PITT COUNTYPLANNING DEPARTMENT

ANNUAL REPORT2000

March, 2001

To All Interested Individuals:

The Pitt County Planning Board and Planning staff proudly present the Pitt CountyPlanning Department’s Annual Report for 2000. This report outlines and describes thedepartment’s numerous activities and projects, and highlights the department’s majoraccomplishments over the past year. As described in the report, the Year 2000 proved tobe busy for staff and brought many new challenges to the Planning Department. Staff isextremely proud of progress made on several on-going projects and activities, includingdevelopment review, flood plain management, E-911 addressing, and soil erosion control.Staff is especially pleased with the flood recovery and land use planning efforts headedby the department during the year.

To learn more about Pitt County Planning Department’s numerous activities andaccomplishments, please read the Annual Report for 2000 or contact the Pitt CountyPlanning Department at (252) 830-6319. Thank you for your interest in planning-relatedfunctions in Pitt County.

Sincerely,

James Rhodes, AICPPlanning Director

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PLANNING BOARDThomas Bess, Chairman

Dan Wynne, Vice ChairmanErvin Hardee

Frank BradhamShanna Caton

William ChapmanLyman Hardee

Blaine HumphreySteve LittleJohn MooreBryant Tripp

William Wooten

PAST MEMBERSTodd Edwards, Chairman (Jan. – Sept. 2000)

Jimmy DunnWilbert FutrellErvin HardeeJoe T. Wright

PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFFJames Rhodes, Director

Beth Buck, Administrative AssistantCristina Merryman, Office Assistant

David McGowan, Road Sign CoordinatorEddy Davis, Planner IIGlen Moore, Planner IITracy Cash, Planner IBerry Gray, Planner IEli Johnson, Planner I

Stephen Smith, Planner IMatthew Walters, Planner I

Traci Belch, Planning TechnicianDwane Jones, Planning Technician

Jeremy Smith, Student InternDervin Spell, Student Intern

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERSDavid Hammond, Chair

Glenn Bowen, Vice-ChairTom Coulson

Eugene JamesTom Johnson, Sr.

Mark W. Owens, Jr.Randy RoyalTerry Shank

Beth B. Ward

PAST MEMBERS (Jan. – Nov. 2000)Charles P. Gaskins, Chairman

Ann Huggins

MAJOR DEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND

ACTIVITIES

Land Use Planning

NC 11 North CorridorPlanning Area - Aftermeeting nine times andholding three public forumsover the past two years, theNC 11 North CorridorPlanning Committee’s workculminated with arecommended Land Use Planand Zoning Ordinance onNovember 30, 2000. The NC11 North planning effort wasinitiated in response to theproposed Greenville UtilitiesCommission sewer lineextension from Greenville to

Bethel along NC 11. In an agreement with other affected parties, PittCounty is to develop and implement a land use plan and zoningregulations to allow sewer service access within the planning area.

The NC 11 North Corridor Planning Area encompasses 12,122acres and has a population of approximately 650 people. The areahas experienced very little development and is predominantly rural innature. However, due to the 4-laning of NC 11 and the availability ofrail and sewer service, the area has great potential for growth.

The draft NC 11 North Corridor Land Use Plan seeks to guideanticipated growth over the next 20 years. Four land use categories,which include Agricultural/Open/Natural Resources, RuralResidential/Agricultural, Suburban Residential, and RuralCommercial/Crossroads Community, were utilized. Futuredevelopment is focused along NC 11. Very rural and sensitive areas,such as flood-prone properties, were recommended for protectionfrom intense development. The accompanying zoning ordinanceserves to carry out the goals and objectives of the land use plan. Two

zoning districts, Rural Agricultural and Rural Residential, blanket theplanning area except for one small commercial zone along NC 11.Several special and conditional uses (e.g., swine farms and miningoperations) are identified land uses which, because of their adverseeffect on adjacent properties, warrant additional review andconsideration.

Planning staff will present the recommended plan and zoningregulations to the governing boards for Bethel, Greenville, andGreenville Utilities Commission before consideration by the PittCounty Planning Board and Board of County Commissioners in 2001.

