Tag Archive for: #cityofhenderson

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council Planning Retreat

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The Henderson City Council and government leaders are planning for their annual retreat, and council members agree that housing and homelessness are among the issues they expect will be up for discussion as they prioritize goals and the actions needed to achieve them.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News that a goal of the retreat is to craft “a blueprint for the direction of the city for the foreseeable future.” Chris Aycock of Aycock and Associates will facilitate the retreat, which will take place at Henderson Country Club beginning tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 24) and continuing on Friday, Feb. 25.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and observe this annual strategic planning session.

Council member Melissa Elliott said a discussion about affordable housing and homelessness are important one to her. “I think they go hand in hand – that would be one of my main” issues to discuss, she told WIZS News. Other topics she hopes to discuss during the planning retreat are inclusion and diversity.

The Rev. Ola Thorpe-Cooper said she is excited about what’s ahead for Henderson and looks forward to discussing with others on the council how to tackle the issue of affordable housing and revitalizing blighted neighborhoods.

Thorpe-Cooper, William Burnette and Garry Daeke all mentioned the Elmwood URA project and plans for similar work in the Flint Hill neighborhood as positive moves forward for the city.

“We’re trying to do what we can for the city…as a whole – it’s not done overnight,” Thorpe-Cooper told WIZS News in a phone conversation.

Jason Spriggs told WIZS News Thursday that he’s concerned about housing in general, not just affordable housing. Spriggs sees a definite link between homelessness and available housing, and said people who are renting may be seeing those rents rise. He said he wants to make it easier for people to construct houses.

“It’s a tough situation for people who live here who want to stay here,” he said.

 

In addition to neighborhood redevelopment efforts, Burnette said he would like to see continued focus on downtown redevelopment and emphasis on the regional water system.

These topics and more are sure to be discussed during the retreat, which Blackmon said would begin with brief presentations by department heads during the first half-day. The session will run from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The second day will be attended by Council only, Blackmon said, adding that all council members would be present for the session, which will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“What I hope to get out of this retreat is a five-year plan with goals that have tangible actions attached,” Blackmon said. His topics of interest line up with those of Burnette, Elliott and Thorpe Cooper and include infrastructure, affordable housing and economic development.

Daeke said prospective developers most likely are interested in amenities like sidewalks and available parks, as well as appropriate lighting and landscaping as they decide where to put new housing or retail space. He said he hopes the city can secure some funding that would support providing those improvements.

“We’ve got to have some skin in the game,” he said.

Daeke said the council would probably get an update on the regional water system, which he said is very close to starting on the construction phase – perhaps as early as fall 2022.

Siting and construction of a third fire station could be a discussion, as well as finding a location for a train station as plans continue to develop around the S-Line project, which would see increased commuter and passenger service along the existing rail lines from Sanford through Henderson and on into Virginia.

Next steps include getting input about station design and layout – as well as where to locate it for best access by the community.

“It’s just incredible…having a commuter and passenger and freight rail coming through this town again is just going to open doors that we haven’t had open to us in years,” Daeke said.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Cell Phone Tower Is A Win – Win

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The shiny new cell tower that was erected on city property by the police training grounds should be operational in the next few months, and Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill said it’s a win-win for the city and for the cell service provider that owns the tower.

U.S. Cellular “found that location to be a good fit for their network,” Paylor told WIZS News Thursday. The tower that had been there was old and needed some maintenance, but the city and the cell provider reached a deal that suited both sides.

“They took the old tower down and put up the new one,” he said. And the city has “the very top of that tower for their communication.” US Cellular owns the tower and has agreed to maintain it, and for the next seven years or so, won’t be paying any rent. When that period ends, rent payments will begin.

“They gave us prime real estate for the ability to put their own tower there,” Spruill said.

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Dr. Andrea Harris

Feb. 1 Ribbon-Cutting To Rename City Operations Center For Dr. Andrea Harris

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The City of Henderson’s operations and service center will be renamed for Dr. Andrea L. Harris at a ribbon-cutting ceremony next week.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. at the facility, located at 900 S. Beckford Dr., according to information from County Manager Terrell Blackmon.

The City Council voted in 2021 to rename the center in honor of Harris, who grew up in Henderson, began her teaching career here and was a community activist on the local and state levels. She died in May 2020.

Harris was an advocate for contractors and the building industry and she also was a civil rights leader, which made the operations center a very fitting site – the operations center is the largest voting location during city and county elections.

She was active locally and participated on a variety of boards, councils and commissions.

Harris received many accolades and awards over the years, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from three governors and an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Bennett College.

In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Duke University’s Samuel Dubois Cook Society.

She was a member of the Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a life member of the NAACP.  Harris was a trustee and member of Kesler Temple AME Zion Church. She was small in stature but a forced to be reckoned with.  She was always willing to be a “voice” for the underrepresented, breaking down socio-economic, racial, and gender barriers as a broker for change and equality for ALL people.

