Home Care In Bermuda Run, NC

By Jim Buice

Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – Mayor Rick Cross calls it a gateway to Bermuda Run and Davie County.

Certainly, the entrance to the town from the east crossing the Yadkin River on U.S. 158 is impressive with the roundabout, featuring a 15-foot-obelisk in the center surrounded by brick pavers, which is adjacent to the iconic WinMock Barn.

And now there’s the addition of the newly completed Blue Heron Trail that was dedicated earlier this year … followed by the latest plan to construct a flag plaza with an illuminated three-flag overlook.

Cross said that the town, 24 years old, continues to build on traditions – such as Christmas in the Town of Bermuda Run, Food Truck Fridays and an annual concert series – and a deeper sense of community, including connectedness with residents and visitors having the ability to walk, run or bike throughout a town that has emphasized working on the Blue Heron Trail and other pedestrian pathways.

“Those things that remind us who we are, what we stand for, and what is important to us,” Cross said. “In speaking with residents and contemplating this over time, I believed that our town should have a flag plaza – a place to permanently display a U.S. Flag, N.C. Flag and Bermuda Run Flag.”

So with Veterans Day coming up last Saturday, it seemed to be an appropriate time to more formally launch The Flags at Blue Heron Trail project.

“I asked our Bermuda Run Community Vision Fund Committee, co-chaired by town residents Christy Schafer and Sharon Reid, to provide some thoughts on where and how we could assemble such a place – some place that will be meaningful for all who pass it by,” Cross said. “As expected, this group got right to work in determining a location. They worked on design and development options and settled on the name.”

Schafer recalls meeting with Cross and Lee Rollins, the former town manager, about a year and a half ago when the idea was presented to erect a flag plaza down at the end of the trail toward the end of the WinMock parking lot.

“The actual plaza would go there with flags behind it and some tumbled boulders, and we immediately said ‘yes,’ “ Schafer said. “Then we got the landscape architect, and that took some time. We told them can come up with the vision and we can come up with the fund-raising piece, but building it is not in our scope. Everything is where it needs to be right now.

“We have already launched a fund-raising campaign and are doing remarkably well. There is tremendous enthusiasm in the community for this project.”

Schafer said that community involvement is needed for three-phase funding that will include a third of the money coming from grants, a third from community-honored pavers and a third through corporate partners.

Schafer added that Wayne Thomas, the founder and owner of WinMock, “is allowing us to use some of the property in his backyard and has also agreed to maintain the site.”

The flag plaza rounds out a town and county theme with the roundabout that includes the obelisk – where near the top is a cupola with a blue heron, which is the town logo, and features a copper roof and a weather vane at the summit.

The heron relates to Bermuda Run and Davie County’s tie to the Yadkin River and wildlife.

The cupola represents Bermuda Run and Davie County’s agricultural and village heritage.

“It’s going to be real pretty,” Schafer said. “I think it’s an absolutely marvelous testament to the town and to what they want us to look like for our visitors and residents coming in. The town’s mission to build a legacy of community, and this is definitely a worthy project to show that.”

Cross added: “Ours is a special community, and as we proceed with this meaningful project, I expect that our residents will embrace it fully. The mosaic of brick pavers, available for purchase and engraving, will serve to honor loved ones, cherished friends and our community.”

The Bermuda Run Community Vision Fund Committee, managed by the Davie Community Foundation, aims to oversee, plan and implement charitable giving, fundraising, and the design and implementation of projects and events. For more information on how to purchase a paver, visit www.daviecountyfoundation.org or [email protected].

By Jim Buice

Enteprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – With items on the town council agenda including a text amendment on multifamily residential and maximum building heights along with annexation requests, town hall didn’t have enough seats to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Following the first of three public hearings, the text amendment to amend allowable building heights from 60 feet to 45 feet (and three stories), remove multifamily as permitted use within the General Business Zoning District, require townhomes to be permitted with conditions, and amend Residential Multifamily maximum number of residential units table by deleting Open Space and General Business districts was approved by a council vote of 2-1.

It was Mike Brannon’s first official meeting as mayor, and there were only three seated council members (incumbents Mike Ernst and Melinda Szeliga and newcomer Rae Nelson) present, but that met the requirements of having a quorum.

The other newcomer, Jeff Tedder, was missing, and the vacated council spot created when Brannon was being elected mayor wasn’t filled until later in the meeting when Christy Schafer was appointed to fill out the five-member board.

