buy shopping center and "possibly $3,000,000." They added that the N.C. Department of Transportation will not provide an encroachment permit until the town secures a stormwater agreement with the shopping center.
Commissioners discussed options including withholding bond release, calling the developer's bond to pay for needed repairs, or directing the town attorney to pursue legal options. The mayor told Orkey the town would contact the town attorney and pursue additional outreach to the developer and DOT. Staff said DOT conversations and a hydraulic study and a stormwater agreement with the shopping center are prerequisites for the encroachment and for construction of the proposed relief pipe.
No formal vote or funding appropriation occurred; board members said the issue requires further legal and engineering follow-up and that staff would update the board on next steps.
