[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6231410,"mediaKeyId","3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569","parentId",3431646,"title","Union County board recommends denial of Gordon conditional rezoning after residents raise visibility, traffic and land‑use concerns","audioSeconds",5074,"startMs",156000,"endMs",5230000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569&start=156&end=5230","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569/thumbnail_156000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6231410/Union-County/North-Carolina/Union-County-board-recommends-denial-of-Gordon-conditional-rezoning-after-residents-raise-visibility-traffic-and-landuse-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231410-a9bac85e62323150e76d2563ea7d3eaa/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468475&Signature=Kk~6ETX-Bzd~Blv0beQYCC5wNa0ET6xcVDqw1Z0HXki~Izy-to~6DRkCWUaeBJgIUIlV5z-Fey47cmm2M64kDJQmnEs6NH2U1AORY9IdrJo~77lkv4PQTn80SGqaaKFkozBlBO7YY98qOMtCB-wOEG8HwKYZR9BaAvYv4MzsSQI3EsXnR-4ak61qE90yII9EKIXjq3TMU9fUBMwyAj3Np1DmlVblGLvc3fZ8MndYR4O-vgZtWISYqM3LAq2JK~7R-hfkwxJ02mMCpzWHACExrceWiyCqpmUtk0C8NqTD1xwjnCUC9Mfx4YQPj4tTNFxzKH7NRRbdAb2y8qTDXt921g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Union County, NC","date","2025-05-21T23:34:10.803Z","article","The Union County Land Use Board recommended denial of conditional rezoning CZ2025‑002 for the Gordon property on May 20, voting 4‑3 to advise against the change.

Planner Bjorn, presenting the staff report, said the request would rezone about 2.65 acres of an 8.46‑acre parcel along Mary Elizabeth Church Road from RA‑40 (rural residential) to a conditional light‑industrial designation to allow vehicle storage tied to an existing auto‑repair business and a possible future 2,400‑square‑foot shop. Bjorn said the rezoning was sought “to correct a zoning violation” but concluded that “the negatives we feel outweigh the positives, so we recommend denial.”

The recommendation matters because the board’s advisory decision will be forwarded to the Union County Board of Commissioners, which will hold the final public hearing on June 16. If the county commissioners override the advisory recommendation and approve the rezoning, the conditional site plan would limit use to the illustrated vehicle storage area and include screening and setbacks shown on the plan.

Board members and residents focused on three core concerns: visibility from nearby roads, the scale of the proposed expansion compared with the historic nonconforming use, and the long‑term effect of changing residential land to light‑industrial. Resident Michelle Burnett said she tried to sell land nearby and heard repeated buyer concerns, asserting that “No one wants to live next door to a junkyard.” Deborah Willis, who said she attended the community meeting, said she understood the Gordons as “good neighbors” but worried that rezoning to industrial could enable other, less compatible uses later and asked whether hazardous materials and water impacts had been considered.

Applicant Gordon testified that he and his family use the parcel for overflow storage tied to a shop across the road and that he intends to add a natural, year‑round buffer to screen the site: “I don’t wanna see it either,” he told the board, and said he would plant screening intended to keep the storage out of sight. He said his primary business is mechanic work for personal vehicles and a small number of local commercial vehicles; he also said he does not routinely work on loaded tractor‑trailers on site.

Board members debated options for limiting impacts through conditions (screening height, limits on combination truck/trailer work, and vehicle size limits). Staff explained a conditional approval could include additional conditions if the applicant agreed; several board members said administrability of highly specific conditions — for example, staff enforcement of vehicle weight limits — could be difficult. The board discussed an S2 screen requirement from the Unified Development Ordinance, which staff described as a continuous opaque screen 6 feet in height with supplemental shade trees and noted that a stronger condition (for example, higher screening) could be included if the applicant accepted it.

After discussion, a motion to recommend denial carried 4‑3. The advisory denial will go to the Board of County Commissioners for a formal public hearing on June 16 at 6 p.m. in the same room. Staff told attendees rezoning notice signs would be posted in the coming week.

The board's action does not change the current legal nonconforming use on the property, and staff noted that the owner may continue to operate within the portion of the site that has been recognized as the legal nonconforming area. Any future change of ownership or new owner would have the same zoning on the land unless the commissioners later approve a rezoning.

For now, neighbors and the applicant will have the opportunity to present the same materials and testimony to the county commissioners at the June public hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Land Use Board | May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Union County Land Use Board recommended denial of conditional rezoning CZ2025‑002 for the Gordon property on May 20, voting 4‑3 to advise against changing the parcel from rural‑residential to a conditional light‑industrial designation to allow vehicle storage and a potential shop.","taxTitle","Union County, North Carolina","taxId",14197,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231401,"Land Use Board backs text change to reset \"lots of record\" every 10 years to ease family subdivisions",3339,3484000,6823000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569&start=3484&end=6823","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569/thumbnail_3484000.jpg","/articles/6231401/Union-County/North-Carolina/Land-Use-Board-backs-text-change-to-reset-lots-of-record-every-10-years-to-ease-family-subdivisions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231401-ca1501cb3af755a0cef8094870921ffd/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468475&Signature=KSwRyEfjBUP6pO5RPC5rstrCduXUV8BtGHYIhYD8UMwwWyoTqGOMy5EvmLDaA9Xhkma2pm78j4Gkxm5MpvAJS6ifPrYYTzbfO50lpkgPqF7ZjwkW7wTWiJ~YYw8Hb6dtXS-R47IlMGGUOJrJvMUrKeccKjqALCeAHN1X4GDuPnvzlLGsLnp-HkmHV5K1hfUS3QGuFg-eJXL33M8k~gsJdMVooQIJxv~cvCkCRfskxvF-Xeae2ky3xcHydt~RDFCQh4IFNuoQkyYt-0YVSDsGLhRfhcYxEmlmfQLikA~Z4AGxtQhkbY4dopm9KtK0EkNgGDqbeF~ajMNC7KzrcADr2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Union County Land Use Board on May 20 recommended approval of a text amendment (TXT2025‑01) to the Unified Development Ordinance that would change how the county defines a “lot of record” and how often the baseline for minor subdivisions is reset. The motion passed unanimously.

