LAKEVILLE — While William and Angela Cruger, Wells Hill Road neighbors of the Wake Robin Inn and staunch opposers to the redevelopment project currently under review, were expected to join the public hearing for the expansion as intervenors last week, it was announced at the Aug. 20 meeting that they would not.
The Crugers, who currently have a lawsuit pending against the Planning and Zoning Commission for a May 2024 zoning change that allowed for Aradev LLC’s application in the first place, joined as intervenors during the first round of public hearings in the fall of 2024. As intervenors, the Crugers were allotted space during the hearing process to present their own information and findings with the same right to time as the applicant, bringing in their own slate of expert consultants to dispute Aradev’s own findings.
The Crugers’ attorney Perley Grimes announced in an Aug. 18 letter on behalf of the Crugers that they would not seek intervenor status during this round of hearings. The decision came after Grimes and William Cruger faced pressure at the previous week’s hearing continuation on Aug. 14 to present experts in a timely manner and with new information.
During the Aug. 20 continuation of the hearing, William Cruger said, “We agree with the sentiment that very little has changed here,” reflecting a frequently voiced opinion during this hearing process that the revised application changes little about the scale and intensity of the development. He said many of his experts’ talking points would be similar to last year as the same issues remain, and that he doesn’t want to take time away from residents to contribute their own input.
He said that despite not filing a formal intervention, he will continue to correspond with the experts as the hearing continues and submit new information into the public record. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody that we continue to consult,” he said.
P&Z member Allen Cockerline praised 2024’s intervention, saying it “really elevated the discussion.” He agreed, however, with P&Z Chair Michael Klemens that any new information must be filed promptly so that both the Commission and the public have time to digest it: “It can’t be 11th hour.”
During the meeting Aug. 20, Aradev announced it would be removing all-day outdoor music at the proposed seasonal pool, which proved to be a highly unpopular aspect of the revised application.
A comparatively abbreviated public comment session saw several familiar complaints about the scale and intensity of the redevelopment.
Elyse Harney, who founded a successful real estate company in Salisbury nearly 40 years ago and has been a vocal detractor of the application, spoke as a professional in the field, she said: “There’s not a question in my mind it will diminish property values.”
The hearing was continued to Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m., and under the current schedule it must close by Sept. 9.
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