Burlington’s planning and zoning commission has given its approval to a proposed rezoning along Alamance Road just south of the interstate that will allow a long-time veterinary clinic to relocate from its current location about a mile away.
The commission made its recommendation unanimously, 6-0, despite the vocal opposition of nearby neighbors who expressed fears the clinic will add to what they consider to be crowded and unsafe traffic conditions in the area.
The rezoning request for 4.8 acres at 2936 Alamance Road seeks to convert the property’s two current zoning designations (medium density residential on the front portion and medium industrial on the back) to general business with limited use.
While about two dozen potential uses are listed on the rezoning application, attorney Ryan Moffitt explained that the real underlying purpose is for “relocating the veterinary clinic” currently located in the I-85 Plaza at 2655 Ramada Road.
A ranch-style house now occupies the Alamance Road property, but would ultimately be replaced by a 5,400-square-foot office building to serve as the new quarters for Plaza Veterinary Hospital which is owned by Dr. Morgan Thomas. Aaron Clark, who is with the clinic, said the current clinic has about 10 parking spaces for customers, with another 16 for staff.
Four nearby residents – Robert Amrine, Bruce Harris, Bradley Sulecki, and Robert Burton – expressed varying versions of the same underlying concern: the clinic would accerbate heavy traffic along Alamance Road that already impedes residents seeking to turn left (toward town) from their neighborhood directly across from the site.
Stowe Street, which intersects with Alamance Road across from the site, serves as the primary entrance and exit for the Stables at Harris Farm, a neighborhood of upscale duplex-style patio homes, typically with three bedrooms, two baths, and a two-car garage.
Robert Amrine said “serious traffic problems,” including accidents and near-accidents, already occur along that stretch of Alamance Road.
Bruce Harris said the speed limit along Alamance Road should be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 35, an issue he said he intends to raise with the city council in the future. While Alamance Road (N.C.62) is an NCDOT road, the state often responds to local municipalities when it sets speed limits.
For his part, Sulecki said he “wants to maintain the residential nature of this area” rather than expand the business zoning.
But planning board members generally expressed that their responsibility is to focus on whether the rezoning request conforms with the land uses in the area.
Commission member Mike Mills ultimately made a motion to recommend the rezoning to the city council, which passed unanimously, 6-0. Joining Mills in support were vice chairman Charlie Beasley, chairman James Kirkpatrick, Lee Roane, Jonathan Sanders, and Ryan Spadaccini.