Regarding the text amendment, Town Manager Andrew Meadwell said that soon after the adoption of the Bermuda Run Comprehensive Plan in 2023, the staff started working with Benchmark Planning to study the state of land uses and future land uses to align with the sentiment of the Comp Plan and public input.

First was a public hearing, which led off with several speakers in the real estate/building/investment area who were opposed to the proposal.

Sally McGuire of the Hillsdale Group said it would hinder the potential for full build-out and make a difference in the final numbers for tax revenues.

Carl Carney, president of Davie Construction, spoke of the need for another hotel and considering retaining the 60-foot height limit.

“We’ve got one hotel, but there’s a need for more,” he said. “I never considered the fact that you could go back on the zoning rule and what could be done in the town. I feel like I’ve had something taken away.”

On the other side, six residents marched up to the podium, saying they were in favor of the text amendment with comments including “45 feet being high enough,” not wanting to lose the “small-town feel” and already seeing “the pendulum swinging from residential to big business development.”

Szeliga made the motion in favor of the text amendment, and it was seconded by Nelson. Ernst was opposed, creating the final 2-1 vote of approval.

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Next on the agenda was the three Davie County properties referred to as the “Potts Property,” which also included a public hearing.

Three residents spoke, with all seeking more clarity on the development and one asking, “Why would we annex something before it’s built?”

The items for consideration are tracts between US 158 and NC 801 with the proposed development calling for a 213-lot residential townhouse project in a Village Mixed Zoning District with a current tax value of $933,160.

Meadwell said that the proposal would provide a connector boulevard between the two highways that intersect in the town and is “probably the most important traffic-reducing project that we could ever have.”

Ernst made the motion for approval, which passed 3-0.

“This gives us an opportunity to reduce the traffic and improve the flow greatly,” he said. “Plus, there’s revenue on top of it. To me, it’s almost a no-brainer.”

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The other item called for a resolution for the town clerk to investigate a petition for contiguous and noncontiguous annexation of Davie tax parcels referenced as the “Hall Walker and Wake Forest Baptist Medical” properties, which was approved unanimously.

Originally, a public hearing for annexation consideration was scheduled for the Feb. 13 meeting, but Meadwell asked in last Tuesday night’s meeting that the item be removed from the agenda, so it was postponed after a council vote.

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The council finished out the business portion by appointing Schafer, who previously led the Planning Board, to fill the final spot on the board. Ernst made the motion to appoint her, saying, “Christy Schafer has been extremely active in this community for a long period of time. She knows the town and has very strong qualifications.”

Brannon closed the meeting by noting there has been confusion across the community about an upcoming event regarding the proposed Hall Walker development by the council “to vote on a 500-unit apartment complex.” Brandon said he wanted to set the record straight that the land is already zoned to allow approximately 520 housing units.

