<< Back 5/22/02 The long road to approval ends for Clyde Savings Bank By Scott McLeod Three years after Clyde Savings Bank officials first considered putting a branch along Russ Avenue in front of the Waynesville Belks, the plan gained final approval last week. The 4-1 vote may have also been the first real test of another long-term and ambitious project, this one by the town of Waynesville — the municipality’s much talked about land development plan. Whether the town passed or failed the test depends on your perspective. “Many on the land-use planning committee are upset about this, and I’m not going to let them down,” said Mayor Henry Foy as he recorded the lone vote against the proposal. “I feel, as Mr. (Charles K.) Brown pointed out, that it is a solution, not the best, not perfect, but it’s a solution. Maybe the vision we have will come to fruition,” said Aldermen Gavin Brown as he voted to approve the plan for the bank. The three-year process that led to last week’s approval was complicated by several factors, but it was the current town board’s concerns about traffic flow and creating a walkable community that led several aldermen to cite flaws in the plan and prompted Foy to vote against it. The town’s land-use plan, which will create approximately 30 mini planning districts and is still being developed, envisions Russ Avenue becoming more like a downtown district with buildings as close to the street as possible and parking in the rear, creating a building wall along the street. A sidewalk would run along both sides of the road, creating easier walking, biking and pedestrian access. The Clyde Savings Bank plan does not completely adhere to that vision. There will be some parking between the building and the street. More problematic to town planners, however, was the creation of an access road into the property off Russ Avenue. Town zoning officials said a few weeks ago that creating an access from Russ Avenue would create a dangerous traffic situation and deter from plans for making the street more pedestrian-friendly. The access off Russ Avenue also violates state Department of Transportation recommendations for distance between curb cuts. Clyde Savings Bank officials, though, wound up compromising on several parts of their plan. The approved traffic plan will have an entrance to the bank from Russ Avenue but not an exit. There will also be a deceleration lane. “We are aware of the direction town staff wants to go with walkable communities,” said Charles Brown, who is handling the real estate transaction for Clyde Savings Bank. “We have pushed the building as far to the front as possible.” He listed a number of other concessions to which the company agreed: ° Any potential user of the land parcel on the other side of the access road off Russ Avenue would have to be individually OK’s by the town board. ° Inclusion of the deceleration lane recommended by DOT. ° Inclusion of a 100-foot median into the property from the Russ Avenue curb cut. ° Including an entrance-only road off Russ Avenue (similar to Eckerds). ° Providing a 4-foot right of way for future widening by DOT. ° A future sidewalk can be built when the sidewalk from town is extended to the parcel. ° Two planned crosswalks, one across Barber Boulevard and another across Russ Avenue. The negotiations with Clyde Savings officials mirror similar discussions the town has had with other commercial builders along Russ Avenue. Burger King ignored town design requests when they built a new store nearly a year ago, and Long John Silver acquiesced to some of the town requests. The fact that Clyde officials listened and made many of the requested changes made a difference to some of the aldermen. Those who see this as an affirmation of some of the the land-use plan’s philosophies pointed that out. “I appreciate that efforts were made. This has not been a sell-out job, but I think it’s a good solution to a ticklish problem,” said alderman Brown (who is not related to real estate agent Charles K. Brown). “Clyde brought in experts who understood what we were wanting. It’s a compromise, no question, but I’m pleased with it.” Alderwoman Libba Feichter said the entire process has been a learning experience for town officials. ‘We’ve struggled with this. It may not be the best, but I’m optimistic that it is a solution,” said Feichter. “We’ve all been educated in what really needs to be done for this community.”