Shout out to Triad Watch for exposing Greensboro City Council member Robbie Perkins’ text messages to high-powered developer Roy Carroll during council discussion of a lawsuit between Carroll and fellow high-powered developer Marty Kotis. I watched the discussion with interest, so I’ll weigh in.
Let’s start with the first question —- which council member Trudy Wade raised —- which is why the city is involved in this matter. The city is a co-defendant in Kotis’ lawsuit against Carroll over the so-called spite strip running along the developers’ adjoining property. Kotis claims spite strips violate city ordinances as is suing the city in order force them to enforce the ordinance.
The proposed sewer line —which brought the lawsuit to the attention of the council — is a separate but related matter. The city annexed Carroll’s property and, under state law, has two years to run a sewer line through an easement that runs through Kotis’ property. For some reason —perhaps related to negotiations with Kotis over the easement — the city has dragged its heels in running the sewer line —- a common problem for property owners after they’re annexed —- and now faces a six-month deadline under threat of a possible legal action by —you guessed it —–Roy Carroll.
But here’s the twist —- Kotis attorney Chuck Winfree told the council that they had no problem with the easement —- again, they’ve been negotiating with the city for a while —– and offered up a deal whereupon Kotis would let the city have the easement at no cost if the city would make Carroll’s spike strip “go away,” as he phrased it. Problem is the city just can’t go in and seize or condemn Carroll’s land because they have no use for it.
The matter was tabled until the Jan. 5 meeting, with the hope that both Kotis and Carroll will sign off on an agreement not to sue the city for failing to run the sewer line while Kotis’ lawsuit runs its legal course. Yet the city will remain a defendant in Kotis’ lawsuit until it adequately explains why it is not enforcing the ordinance against spite strips.
Just another mess in which city government all too often finds itself. Should be a surprise that Perkins —with Blackberry in hand — is in the middle of it all?