Northwest PlanningArea - Although the NC 11North Corridor PlanningArea was the first areatargeted for thedevelopment of a land useplan and zoningregulations, the NorthwestPlanning Area plan andordinance was the first togain favorable Committeeand Planning Board

recommendations.Ultimately, the Board ofCounty Commissioners

adopted the plan on January 8, 2001, and the Zoning Ordinance onJanuary 22, 2001, with an effective date of July 1, 2001.

In comparison to the NC 11 North Corridor Planning Area, theNorthwest Planning Area is over three times larger (38,726 acres),containing more existing development, and has more residents(5,532). The area lies between the NC 11 North Corridor PlanningArea and the Tar River, and extends from the planning jurisdiction ofGreenville to the Edgecombe County boundary. The project wasinitiated due to the proliferation of mobile homes and the strain onresources (e.g., schools) as the area continues to grow rapidly.

The Northwest Planning Area Committee, comprised of ninelandowners and two local government officials, was appointed by theBoard of County Commissioners in late 1999 and met seven timesbefore recommending its version of the land use plan and zoning

ordinance on September 20, 2000. The Pitt County Planning Boardreviewed the documents and held a public hearing on November 15,2000, before forwarding its favorable recommendations to the Boardof County Commissioners. The Board of County Commissioners helda public hearing on December 14th before plan approval andordinance adoption.

Similar to the NC 11 North Corridor Land Use Plan, theNorthwest Planning Area Land Use Plan provides a blueprint for thearea’s development over the next 20 years. Of particular importance,the plan sought to protect flood-prone areas from development sinceflooding associated with Hurricane Floyd heavily impacted this partof the County in 1999. The area is predominantly zoned as RuralAgricultural (76.1%) and Rural Residential (23.2%). Other zoningdesignations include General Industrial (0.6%) and GeneralCommercial (0.1%).

Flood Recovery Efforts

Hazard Mitigation Plan -Preparation of the Hazard MitigationPlan began in January 2000 when theWooten Company, a local consultingfirm, was hired to provide assistancewith plan development. Pitt County developed the Hazard MitigationPlan for two primary reasons. First, the devastating impact ofHurricane Floyd on Pitt County in September 1999 brought the issueof hazard mitigation planning to the forefront as a prudent course ofaction to reduce the impact of future disasters. Second, the County'sparticipation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency HazardMitigation Grant Program required preparation of a local hazardmitigation plan. In January the first report to the Planning Boardconcerning the plan was made. Work continued on the HazardMitigation Plan throughout the year with the final draft presented tothe Planning Board in September. After a public comment period, theBoard of County Commissioners unanimously adopted the HazardMitigation Plan on December 18, 2000. The primary activitiesrecommended in this plan include the update of the Flood DamagePrevention Ordinance, involvement with the Floodplain map update,participation in Community Rating System, and continuation of LandUse Planning efforts.

Planning staff applied for and received nearly $25,000 from aFlood Mitigation Assistance Grant from the North Carolina Divisionof Emergency Management to assist with plan development. FloodMitigation Assistance Grants are awarded on a competitive basis tocommunities undertaking hazard mitigation planning activities.Awarded in September, the grant represented a 75% share of the totalcost with the county contributing the remaining 25% with in-kindservices.

Housing Recovery Strategy -Several staff members wereinvolved with compilinginformation for the PittCommunity Task Force indeveloping and recommending aHousing Recovery Strategyfollowing the flooding associatedwith Hurricane Floyd. Planningstaff assisted with drafting andpresenting major sections of the strategy. The strategy was adoptedby the Board of County Commissioners on June 19th and outlinedsteps to assist county flood victims with housing needs.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (Buyout) - On July 31,2000, Pitt County was awarded $16.2 million to acquire and demolish180 flood damaged residential structures as part of the FederalEmergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program(HMGP). Participation in the program is voluntary. Propertiesincluded in the program are purchased in fee simple and placed inpublic ownership, thereby reducing or eliminating the future

potential for inappropriatefloodplain development. Propertyowners are paid pre-disaster fairmarket value for their properties.