Planner Lee Jensen (presenting the staff text changes) explained the amendment would redefine a lot of record to include recorded plats and certain statutorily exempt metes‑and‑bounds parcels and would implement a periodic reset of qualifying lots every 10 years. Jensen said the proposal responds to generational changes in ownership: properties grandfathered under the ordinance’s historic reference date (Feb. 14, 1978) have reached limits on how many minor subdivisions can be created from an original parent parcel, and the change is intended to allow families to divide land for children without triggering the major‑subdivision process in many cases.

Jensen and board members discussed safeguards: the ordinance retains a restriction that divisions requiring new public infrastructure (new streets, public water/sewer, sidewalks) remain subject to the major‑subdivision process. Staff said state exemptions and statute‑defined exempt subdivisions are treated the same as platted parcels for the purposes of the lot‑of‑record count. The board debated the reset interval; several members said a 10‑year interval felt appropriate for generational turnover and administrability. One board member proposed shorter or longer intervals, but the board adopted the 10‑year reset during its recommendation.

Supporters framed the amendment as enabling property owners to accommodate family housing needs without imposing the engineering, infrastructure and review burdens of major subdivisions, while retaining protections that prevent serial developer gaming of the rule because creation of lots that require new infrastructure would still trigger major‑subdivision standards.

The board voted to recommend approval and will forward the text amendment and the advisory consistency and reasonableness statement to the Board of County Commissioners; staff said the BOCC public hearing is expected in mid‑July.","The board recommended approval of TXT2025‑01, a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that redefines \"lot of record\" and resets the baseline every 10 years so family parcels can be divided under the minor‑subdivision rules without a full major‑subdivision process.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231406,"Land Use Board recommends approval for Union Landscaping rezoning near Monroe Airport",325,3200000,3525000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569&start=3200&end=3525","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431646-73115adeec566beec4ae882af70b8569/thumbnail_3200000.jpg","/articles/6231406/Union-County/North-Carolina/Land-Use-Board-recommends-approval-for-Union-Landscaping-rezoning-near-Monroe-Airport","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231406-710eb054e2eb5012045d3c53e1e7f76a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468475&Signature=nUrpLQXku2l9kbwuVScxHY3wAZVHS91LZ2nIBkOHLvDON8i65sWNuOT7VX8y3hgxVvGUcy3dFzB4H205UpCSrOVJ78bBes~V4AnqTmbFC3aA710g2oKIDVQ~RthRh0TvnQW70yHUgJGKD-0wTTbntCLoMAlgWRPDz5oL7gHgRXTEpn1qxX-x0vfFoyEx6G60lLrg1lMkh1HROVAgphZo43vNm5ChZKCD7DbYhgRtCFwhYCsWiXcGPqSVinD8LC7H6p2BIuYieGvBQMU4JMJsQkOvYglnnUiJIRfKxhE0jmmQff2N8H26HD2aMS2rOkHfxBHifs2dchOHoxIOssI4~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Union County Land Use Board voted May 20 to recommend approval of conditional rezoning CZ2024‑011 for Union Landscaping, forwarding the recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

Planner Bjorn described the 2.4‑acre site off Sanford Lane near the Monroe Airport and said the property has operated as a greenhouse for many years. The applicant is adding landscaping operations and submitted a conditional site plan that would formalize existing cleared and gravel areas for office, storage and nursery operations. Bjorn told the board the site would rely on well and septic and that Union County Water had no comment. He said the site lies at the edge of an identified employment center and that prior industrial rezonings have occurred nearby; staff recommended approval.

Bjorn said there were two attendees at the required community meeting and no substantive objections were raised. He added that the site is adjacent to a utility corridor and that existing environmental limitations (a creek and floodplain off‑site) were not present on the subject parcel. “We add a lot of details about what that means … uses that are encouraged, like industrial, warehouse, office research,” he said, describing the context; staff concluded the request was appropriate and consistent with development standards.

No residents in the public hearing spoke in opposition. A board member moved to recommend approval, and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

The advisory approval will be transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners for a formal hearing. If the commissioners approve the rezoning, the applicant will proceed to implement the site plan and any conditions contained in the conditional zoning approval.","The Land Use Board voted to recommend approval of conditional rezoning CZ2024‑011 to allow a landscaping/nursery business to continue and operate under a conditional site plan. Staff said the site is already in commercial use and recommended approval; no residents opposed at the hearing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Union County board recommends denial of Gordon conditional rezoning after residents raise visibility, traffic and land‑use concerns

Land Use Board backs text change to reset "lots of record" every 10 years to ease family subdivisions

Land Use Board recommends approval for Union Landscaping rezoning near Monroe Airport