The Town of Manteo Planning and Zoning Board met for a regular session meeting February 13 and opened with master municipal town clerk Becky Breiholz administering oaths of office for newly appointed members Grizelle Fearing, Bill Parker, Lee Tugwell and chair person Hal Goodman.

After a short discussion the group agreed to consider nominations for a vice chair position to be selected at the March meeting.

With no public comments the board skipped down to the only new business item on the agenda: proposed Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades to CVS Pharmacy at 1115 South Highway 64.

“I looked at the plans and all they’re doing that concerns us is to eliminate a parking near the door and move the handicap spaces over closer to the entrance,” said Goodman. “The traffic pattern and everything stays the same except for removing some pavement and then putting it back to move the handicap spaces over.”

According to Goodman there are enough overall parking spaces and handicap spaces in place to meet current code so the elimination of one space does not create any issues.

“They have almost double the required parking,” advised town planner Melissa Dickerson.

When the floor was opened for discussion, Fearing spoke first asking if the board could require repair of two trees near the stormwater pond blown over during previous storms, an existing site plan violation, be a condition to the requested ADA upgrades.

In response, Goodman advised that he had already discussed that issue with Dickerson and it appears that it can be done.

“I think there is a provision in the ordinance that a site plan cannot be approved until violations have been corrected,” offered Bill Parker.

“Both trees are still alive,” commented Goodman. “They just need to pull them back up and we can definitely add that to the approval.”

“During my research I found their landscaping plan diagram,” advised Dickerson. “So we have that to refer back to.”

At the end of discussion Fearing made a motion to approve the construction plans submitted by CVS for proposed ADA upgrades to the store. Changes include:

– Removing bathrooms hallway access door

– Changing doors to the restroom

– Ceiling tile and carpet replacement

– Moving some electrical outlets

– New accessible front checkout

– Relocating pharmacy checkout and adding privacy screens

– Widening three handicap spaces (the result is parking reduced by one space)

– Removing and replacing about 1/3 of the parking lot asphalt near the store entrance.

The motion to approve with a condition that landscape violations be repaired passed without opposition.

Other discussion by the board involved the potential impact on homeowners and home construction by the new FEMA Flood Maps, sewer allocation figures, a review of locations in town with site plan and sign code violations and a discussion on proposed Dare County Arts Council renovations at the courthouse downtown.