The Zebulon Planning Department recently updated the Board of Commissioners on development activity, Town growth boundaries and the future of East Wake microtransit at their September Work Session.
Planning Director Matt Lower began with the Town’s interactive development map, which allows residents to follow planning and zoning cases moving through the review process.
The map includes rezonings, subdivisions and site plans, along with project documents and updates. It does not include individual building permits.
Lower also reviewed the different boundaries that affect properties in and around Zebulon.
Properties inside the Town’s corporate limits are within Zebulon and receive the full range of Town services. Properties in the extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, are not inside the Town limits but are subject to Zebulon’s planning and zoning regulations.
He also reviewed the Zebulon Fire District, which extends beyond the Town limits, and Wake County’s long-range planning areas for unincorporated property.
The Board also received an update on GoWake Smartride NE, the microtransit program serving eastern Wake County.
Wendell is the lead agency for the program, with Zebulon, Knightdale and Wake County also participating.
The service provides about 23,000 rides a year and has an annual budget of about $1.3 million.
Town staff said the program’s cost per revenue hour is higher than similar programs in North Carolina. An upcoming request for proposals will ask providers to maintain the current level of service while identifying ways to improve efficiency.
“At the end of the day, this RFP is really to see if we can use the same funding to buy a better service,” Lower said.
The baseline includes the current service area, about 23,000 annual rides, 11,000 operating hours and a target maximum wait time of 30 minutes.
Vendors will also be able to propose changes such as shorter wait times, expanded evening or Saturday service, additional vehicles or different ways to dispatch vehicles.
Board members also discussed employer partnerships and other ways the service could be structured in the future.
Staff said at least one local employer has expressed interest in transportation options tied to workforce needs.
The Town will continue working with its regional partners as the proposal process moves forward.
Watch the meeting here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QZdIOag_9g
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