A planned but unbuilt apartment complex and a new sign for the McDonald’s restaurant will be the two agenda items before the Rockingham Board of Adjustments and Appeals when it meets next week.
The board will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, at Rockingham City Hall, located at 514 Rockingham Road.
Up first is a request from Sign Clinic for a variance to alter a non-conforming sign at 1304 E. Broad Ave., at the McDonald’s currently being remodeled.
Sign Clinic is McDonald’s sign contractor. According to John R. Massey Jr., Planning Director for Rockingham, McDonald’s pylon sign is in need of structural repairs.
“McDonald’s pylon sign is a legal non-conforming sign, which means it does not comply with the city’s current sign regulations,” said Massey. “The sign exceeds both the maximum 35 foot height limit and the 200 square foot sign area limit.”
The city’s sign regulations require non-conforming signs to be brought into compliance with all regulations if the sign is structurally altered, he said.
The applicant is proposing to lower the sign height to comply with the 35-foot height requirement, but has requested a variance to continue to utilize the existing cabinet/golden arches to avoid the expense of fabricating a new smaller cabinet/golden arches, Massey said.
The second case on the board’s agenda involves a planned apartment complex by Connelly Development NC, LLC, based out of Durham.
One year ago, Connelly was successful in getting the board to approve a conditional use permit for the project. However, construction on the complex did not begin with the 12 months that followed. A conditional use permit is only valid for one year, and it has expired. Connelly is back to get a new conditional use permit, said Massey.
“They still want to pursue the project so they are asking the board to reapprove the proposed development plans, which are identical to those approved last year,” Massey said.
Connelly Development plans to construction of a 39-unit multi-family development, which would be known as Fountain Pointe.
The apartment complex is planned for a parcel of nearly 5 acres on Clemmer Road — directly behind Aldi’s grocery store.
The proposed project includes twenty 3-bedroom apartments and nineteen 2-bedroom apartments, which would be divided into five apartment buildings and a community building.
The property is zoned Highway Business (B-3). That zoning classification allows multi-family developments as a conditional use. Any proposed multi-family development in the city’s jurisdiction that consists of more than 6 units or more than one building requires a conditional use permit.
The public is invited to attend the meeting to express an opinion either for or against these requests.
— Editor John Charles Robbins can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 13, or by email at jrobbins@civitasmedia.com.
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