Summerfield considers text amendment, mayor says

by CHRIS BURRITT SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield Mayor

Tim Sessoms said town staff and the Planning Board will start exploring a text amendment that addresses landowner David Couch’s concerns about development rules.

“Mr. Couch said there are many things in our UDO (unified development ordinance) that create problems for developers,” Sessoms said in an interview earlier this week.

“We are asking our staff and Planning Board to begin looking into what we would put forward as a text amendment,” the mayor said. “It would give consideration to not only Mr. Couch but also the needs of the citizens of Summerfield.”

Twice since 2022, the Town Council has voted down Couch’s text amendment applications that would create a new zoning district to accommodate higher-density housing, including apartments.

The Town’s UDO requires a 1-year waiting period to resubmit a substantially similar request. Earlier this year, instead of waiting for a year to submit a new text amendment request, Couch sought the support of state Senate President Pro Tem Phil (R-District 26) to de-annex his Summerfield property.

At Berger’s urging, the two sides met to try to resolve their differences, but talks stalled after an initial meeting in March and a subsequent exchange of letters, according to Sessoms. Couch has offered no comments on the issue when contacted by the Northwest Observer over the last few months.

Uncertainty over de-annexation legislation lingers as the General Assembly’s session extends past the summer.

Berger is “hopeful to conclude the bulk of our legislative work by the end of September,” Lauren Horsch, a spokeswoman for Berger, said in an email earlier this week.

Horsch said she had no update on possible Summerfield de-annexation legislation as lawmakers work on the state budget and a bill that would expand gambling in North Carolina.

We’re (almost) back!

www.nwobserver.com

by PATTI STOKES

NW GUILFORD – Having the Northwest Observer’s website abruptly go offline several weeks ago has created inconveniences for our readers as well as our staff, and I’m excited to announce that we’re finally coming back online Wednesday, Aug. 23.

Ongoing concerns with our former website software provider came to a head last month, prompting me to begin researching companies that specialize in community newspaper websites. I had hoped to have more time before I made a switch in order to allow for a smooth transition with minimal downtime, but it didn’t work out that way.

Fortunately, my research had already led me to a company that is a great fit for us, and after communicating with their staff and contacting some of their customers (who gave them glowing reviews), I selected them as our new website developer and they immediately got to work building our new site.

In recent weeks we’ve been behind the scenes selecting the online features we want, tweaking page designs, and going through staff training on our new site. We know being offline has been a hassle for those of you accustomed to placing your classifieds, grins and gripes, calendar events, etc., online, and we appreciate you finding ways to get us your content the old-fashioned way (i.e., via email or over the phone).

Although our new site may not be perfect from Day 1, we believe we have one to be proud of and we’re anxious to come back online as we work through any imperfections. We invite you to visit the site when we go live on Aug. 23, test out all the old features and check out the new ones available to you – and then please, give us your feedback.

Thanks for your patience, and see you back online next week at www.nwobserver.com!