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City Officials Want To Hear From Residents As They Update Comprehensive Plan

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The City of Henderson is updating its comprehensive plan and wants to hear from residents about priorities for the future, as well as perceived strengths and liabilities.

There is an online survey that city officials hope residents will take a few moments to complete as it develops its vision that will guide future growth.

Visit https://publicinput.com/I7062#5 to take the survey and to learn more about the comprehensive plan, which is scheduled to be completed in spring 2022.

Changes in City Recycling, Yard Debris Schedule For Christmas Holiday

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The City of Henderson has announced the upcoming holiday schedule for sanitation services.

The schedule will be as follows for Recycling and Yard Debris:

Monday, Dec. 20 – Monday and Tuesday Route
Tuesday, Dec. 21 – Wednesday and Thursday Route
Wednesday, Dec. 22 – Friday Route
Thursday, Dec. 23 – Holiday  – No Work
Friday December 24 – Holiday –  No Work

The GFL (Waste Industries) garbage collection will operate on a normal schedule.

The Local Skinny! What’s Happening In Downtown Henderson

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If the city of Henderson were to write a letter to Santa this year, you can bet that increased downtown economic development would be somewhere on the Christmas wish list.

City officials heard an update from Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan recently about what’s going on downtown, and it sounds like some of those wishes could be coming true.

The Thursday edition of The Local Skinny! ran down a list of openings and re-openings that are happening now in downtown Henderson.

  • For starters, holiday decorations are going up Friday evening, just in time for the Christmas parade that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m.
  • Did you know that a grocery store is planned for Horner Street? Madigan said she doesn’t have many details yet, but even a small retail grocery that neighbors can walk to would be welcome.
  • The Gear and Beer shop has opened
  • The former Screenmaster location is being converted to an all-inclusive office space.
  • Madigan told the council that the city will have to invest in new banners, because the brackets in place now on newly installed Duke utility poles won’t accommodate the existing banners.
  • The much-talked -about brewery in the former Falkner Coal and Oil building is making progress. Madigan said the owner is a “pay-as-you-go businessman,” so it could take a while to come to fruition.
  • Bombshell Nail and Spa has opened; the business has applied for a façade grant.
  • Citizens Pub, at the corner of Breckenridge and Garnett streets is set to reopen as an event center

In addition to the retail news, Madigan shared with council members several beautification projects in various stages of completion:

  • There are plantings outside McGregor Hall, courtesy of Franklin Bros. Nursery
  • Four more benches have been ordered for the downtown area and should arrive in the next month
  • Plans to have crosswalk art have been submitted to NC Department of Transportation for approval

Visit https://hendersonncdowntown.org/ to learn more.

 

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City Leaders Continue Looking At Ways To Reimagine Downtown Neighborhoods To Attract Growth, Development

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As plans for reimagining and redeveloping neighborhoods near downtown Henderson continue, city leaders are considering ways to improve current areas while understanding how best to create new opportunities for growth.

One way may be establishing an urban overlay district, which was explained to City Council members Monday as a way to allow for multifamily housing units in areas where they currently are not allowed.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News in a written statement that the overlay district is just one aspect of the redevelopment work being planned to “jumpstart” the urban redevelopment area, or URA, in the Elmwood area of Henderson. The groundwork being laid now, Blackmon said, is “designed to entice builders/developers to consider new development, as well as infill development in the city of Henderson.”

As Corey Williams, the city’s development services department director, explained, the city has torn down numerous homes that were either abandoned or in disrepair. But when the properties remain vacant, with no growth or development filling in, the state defines that as “blight.”

The UNC School of Government is working on a study to move the URA forward and to help define the area and offer tools to help remove the blight.

That could mean additional code enforcement, but Williams said the city hasn’t unpacked that part of the toolbox yet.

“I think we can balance it out,” Williams told WIZS News Wednesday. “We’ll build more with less land, make our community walkable, safe and friendly and tie everything back to downtown,” he added. And the infill development can be done in a way that it enhances the downtown area and put neighborhoods within walking distance of downtown amenities.

The city also may be able to acquire properties that can be bundled to create larger chunks of continguous land, which could be beneficial for further development.

Most developers, he said, aren’t interested in doing all the infrastructure work needed to develop properties – it’s almost become the work of the city, he said. The city “can do the enforcement, put the pieces together and put it out (there) and market it to developers.”

With guidance from the council and the redevelopment commission, Williams said he sees a bright future for neighborhoods like those in the Elmwood URA.

The School of Government study showed that Henderson needs 3,000 additional housing units to accommodate residents. The Elmwood URA can’t handle that many single-family dwellings, so the overlay district would allow for mixed-use residences, from townhomes and condos to single-family homes. Key to this development is affordability to homeowners, he noted. In a mixed-use plan, there is room for renters and homeowners.