On August 1st, the PlanningDepartment hosted aninformational meeting to explain

the buyout process to all the participants. In October, the Countyacquired the first property and by year's end had acquired 25properties.

In November, the County was also awarded $1.0 million for asecond HMGP project for the acquisition of 10 residences. Twoadditional projects were submitted to NC Division of EmergencyManagement in 2000 but were not approved by the end of the year.It is anticipated that all HMGP projects will be completed in 2002.

Crisis Housing AssistancePrograms - Planning staffmembers, along with the assistanceof The Wooten Company, submitteda State Housing Crisis AssistanceFund application for repair andreplacement housing needsthroughout unincorporated PittCounty. The funding was requestedto assist citizens who did not qualify

for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The application consistedof two parts - Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance and HomeownerReplacement Assistance. The Rehabilitation Assistance portion wasapproved for the repair of 82 homes for a total of $1,307,900 infunding. The Replacement Assistance part was approved for thepurchase of 72 new homes to replace flooded residences for a total$5,148,000 in funding.

As of December 31, 2000, 59 applicants had been approved forassistance. Of those, 11 have been finalized, while seven others werenearing completion.

Debris Removal - Uponreceiving funding through theEmergency Watershed Protectionprogram in April 2000, Planningstaff and the Natural ResourcesConservation Service providedadministrative assistance for theremoval of storm-related debrisfrom streams and waterways. Thisproject encompassed major

sections of Contentnea Creek, Little Contentnea Creek, Bells Branch,Hardee Creek and other areas as needed. By the end of 2000, fivecontracts had been completed or awarded to remove debris from over35 miles of drainageways.

Environmental Planning

Perpetual DrainageMaintenance - On December 18,2000, the Pitt County Board ofCommissioners approved theformation of a perpetual drainagemaintenance study committee toidentify methods for initiating aperpetual drainage maintenanceprogram. The committee will firstfocus on a beaver control program

and investigate alternatives for continuous drainage maintenance innew planned subdivisions. The group will also presentrecommendations for maintenance of drainage improvements withinolder subdivisions. The committee is expected to meet over a six tonine month period in 2001.

Update to Soil Erosion and Sedimentation ControlOrdinance - The SESC ordinance, last amended in 1996, wasupdated and amended at the December 18, 2000 Board ofCommissioners meeting. It became effective on January 1, 2001. Theamended ordinance reflects recent changes in the SedimentationControl and Pollution Act, such as limiting the time of exposure ofdisturbed areas, new requirements for civil penalty assessments,compliant activities for disturbances of less than one acre and a feeincrease to offset staff expenses.

Administrative/Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance for Municipalities - Planning staffcontinues to assist smaller municipalities within the county withadministration of development ordinances. In 2000, Pitt Countyentered into Interlocal Agreements with the Town of Grimesland to

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administer the County’s Subdivision Ordinance, Soil Erosion andSedimentation Control Ordinance, and Flood Damage PreventionOrdinance. The Town of Grimesland approached the Pitt CountyBoard of County Commissioners to request that Pitt Countyadminister and enforce several County Ordinances within the townlimits and newly-established extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). TheTown held several public hearings to discuss the agreements in whichPitt County Planning Staff explained the County’s Ordinances. Afterholding the required public hearings, the Town of Grimesland TownBoard and Pitt County Board of Commissioners voted to approve theinterlocal agreements for the administration of the SubdivisionOrdinance and Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance,effective September 5, 2000, and the Flood Damage PreventionOrdinance, effective October 2, 2000. Planning staff also assists withcode administration and enforcement in Simpson and Grifton.

E-911 Addressing Program - Staff continues to update andmaintain the E-911 addressing database for the County. This includesmaintaining the County’s street centerline coverage and assigningaddresses for all new building sites. As of the end of 2000, over29,000 structures had been assigned E-911 addresses by Planningstaff.

