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Weddington council asks staff to scope environmental survey of undeveloped land; SWCA outlines scalable approach
Summary
The council directed staff to return with options and pricing for an environmental survey of underdeveloped parcels after SWCA representatives said studies can be scaled from desktop assessments to detailed field surveys. Staff will present budgeted options and a recommended scope for council review.
Councilmembers directed staff on April 13 to develop options and cost estimates for an environmental survey of Weddington’s undeveloped parcels after a presentation from SWCA environmental consultants.
Josh Allen of SWCA told the council that the firm can tailor work to the town’s budget and goals — ‘‘we can kind of make it work with the budget that you’re given, you know, and we can make it as detailed or as, you know, 30,000‑foot desktop level as fit for what you guys are trying to accomplish.’’ He said a desktop assessment might take a few months, while ground‑truthing (wetland delineations, threatened‑species surveys) could extend months to years, and recommended a hybrid approach that begins with the desktop scan and targets field work to high‑priority parcels.
Why it matters: Weddington contains several large, undeveloped tracts that planning staff and residents have flagged as potentially environmentally sensitive — including riparian corridors and basins identified in prior plans. Councilmembers said they want to know what the town can do beyond current UDO protections to preserve sensitive areas.
Council direction: Council asked staff to return with a menu of options, pricing and recommended levels of effort (desktop, targeted fieldwork, or comprehensive field inventories). Staff confirmed the work is budgeted as a scalable item for the coming fiscal year and noted potential challenges obtaining access to privately owned parcels for fieldwork.
Quote: ‘‘There’s professionals that know this,’’ Josh Allen said. ‘‘The advantage to these types of studies is that they are relatively scalable. Depending on the budget that you have allocated for something like that, we can kind of make it work.’’
Next steps: Staff will prepare options (scope, schedule, and cost) for council consideration and identify priority parcels for early fieldwork if the council authorizes a higher level of study.
Ending: The council’s request for options lays the groundwork for a targeted environmental study intended to inform future UDO changes and site‑specific development review.