By Jim Buice Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – Before a packed town hall, council members held four public hearings in its February meeting, including a zoning map amendment to rezone six tracts of 6.54 acres of land near the busy NC 801/US 158 intersection for a potential multi-family development. Concerns were expressed about increased traffic in a congested area along with water runoff if the zoning change was approved and the combined parcels became home for a 98-unit high-end apartment complex. After listening and weighing all the information, the council voted 4-1 in approval of developer Michael Kelly’s rezoning request in last week’s meeting. That followed an earlier public hearing on a petition for voluntary annexation from the property owners of 139 S. NC 801 and 155 S. NC 801 (the two parcels contain single-family homes), which was unanimously approved by the council and also included a recommendation to extend the corporate limits. A third public hearing related to the property was a 10/70 Request from Kelly that would allow up to 10 percent of the watershed area to be developed and built upon up to 70 percent built-upon surface, and it was also approved in a 5-0 vote. Scott Miller, engineer for the project, said that “right now we are at 56 percent.” The zoning amendment to rezone the land east of NC 801 and west of Ivy Circle south of Walgreens – from Commercial Mixed (CM), Club Residential (CR) and Gateway Corridor Overlay (GC-O) to Village Mixed (VM) – drew most of the attention from the crowd. The Planning Board had voted 3-1 to deny the rezoning request in its meeting on Jan. 19, citing increased traffic and water runoff, adding that it wasn’t ready to move forward without resolving those issues. In one of the comments in the public hearing, Georgia Maner read a letter from Gary LeBlanc stating he and others thought that action by the planning board was actually the “final word” before learning later it wasn’t. He proceeded to spend time learning more about the project. In the letter, LeBlanc shared some of the things he discovered, including the DOT signing off on the 98-unit project using existing projections that the development will not create more of a traffic problem and that an underground system designed to collect and defuse will not add to excess water runoff in the town. LeBlanc said he found out needed improvements to the intersection were not possible until the I-40 project was completed and that commercial business on the property in question would create $3-5 million in tax value to the town while 98 apartments would add about $15 million. “To keep this area and the residential benefit, the town, without creating additional water problems plus knowing that traffic relief is coming, I am in favor of adding the apartments,” he wrote in a summary statement detailing a change of sentiment. Others shared some of the same concerns and comments with Bobbie Thacker, saying: “We need to concentrate and take care of the problems and issues we have now before we create more. This is the busiest intersection in Davie County. Can we not find another area where it is not quite so busy?” Doug Arfmann, another one of the eight to speak during the public hearing, said he agreed with the decision reached by the Planning Board and urged the council to vote against the zoning change, saying he would rather see other uses such as medical or doctor’s offices. Keith Joyce said he thought it was “an excellent plan. My sole concern is the traffic.” Kelly, who has lived in Bermuda Run for 15 years and has a long background in commercial development, including the Lowes Foods shopping centers in Clemmons and Bermuda Run, said he had big concerns when he saw this property going up for sale and being zoned Commercial Mixed. “Being a retail developer, I thought this was good news, but when I took a step back and thought, ‘Do I really want this to become Lewisville-Clemmons Road, or do I really want it to become Stratford Road?’ “Everybody is in the retail business,” he said. “I wouldn’t even have to be here if I wanted to do what it is zoned for today, and that is Commercial Mixed. I could go in there and do a car wash or a Dollar General or put up anything else, but I don’t want to see that there for everybody’s sake and doing something that we already have 5-10 minutes away.” So, instead of following his usual career path as a developer, Kelly said that he opted to pursue the zoning change to allow the number of units necessary to support a high-end, multi-family residential development named Ariston Place, which would also benefit the town with significantly more revenue than a commercial project. Although most uses for Commercial Mixed are allowed in Village Mixed, there are a few exceptions, including a car wash, fuel dealer, nursery/lawn garden supply store and a restaurant with a drive-through service. “At the end of the day I’m here to protect Bermuda Run, not interfere with Bermuda Run,” Kelly said. Following the 4-1 vote in favor of the zoning change, council member Mike Brannon explained why he cast the lone “no” vote. “I’m neither anti-growth nor anti-business,” Brannon said. “I do look at things from a risk/reward perspective, and I believe the community feedback tilted this more in the risk than the reward.” Council member Mike Ernst said that “decisions make on growth and things of this nature are tough, but do you control your own destiny or have it controlled for you? I know the traffic is huge issue, but a lot of traffic that comes through 801 is not Bermuda Run traffic. We’re not the destination. It starts somewhere else, and that’s not going to change. It’s just going to intensify. “What we’re doing with the mayor, the town manager and the council is trying to push from the DOT perspective to move us along and get things done. Having places for people to live that work here is important. We want to grow in a very responsible and thoughtful way. Everyone is not going to be happy. We do not do anything in haste.” In the final item on the agenda, the council unanimously adopted Resolution 2022-01 supporting the request for the allocation of contingency funds necessary for NCDOT to complete an improvement of two northbound through lanes of NC 801 to I-40 and the addition of a right-turn lane from NC 801 onto US 158 east in front of Walgreens. “That last item speaks to some of the traffic challenges that we have at 801 and 158,” said Mayor Rick Cross. In other items on the agenda, the council: • approved a zoning text amendment regarding food trucks, after the other public hearing of the evening, to allow temporary uses in all zoning districts and specifying conditions for their operation; • approved an amendment to the landscape maintenance contract with Blakley Landscape Services for a one-year extension of the current agreement for an annual price of $90,000 following a three-year agreement with an annual price of $74,136. Rollins stated the increase was proposed due to current market pricing instability and awaiting the proposed landscape plans with NCDOT for the I-40/NC 801 quadrants.

By Jim Buice

Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – Something really big is coming soon.

In fact, when Habitat for Humanity-Davie opens a new ReStore in the town this spring, it’s going to be one of the largest in the United States.

