On Monday, December 29th, 2019, Locust Captain Steven Smith was officially sworn in this morning as Chief of Police for the Locust Police Department. We are all excited to begin this next chapter under Chief Smith.

Congratulations Chief!!

Visit the Police Department page for more information and for a great piece about our retiring Chief Frank Hartsell.

Click here for the Press Release regarding the Appointment of the new Chief of Police for the City of Locust.

During their regularly scheduled meeting on June 13, 2019 The City of Locust Council adopted the 2019-2020 FY Budget. For more information, please visit the Budget web page under the Finance Department.

Hopper Communities – Grading Study 7.30.2019

Hopper Communities submitted a revised grading study that corresponds to the revised sketch plan submitted on 7.26.2019. The scope of work remains the same. However, the Developer anticipates a reduction in the amount of grading resulting from the elimination of BMPs and the reduction of overall impervious surface.

Revised Subdivision Sketch Plan (July 26, 2019)

Hopper Communities accepted the Development Agreement for the Elm Street project on Friday, July 26, 2019. In addition, they submitted a revised sketch plan showing the changes after complying with the Development Agreement. The total number of units in the subdivision is 247 or 2.0 dwelling units per acre. (previous plan included 265 lots or 2.17 du/a.) The lots, as per the Development Agreement, will be 70 feet wide; they will have sidewalks on both sides, and one (1) lane of on-street parking. 

Hopper Communities consulted with NCDEQ and plans to reduce the impervious surface of the project in order to eliminate the use of BMPs. The property previously reserved for the use of BMPs will now be developed as residential lots and amenities.

Revised Subdivision Sketch Plan (May 9, 2019)

Hopper Communities submitted a revised sketch plan for the Elm Street project on May 9, 2019. The revised sketch plan includes changes requested by City staff after review of the April 10th sketch plan. It includes an additional road stub to the Glenn R Smith Jr property on the eastern portion of the subdivision.

Hopper Communities – Grading Study 5.08.19

Hopper Communities submitted a Grading Study for discussion purposes during the May 9, 2019 City Council meeting.

Revised Subdivision Sketch Plan (April 10, 2019)

Hopper Communities submitted a revised sketch plan for the Elm Street project on April 10, 2019. The revised sketch plan includes changes requested by City staff following the March 14, 2019 Council meeting. At the 3/14 meeting, Council received comments from the public regarding the subdivision. City staff had 2 working sessions with the developer, on 3/21 and on 4/3, to recommend changes to the sketch plan. The revised sketch plan includes the following changes:

• Bigger lots – Original sketch plan included 52′ lots. Revised sketch plan includes 60′ lots.
• Lower density – Original sketch plan included a density of 2.3 units/acre for a total of 285 lots. The revised sketch plan includes a density of 2.17 units/acre for a total of 265 lots.
• Less cul-de-sacs: The original sketch plan included 14 cul-de-sacs. The revised sketch plan includes 10 cul-de-sacs.
• Street connectivity – City staff requested a stub out to connect north phases of the project to South Beverly to facilitate access to Hwy 24/27. In addition, 2 (two) other stub outs were requested to the adjacent property on the north of Elm Street portion of the project. The revised sketch plan will be posted here once available.
• Open Space & Amenities – The open space proposed remains unchanged at 40 acres or 33% of the entire property site. The amenities will include at least 1 play ground and one dog or pocket park.
• Mockingbird Ln. connectivity – The subdivision is still planned to connect to Mockingbird Lane. However, the road will be barricaded until the project is complete to avoid construction vehicles traveling on Mockingbird Ln. and other neighboring streets.
• Elm Street Improvements – The City and Hopper Communities met with NCDOT Division #10 on April 3, 2019 to go over the required improvements. NCDOT is requiring turning lanes along Elm Street to facilitate access in/out of the subdivision. A copy of the improvements will be made available to the public once it’s available to the City.

Hopper Communities is scheduled to present the revised sketch plan to the Locust City Council during the May 9, 2019 City Council meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the Joel Honeycutt Room in Locust City Hall located at 186 Ray Kennedy Dr.

On November 9, 2017 and pursuant to House Bill 436 “An Act to provide for uniform authority to implement system development fees for public water and sewer systems in North Carolina,” The City of Locust contracted Raftelis Financial Consultants to complete a System Development Fee Study. House Bill 436 was signed into law on July 20, 2017 and it amended Chapter 162A, Article 8 of the General Statutes “System Development Fees” This legislation sets forth the process for establishing development fees, which requires a written analysis prepared by a “financial professional or licensed professional engineer. House Bill 436 requires compliance by July 1, 2018.

Raftelis Financial Consultants calculated the system development fee for the City of Locust using the “Buy-In Approach” method. This method focuses on existing facilities with available capacity to serve new customers, and the analysis is based on fixed asset records.

On Thursday, March 8, 2018 the Locust City Council heard a presentation from Raftelis Financial Consultants regarding the findings of the system development fee study. As required, the complete report and written analysis can be found here. Following the presentation, the City Council scheduled a 45 day waiting period to solicit written comments from the public. The public comment period closed on Monday, April 23, 2018. The City of Locust did not received public comment. A public hearing is scheduled for May 10, 2018 to adopt system development fees. The City is required to publish the adopted system development fees in the annual budget ordinance, and to update the written analysis at least every 5 years.

To view the study click here.

To ensure all comments are considered by Raftelis Financial Consultants, the City respectfully requests for all public comments to be submitted via certified mail to the following address:

Public Comment: System Development Fees
Attn: Cesar Correa, City Administrator
City of Locust
P.O. Box 190
Locust, NC 28097

For any questions regarding System Development Fees, please contact Cesar Correa, City Administrator at 704-888-5260.

Remember:
-Pick up is for the entire City on Tuesdays.
-Have your cart at the roadside early in the morning and keep it there until the end of the day to ensure pick up.
-Please take your empty carts back to your house after pick up, at the end of the day on Tuesdays.
-For more information please call City Hall at 704-888-5260.

Please click here for our newly adopted noise ordinance.

Duke Energy maintains numerous outdoor lights to help promote safety and security in public areas. Let us know if an outdoor light or streetlight is out or not working properly.

The first rule of safety is do not touch a power line or anything touching a power line, such as tree limbs, tools and toys. Even power lines that have fallen may be dangerous and should not be moved or disturbed.

Please visit this website to request a streetlight repair: https://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/products/lighting/request-light-repair.asp