Development of a land use plan and updating the zoning ordinances may be in order as the city continues to look at ways to create neighborhoods in and around downtown. A unified development ordinance is something that Williams said may be in the city’s future. Such an ordinance would be a strategic way to approach development.

At the end of the day, Williams said, it is key to understand what the residents can afford. Single-family homes at $150/square foot may not be realistic. “I think if we can do some things that are affordable, but mixed-use, not just for moderate income…we’ll have a better standard of quality than we have had in the past.”

Leaf Collection ‘Season’ Kicks Off Oct. 18, But Not Before

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The City of Henderson has announced that leaf collection season will begin in October, and provided guidelines to residents to ensure proper placement to the leaves can be picked up.

Between Oct. 18, 2021 and Jan. 14, 2022, residents may places rows or piles of loose leaves and pine straw along the roadsides for the Public Works Department to collect. Be advised, however, that residents who place leaves or pine straw curbside before Oct. 26 or after Jan. 15 will find a $75 charge added to their monthly sanitation bill.

According to information from the city, rows or piles of leaves or pine straw shall:

  • be placed behind the curb not to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
  • not be placed in an open ditch, gutter or street area as this can interfere with the city’s storm drainage system.
  • be free of trash and debris such as glass, cans, rocks, limb cuttings, etc. as this may damage collection equipment.
  • not be placed on top of your water meter.

The collection will be on a two- or three-week rotation, depending on weather conditions and leaf accumulation. Residents may bag the leaves and pine straw or place them in containers, but it is not required.

For more information, contact the public works department at 252.431.6115 or 252.431.6030.

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The Local Skinny! Pearson And Harris To Be Honored By City Of Henderson

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The Henderson City Council has approved naming a couple of city-owned properties for two former residents who helped shape the community and make it a better place for their neighbors.

The Operation and Service Center will be renamed in memory and in honor of Dr. Andrea L. Harris, who grew up in Henderson and went on to become a community activist and organizer. She also was instrumental in establishing the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development, becoming its president in 1990.

And the public parking lot beside Sadie’s Coffee Corner in downtown Henderson will be named for the late Stephen Pearson, who opened Sadie’s in 2019 and was a vocal proponent of downtown revitalization and development.

Neither Harris nor Pearson was born in Henderson, but both made significant contributions to the place they called home.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS that Council in August had asked him to investigate possible locations to consider. “(It) made a lot of sense to consider the parking lot next to Sadie‘s Coffee as an opportunity to honor Dr. Pearson,” Blackmon said Monday.  The Council voted unanimously to approve both recommendations at its Sept. 13 meeting. Making signs for the two locations are next on the to-do list.

Councilwoman Melissa Elliott suggested the Operations Center, he said. Harris was an advocate for contractors and the building industry and she also was a civil rights leader, which made the operations center a very fitting site – the operations center is the largest voting location during city and county elections.

Pearson died in March at the age of 57. He was chair of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, and took pride in promoting new business in downtown Henderson.

Harris died in May 2020.

Although Harris was born in South Carolina, she grew up in Henderson and graduated from Henderson Institute in 1966 and then received her undergraduate degree from Bennett College in Greensboro in 1970. She started teaching school in 1971 – the first year of integration – at West End School like her mother had, and then began participating in community activism. She established the first rural transportation program in the state for older adults, among other things, at the local level.

Then, in the early 1980’s Harris began working in Raleigh at the state level. She began at the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. It was during this time that Harris and her colleagues established the minority economic development institute.

She was active locally and participated on a variety of boards, councils and commissions.

She received many accolades and awards over the years, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from three governors and an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Bennett College.

In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Duke University’s Samuel Dubois Cook Society.

She was a member of the Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a life member of the NAACP.  Andrea was a trustee and member of Kesler Temple AME Zion Church. She was small in stature but a forced to be reckoned with.  She was always willing to be a “voice” for the underrepresented, breaking down socio-economic, racial, and gender barriers as a broker for change and equality for ALL people.

Pearson, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, is remembered for being the Army’s first Web Master. He earned a doctorate in Global Business Leadership in 2019 and wrote numerous books topics from entrepreneurship to cyber forensics. He taught required and elective classes at the School of Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and New York’s Utica College and owned several businesses, including Sadie’s.

Volunteer To Pick Up Litter During CommUNITY Cleanup Day Sept. 25

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It’s not too late to sign up for CommUNITY Cleanup Day, as Henderson joins with the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Fall Litter Sweep program on Saturday morning.

Individuals, as well as churches, businesses and other organizations can pitch in and make a difference along the city’s roadways. City staff will be at the Operations Center parking lot, 900 S. Beckford Drive, at 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 25 to hand out safety vests, gloves and bags to volunteers.

Visit http://cms8.revize.com/revize/henderson/residents/index.php to sign up.

To learn more, contact Tracey Kimbrell at

252.430.5702 or traceykimbrell@henderson.nc.gov