Staff continues to provide addressing services inside many ofthe municipal limits within Pitt County. This includes Falkland andGrimesland, which were converted to the County’s addressing systemin 1997, and Fountain and Winterville, which were converted to oursystem in 1999. Staff also provided addressing services to Simpsonand Ayden. During 2000, over 200 structures were assignedaddresses in the Village of Simpson and over 2,300 were assignedaddresses in the Town of Ayden. At the end of 2000, Planning staffpresented informational material on E-911addressing to the Grifton Town Board for itsconsideration in converting to theCounty’s addressing system.

Planning’s Road SignCoordinator maintainednearly 3,350 Countystreet signs, andassembled and installed 125new signs in 2000 as part

of the E-911 Addressing Program.

Coordinated Permitting - Since September 2000, Planning staffmembers have served on the Coordinated Permitting Committee.This group is comprised of representatives from various Countydepartments, including Management Information Systems, TaxCollector’s, Inspections, Environmental Health, Emergency Services,and Planning. The committee is to perform research and provide arecommendation on a coordinated permitting process that providesbetter and faster public service, and facilitates data sharing amongpermitting agencies. This system will be developed based on theneeds of the individual departments. The Planning Department hasparticipated in the numerous workflow studies and meetings toensure current Planning Department responsibilities such as E-911Addressing, Development Review, and Floodplain Verification, and inthe near future, Zoning Administration, are adequately integratedinto the permitting system.

CENSUS 2000 - Staff played an integral role in the 2000 Census.Prior to Census Day on April 1st, planning staff updated and correctedmaps provided by the Bureau of the Census. Corrections andadjustments were made to road names, place names, and geographicboundaries. The maps were subsequently used by Census fieldworkers to conduct the Census.

Staff also participated in the Census 2000 Complete CountCommittee. This committee included various county, municipal andprivate agencies with an interest in assuring every person in PittCounty was counted. The committee worked to publicize theimportance of a complete and accurate count, and targeted segmentsof the population, which are typically undercounted. Information wasprovided to the media, schools, churches and any other organizationwilling to help in distributing the information. Final census countswill be available in the spring of 2001.

Transportation/Recreation Planning

Transportation Planning - Overthe past year, planning staffmembers have been involved withvarious transportation planning

efforts. First, staff has continued to serve on the TechnicalCoordinating Committee for the Greenville Urban Area MetropolitanPlanning Organization. In 2000, the Technical CoordinatingCommittee continued development of the Thoroughfare Plan for theGreenville Urban Area, which encompasses Greenville, Wintervilleand portions of unincorporated Pitt County. Another major initiativewas the development of a Bike Plan for Greenville and thesurrounding area. Further, the Technical Coordinating Committeecontinued to support and monitor the Metropolitan PlanningOrganization’s transportation priorities. Specifically, membersreviewed the draft 2002-2008 Transportation ImprovementProgram, published in July 2000, and advised the TransportationAdvisory Committee to lobby Department of Transportation officialsfor the top priorities, especially the Southwest Bypass. This effortculminated on December 14th when representatives from Greenville,Winterville and Pitt County reiterated the need for the SouthwestBypass at the North Carolina Department of Transportation publichearing on the proposed Transportation Improvement Program.

Coastal Carolina Trail (Rail-Trails) - The Planning Departmentcontinued its participation in the Coastal Carolina Trail Committeeduring 2000. With the development of a Master Plan and FeasibilityStudy in 1999, the Committee began the year 2000 by pinpointing thefirst section of the proposed trail for development. The initial portionof the trail starts at the community of Stokes and extends southwardfor 2.5 miles along the abandoned rail corridor to Carl Morris Road.After the selection of the first section, the Committee spent much ofthe year finalizing the easement agreement and developing a plan toapproach property owners about the easements. During the year thePlanning Department provided its services to the Committee byassisting in deed research, easement agreement development andlandowner contact.

Housing Programs

Community Development BlockGrant (CDBG) – In October, 1998,Pitt County submitted its scatteredsite Community Development BlockGrant application for therehabilitation or replacement of ten

homes owned by low-moderate income households and located in theCounty’s planning jurisdiction. The County’s application was notapproved during the first round, however, the County was notified bythe State of its $379,000 grant award in November, 1999. The awardwas made available in February 2000.

