The Spring Lake Board of Aldermen approved development plans for a new professional building on Main Street and a proposed location for Starbucks at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night.
New site plans approved
What happened: Alyssa Garcia, a planner with the Cumberland County Planning Department, presented a development plan for a new tax office within the Main Street Overlay District at 104 Rainbow Court.
Why it matters: The Main Street Overlay District was adopted in 2014 to help attract businesses to the Main Street area; the town of Spring Lake also recently adopted a land use plan that specifies mixed-use development in that area.
What’s next: The board approved the new development, called Green Tax Services Plaza II. The site plan for the development includes conditional approval for demolition and installation of non-residential offices and retail.
Starbucks is also one step closer to opening a location in Spring Lake with a newly adopted development plan.
What happened: The board approved a new preliminary plat in Skyland Shopping Center for a proposed Starbucks location.
Why it matters: This would be the fifth coffee shop within three blocks to caffeinate those driving through the area each morning. Other coffee shops include the Faith2Soar Coffee and Tea Shop, 7 Brew Drive Thru, Morning Jump Coffee and Dunkin’. The new building will be directly behind the existing Walgreens facing N.C. Hwy 210 North.
What’s next: The site plan for Starbucks, part of the Seattle-based chain of coffee houses, will be presented to town staff for approval at a later date. Staff did not provide additional details on the approval timeline.
Human trafficking awareness
The board also took steps to better understand how to prevent human trafficking and recognize victims.
What happened: The board heard a presentation on human trafficking from Faith Boehmer, the prevention and volunteer coordinator from the Child Advocacy Center in Fayetteville.
Why it matters: Per Boehmer, it takes education for the community to be aware of how to prevent human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is defined as the business of stealing freedom for profit,” Boehmer said.
According to the presentation, there are several indicators including children appearing to be disconnected from family, friends, community organizations or places of worship; not attending school; showing a sudden or dramatic change in behavior; showing signs of abuse, including bruises in various stages of healing; showing signs of fear; or seeing them in the company of those who exert control over who they can talk to or where they can go.
Mayor Kia Anthony encouraged residents to be informed.
“To quote Alderman [Marvin] Lackman, if you see something, say something,” Anthony said. “If you suspect something, call. One call can save a life.”
What’s next: To commemorate National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January, the Child Advocacy Center is hosting several events including:
To register for any of the events, visit www.cacfaync.org or call 910-486-9700.
The Child Advocacy Center advocates for children who have been victims of abuse and trauma and connects individuals to resources including forensic interviews, therapy and other community services.
Rules of procedure adopted
What happened: The board unanimously adopted a new 20-page Rules of Procedure document outlining board operations.
Why it matters: The Rules of Procedure were proposed to promote transparency, efficiency, public participation and accountability at board meetings.
What’s next: The board will immediately implement its new rules, including meeting conduct and decision-making, at future meetings.
In other agenda items, the board also announced a proclamation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the third Monday in January and announced yards of the month for December. The Yard of the Month achievement awards recognize residents for exemplary lawn and property maintenance and are decided by the Spring Lake Appearance and Sustainability Committee.
The board met in closed session for almost an hour and a half before returning to adjourn the meeting. Staff from the state’s Local Government Commission, including Finance Officer Kendra Boyle and Deputy Finance Officer Tiffany Anderson, joined the board as it met under N.C. general statutes for personnel and attorney-client privilege.
The Spring Lake Board of Aldermen will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Grady Howard Conference Room of the Spring Lake municipal complex.
Jami McLaughlin can be reached at jmclaughlin@cityviewnc.com or 910-391-4870.