During last Tuesday night’s Habitat for Humanity of Davie County presentation before the Bermuda Run Town Council, Dwayne Thompson, ReStore and Homeowner Services director, said that the new store going into the Bermuda Quay shopping center on US 158 will have 26,760 square feet of space.

“It’s going to be way different than any ReStore you’ve ever seen,” Thompson said. “Just to give you an idea, most ReStore’s in the U.S. average about 16,000 square feet. There’s only about 10 ReStores in the U.S. that are over 25,000 square feet. So we’re going to become a flagship store of the United States here in Davie County.”

The new ReStore will take up the large space on the west side of the shopping center that was formally occupied by Food Lion.

Mayor Rick Cross said he and Town Manager Andrew Meadwell met with Thompson at the store recently to take a look at the space.

“We are so excited about Habitat ReStore coming here,” Cross said. “It will bring an additional level of vitality to that shopping center.”

Council member Mike Ernst added, “I think it’s great addition to the community. I’ve lived here 23 years, and seeing something finally in that space after the Food Lion moved out is a big plus. I think that completes the center being full.”

Thompson said that ReStore is a fundraising arm for Habitat and a place where the community can donate and purchase good usable items at a discounted price. All the money that is raised in the local ReStore will stay in Davie County.

Thompson, who previously served in a similar role in Forsyth County, said that the four stores in the neighboring county have generated almost $4 million a year – with 30 percent of that coming from Davie.

“Do the math real quick,” he said. “That’s about $1.2 million we were losing in Davie County.”

According to Thompson, the opening date for the new facility is planned for April 1.

Tamara Taylor, executive director, said that Habitat-Davie is celebrating its 28th year in Davie and has gone through a restructuring and reorganization after COVID, adding two new staff members in Thompson, and Jessie Elmore, who is the director of operations.

Taylor said she is excited about the new ReStore coming to Bermuda Run.

“It was very strategic for us to focus on this end of the county,” she said. “Yes, we do have a property that we were going to build a campus on in Mocksville that we purchased, but we just felt we needed to be here and get those donations back across the river – keep our Davie County stuff in Davie County.”

Taylor added she hoped a ministry office could be added in the new ReStore with the significant amount of square footage available.

“We are still working on the upfit cost for that and trying to get that figured out budget-wise,” she said. “What we do does give a positive economic impact back to the community.”

The global nonprofit housing organization works in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries with a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

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In a proposed action item, the council approved a community project funding application and resolution for the submittal of a formal application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a grant of $3.65 million for the Town of Bermuda Run Recreational Infrastructure and Safety Improvements.

Meadwell said that the town did not request this funding, but in 2021 representatives from RISE and Truist Sports Park asked Sen. Richard Burr’s office to consider and support improvements to help address life safety issues with only one single access point and 50 percent of the property residing in the Yadkin River Basin flood plain.

“As many of us know, access to the park during certain rain events has created issues as far as safety,” Meadwell said.

He noted that the town would be acting as a “pass through” for this agreement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to manage the project. Improvements for RISE and Truist Park would include the widening of Twins Way – with the addition of a turning lane – along with road painting and traffic markings.

Other key elements, which would also benefit the town, would include enhancements to the existing playground, the opening of the Bert Bahnson Pedestrian Bridge with the trailhead on the other side with traffic signage and parking, and a paved trail to the RISE facility.

In other highlights from this month’s meeting, the council:

• Approved a recommendation from the town manager to amend the General Fund budget to accept $3,000 from the Davie County Community Foundation as revenue and expend that amount for expenses related to the 2022 Christmas in the Town of Bermuda Run event. Crowd estimates were that more than 3,000 attended the community celebration on Dec. 5.

• Approved text amendment 2002-01 Self-Storage Warehousing in the Village Mixed Zoning District following a public hearing where no one spoke.

• Approved the adoption of policies for the expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, including conflict of interest policy, eligible use policy, allowable cost policy, records retention policy and non-discrimination policy.

• Heard from Meadwell that the NCDOT has chosen the route for the proposed new I-40 interchange at Baltimore Road and that the timeline of construction starting is March 2025.

By Jim Buice

Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – For the second time in three months, the town council approved a zoning map amendment to Village Mixed (VM) with the potential to add more residential housing in the town’s limits.

