At a special called meeting Tuesday, the Demorest City Council placed a limited moratorium on new development for 90 days. The moratorium will be along the streets marked in pink in the photo below. The action comes as the Council finds Demorest in a position long desired by the City — traffic, parking and lots of pedestrians. With the success of the newly opened Sweet Breads comes growing pains, which promoted Mayor Rick Austin to remark that it “is a nice problem to have.”
In addition to the congestion issues, the City also has to address an issue with the Downtown Development Authority guidelines. While the DDA has been injected with “fresh breath” according to the Mayor, the charge given the DDA must be addressed. Currently, the DDA has authority over the whole of Demorest which violates state law. The DDA’s charge will be addressed during the moratorium and the focus narrowed.
Historic structures and guidelines are also on the agenda. The Council wants to preserve the City’s historic structures and the look and feel of a historic small town. How to accomplish the goals will be under discussion during the moratorium.
Finally, Councilman Jerry Harkness brought up the Demorest-Mt. Airy corridor. “My view is of a more commercial feel to the area.” Councilman Donnie Bennett echoed the sentiment saying, “All of the studies that have been done point to Demorest-Mt. Airy as being our financial corridor.”
Mayor Austin, after declaring himself a staunch proponent of property owner’s rights, stated that he wants to move beyond the land use currently in place to zoning. “The difference” Austin said, “is that land use guides us where we are today, zoning defines the future.”
