Although town planning meetings are open to attend, many residents don’t attend them. Some don’t have the time, some don’t make the time, and some just don’t want to. It’s actually a good thing that not everyone attends these meetings, as we would have a hard time fitting 30,000+ people into Town Hall. That’s why we have elected and appointed officials to take care of the town business on the behalf of the residents. We thought it would be a good idea to bring the residents up to speed on what the town has planned for the immediate future of the town.
Village District Enhancements:
For 20 years, we have known that our residents desire a walkable downtown with retail shops and restaurant space. The Economic Development department understood that outside developers would not see the opportunity for success like a local would. In an effort to grow the downtown, they reached out to local investors to ask them to jumpstart the growth in our downtown. Economic Development brought the necessary partners to the table and through the brokerage of relationships sparked development. In early 2019, Holly Springs will have two new buildings opening a combined roughly 100,000 square feet of retail, office, and restaurant space along with a public infrastructure piece. A unique part of this project is the office component is allowing for local Holly Springs businesses to expand and grow within the downtown. Economic Development meets weekly with the developers and other key town staff in the Engineering and Planning & Zoning departments to move the project forward.
Planning also led the efforts to continue to improve the appearance of N. Main Street by creating a pocket park on Town-owned property where residents and visitors can picnic or hang out with friends.
Holly Springs Road | Sunset Lake Road Gateway Entrance Sign Installation:
Gateways mark the primary entry points into the Town of Holly Springs. The intersection of Holly Springs Road and Sunset Lake Road, as a primary entrance into the Town of Holly Springs, will feature decorative welcome signs and landscaping to welcome residents and visitors. Gateway sign construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2018.
Needham Norris House Purchase:
The Town worked with the developer of The Mills at Avent Ferry to purchase the historic, Needham Norris House (previously featured in Suburban Living magazine). This Federal Period house played a locally significant role in the Civil War. The house is now is town possession. Future plans have not been established.
Holly Springs on Display:
The Raleigh Convention Center is featuring an exhibit on Wake County towns. This exhibit is intended to highlight each municipality’s uniqueness and entice patrons of the Raleigh Convention Center to visit the surrounding areas. Holly Springs staff from multiple departments worked together to create a display highlighting our vibrant community.
Southern Area Planning Initiative:
Phase 1 of the study of this 12.2 square-mile area will focus on community visioning. Expected to be completed by February 2018, Phase 1 will result in a program to develop a strategy to update town policies and ordinances based upon the input received.
Ting Naming Rights:
November 10, 2017 marked the start of the Town’s 3-year naming rights term with Ting Internet. Formerly, North Main Athletic Complex, the park is now known as Ting Park and Ting Stadium. Ting will provide the Town $100,000 (year 1), $110,000 (year 2), $120,000 (year 3) in addition to a portion of park signage costs. The total amount will approach $400,000 over a 3-year period. Funds will be directed to Parks and Rec reserves, which will be applied to capital projects for parks, recreation, and leisure nature. Town staff worked with Ting representatives for almost a year to ink this deal.
Wayfinding Master Plan:
To continue with the Town’s goal to maintain a village atmosphere and expand our community character, the Department of Planning & Zoning is working with a consulting company to develop a Town-wide wayfinding signage program. These decorative signs will provide additional directional assistance to guests and welcome new residents by providing information about the location of the Town’s many public facilities and parks. The plan is currently under review for approval and permitting by NCDOT.
Economic Investments For Growth
Certified Entrepreneurial Community (CEC):
As the first town to earn the Certified Entrepreneurial Community designation, Holly Springs is a leader in creating the physical and social infrastructure to support local businesses and entrepreneurs. In October of 2017, the town received the accreditation of the first Certified Entrepreneurial Community. The Economic Development Department entered into this program in 2016. This 2-year program equips towns to become more entrepreneur-ready. Many entrepreneurs gathered at this year’s planning retreat with the Economic Development department to work on key initiatives including Downtown Development and Promotion & Support. CEC is an innovation tool to address economic challenges. The Economic Development Department aims to create an environment that understands and encourages entrepreneurship. The town welcomes entrepreneurs to get involved. They can do so by contacting the Economic Development Department.
Key Partnerships:
The continual retention, expansion, and recruitment efforts of the Economic Development department provide the opportunity for more jobs to come to town. Staying connected with county partners at Wake County Economic Development (WCED), state partners in the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), and being a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA) allows them to keep their finger on the pulse of economic development locally, in the region, in the state, and beyond. They fill the requests of large projects coming from the state and follow up to land large projects such as Seqirus. There are a few projects in the pipeline now.
At press time, the annual town retreat is taking place. The retreat is for the Town Council Retreat staff to update the Town Council on projects that have been deemed a priority by past Councils and/or staff. Some of the items on the agenda are a new gymnasium and recreation center facility, new public works facility, greenway plans, and fire station facility. Also, discussions will focus on Southern Area Planning Initiative, a possible November 2018 Transportation Bond, and historic and tree preservation initiatives.
Some of the other topics for the retreat will include:
Landscape Regulations:
Staff will be researching and updating existing landscape regulations. Areas of focus will include tree preservation, provision of useable open space areas in residential developments, and landscape buffers. Landscape regulations help shape the way that developments look and feel and they can preserve and create attractive and functional green spaces for recreation and enjoyment of nature.
Historic Preservation Regulations:
Planning staff have encouraged the preservation of historic structures over the years through work and cooperation with Capital Area Preservation. In 2017 with the heightened interest in preservation of the Needham Norris House on Avent Ferry Road, staff has begun researching the various options that are available to the Town and will be presenting specific ordinance language in 2018 to clarify the Town’s position on preservation.
2020 US Census Preparation:
Preparation for the 2020 US Census is underway. Planning & Zoning works with the US Census Bureau to provide an accurate address database for the Holly Springs Planning Jurisdiction. The Census Bureau requires strict confidentially of all census-related information, including individual addresses. Staff participating in updating the address database have special protocols, sign confidentiality and security guidelines, and ensure the safety of this data. This protected address database is for the US Census only and cannot be shared with any other government agency (including the Town), any company, or the public.
ZIP Code Reassignments:
Planning & Zoning is working with the US Postal Service to study a realignment of the Zip Codes in and around the northwest area of Holly Springs to match our Town Limits and future growth areas. Much of the northwest area of Holly Springs has a Zip Code that differs from Holly Springs, NC 27540.