The council voted unanimously in favor of a request from Fuller Land Company to rezone four tracts of land along Hillsdale West Drive totaling 22.57 acres from General Business (GB), Gateway Corridor Overlay (GC-O) to Village Mixed (VM) to develop a portion of the property for residential townhouses.

This follows action in February to rezone six tracts of 6.54 acres of land east of NC 801 and west of Ivy Circle south of Walgreens near the busy US 158/NC 801 intersection for a potential 98-unit, multi-family development.

Chad Bomar, the attorney representing Fuller, said during the public hearing that the change in zoning for the property in Hillsdale West Business Park would be minimal.

“This is General Business, and we’re asking for Village Mixed,” Bomar said. “If you put those current uses next to one another, they are virtually identical. We are asking for a little bit of a decrease in zoning. Why you ask? Our intent is to put in townhomes there. Right now, General Business does not allow that.”

Town officials are on the record as saying although the applicant has indicated a use, this is a general use rezoning, and all uses in the Village Mixed zoning district should be considered. High density residential development is encouraged to support the commercial uses within Village Mixed.

Bomar said the change is reasonable and in the public interest by facilitating the redevelopment of vacant land and supporting residential growth – adding apartments could have been done without a zoning change.

“It makes good sense for the town and the community, and the development will generate more tax dollars,” he said. “That helps everyone involved.”

Bomar was one of two speakers during the public hearing, which preceded the positive vote by the council. Kim Strohacker, who has been a Realtor in Davie County for 17 years, said he was asked to give an opinion.

“Most of the folks I’ve worked with that have moved to Bermuda Run or Advance are moving here for quality of life and not for business,” Strohacker said. “I do know that we have a severe need for owner-occupied housing.”

Council member Mike Ernst concurred, saying: “What we did tonight with the approval for the townhomes was a good move. We need more rooftops.”

Town Manager Lee Rollins said this week’s planning board meeting will have two items for consideration – a rezoning request for 22 acres behind Lowes Foods and another conditional rezoning request off of US 158 for another development because this area is in the Village Mixed Hillsdale at Bermuda Run area.

“That will come to you for the April 26 agenda meeting, then at that point you can decide to hold the earliest public hearing at the May 10 council meeting,” Rollins told the council.

That meeting will be held at the WinMock Barn Loft instead of Town Hall because of early voting for the upcoming election.

Regarding the rezoning request for the property – and possible apartments – behind Lowes Foods, Tina Smith Goins, who lives in Kinderton Village, spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting and asked to see if the council “would put out a public statement to get ahead of some of the mistruths that are being spread that I feel like are really divisive and causing quite a rift in our community.

“In the last three weeks, I have received 13 messages, had three letters put in my door, had people knock on my door, had people stop me on the street and call me as well – all to address the exact same things.”

That included, she said, people being under the impression that the town owns those 22 acres and that the town is getting a $16 million grant to build low-income apartments there. She said others have said there is a financial relationship between the builder and people within the town.

“I truly believe that all of these are pure rumor started by one or two people, but I would love to see a public statement to address those and get ahead of it,” Smith Goins said.

In another item in the manager’s report, Rollins reported that the NCDOT board approved $500,000 in contingency funds earlier this month for a stepped improvement at the US 158/N. 801 intersection at the Walgreens corner.

“Pat Ivey, our district engineer, says there is a lot involved in the project and construction is not imminent,” Rollins said. “He has invited me to be part of a kickoff meeting scheduled for May 6 to discuss the project and see how the town might assist.”

In other highlights from last Tuesday night’s meeting, the council:

• Also heard from Rollins saying that NCDOT had a scoping meeting regarding the Baltimore Road/I-40 interchange project and that the plan is to move forward with that and due diligence.

• Approved the adoption of a resolution to apply for a state wastewater asset inventory grant in the amount of $400,000 with no required match from the town. The only cost is an application fee of $6,000, which will be expended from the Utility Fund.

• Heard from Mayor Rick Cross that the deadline for residents to take the survey for the 2022 Comprehensive Plan survey has been extended to May 1. It was later reported during council comments, which included a lengthy conversation on the topic – with Mike Brannon saying the “planning and execution of the critical survey has been disappointing” – that more than 400 surveys had been submitted as of last week.

• Approved a time change for the fourth Tuesday agenda meeting to begin at 8:30 a.m. starting with the May meeting.

• Heard from Glenda Smith, a retired educator from Farmington, in the public comments portion of the meeting regarding mental health issues.