The CDBG project includes the acquisition and demolition ofone home and the rehabilitation of nine homes. The WootenCompany was contracted by the County to assist in administration ofthis project. Completion of the project is expected by the end of 2001.

HOME Consortium – The Home Investment Partnerships(HOME) Program was created by the National Affordable HousingAct of 1990 to assist counties and towns in the rehabilitation andcreation of affordable housing for low-income residents. The PittCounty Consortium was formed in late 1997 in order to become aneligible recipient of HOME funds. Participants of the Consortiuminclude Pitt County, City of Greenville, Town of Ayden, Town ofFarmville and Town of Grifton.

The funding for the Consortium for 2000 was $738,000.Fifteen percent of the funding was allocated for Community HousingDevelopment Organizations, such as Metropolitan Housing and CDC,Inc., Farmville Housing Development Corporation, and the South LeeStreet Neighborhood Improvement, Inc. The City of Greenvilleserved as the lead agency and received approximately half of lastyear’s funding. The remaining funds were evenly distributed amongthe other member jurisdictions. The total funding received by PittCounty was $55,600. The funds are to be used to supplement theCounty’s ongoing Community Development Block Grant in therehabilitation of two additional homes.

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW ADMINISTRATION

Approved Preliminary Subdivision Plats 64 plats, 559 lots

Approved Construction Plans for Subdivisions 15 plans, 310 lots

Approved Final Subdivision Plats 54 plats, 385 lots

Approved Preliminary Manufactured Home Park Plans 3 plans, 100spaces

Approved As-Built Manufactured Home Park Plans 6 plans, 85 spaces

Approved Multi-family Development Plans 1 plan, 4 units

SOIL EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION CONTROLADMINISTRATION

Plans Reviewed 23

Site Inspections Conducted 522

Total Acreage Disturbed 398

Total Penalties Assessed $840

FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION ADMINISTRATION

Total number of permits reviewed 1583

Total within 100 year floodplain 234

STAFF ACTIVITIES AND DEVELOPMENT

Throughout 2000, Planning staff members made presentations onvarious planning-related activities, received training to better adviseand serve the public, and represented the County on numerouscommittees. Listed below are examples of these activities.

PresentationsLyons Club- Hazard Mitigation Grant ProgramGolden Kiwanis Club- Flood Recovery and Land Use PlanningTown of Grimesland- Pitt County Subdivision Ordinance, Soil

Erosion & Sedimentation Control Ordinance, and FloodDamage Administration

Hurricane Flood Legislative Committee- Flood Recovery EffortsTown of Grifton- E-911 AddressingTown of Ayden- E-911 Addressing

Training/Conference AttendanceAnnual Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control ConferenceBicycle/Sidewalk Assessment WorkshopGovernor’s Hurricane ConferenceEnvironmental ConferenceNCDOT Transportation Enhancement Program WorkshopFloodplain Manager’s ConferenceNC American Planning Association(APA) ConferenceBuilding Back Better: Successful Strategies for Community

Redevelopment WorkshopFloodproofing and Retrofitting WorkshopNC Urban and Regional Information Systems Association ConferenceDiversity Training2001-2005 Consolidated Plan Public Participation WorkshopFlood Recovery ForumNC APA Summer Planning InstituteHazard Mitigation Planning WorkshopOpen Space Design WorkshopGrant Writing WorkshopWater Supply Watershed Workshop

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) WorkshopContracting SeminarLand Use Regulation and Planning WorkshopRedistricting SeminarFloodplain ConferenceSoil Erosion and Sedimentation Control WorkshopTar-Neuse Geographic Information Systems (GIS) WorkshopInstitute of Government New Planner Course

Committee Representation/Staff SupportTransportation Advisory Committee (TAC)Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC)Greenville Urban Area Bicycle Task Force CommitteeCensus 2000 Complete Count CommitteeUnmet Needs CommitteeGIS Steering CommitteeCoordinated Permitting Committee