news-record.com

HIGH POINT — The City Council gave High Point University permission Thursday to build a parking lot off West College Drive.

The two lots — 906 E. Farris Ave. and 1011 Fifth Court — will be added to an area approved in April for parking and dorms.

But now the university wants to create only a parking lot.

Council members asked university officials to address screening, lighting and water runoff.

A fence and a planting strip will be placed along the west portions of both lots, screening properties along Fifth Court.

Evergreens are proposed for the northern section of the property, screening properties on East Farris Avenue from headlights of vehicles in the parking lot.

Councilman Chris Whitley asked if the council could waive the required vegetation along the western buffer of the two lots since a fence is already proposed and the vegetation would only be seen from the parking lot and not by neighbors.

Whitley would like the university to be able to use the money it would otherwise spend on plants to increase the natural area between the proposed lot and East Farris Avenue.

Doug Loveland of the city planning department said city codes require the plantings.

Whitley said the council should look into amending that to provide flexibility.

Councilman Latimer Alexander wanted to know how oil, antifreeze and other runoff would be contained from seeping into a nearby creek.

Residents Martha Ward and Clayton Mays of West College Drive said there’s already a problem with flooding during storms and asked the city to look at ways to fix the existing problem and prevent it from getting worse.

Earlier in the week, Dan Pritchett of Jamestown Engineering said the university has provided for drainage elsewhere on university property and would not be required to build a new water-retention pond.

The council also asked the university to provide an area for traffic to turn around at the end of Fifth Court.

Fifth Court residents complained that students and construction vehicles were using their driveways to turn around.

The university agreed to that request.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com