[{"_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",6477174,"mediaKeyId","5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a","parentId",5713111,"title","Planning board recommends approval for countertop fabrication and contractor use at existing commercial building on U.S. 421","audioSeconds",837,"startMs",10361000,"endMs",11198000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a&start=10361&end=11198","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a/thumbnail_10361000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6477174/Pender-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-recommends-approval-for-countertop-fabrication-and-contractor-use-at-existing-commercial-building-on-US-421","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477174-e96b97495eac9a8dad3322052fe8c340/orig.mp4?Expires=1770691765&Signature=CI4h~bR4BAw0T5QMowAYF~bW0fubOR0WeoS~FjXK7fUT8O44KsYoGZM4g80GrW-py-MAhzWq6pljgNFO4XvSaHg3Q0kKUQ1AR2ILrlyJhhL5~9zPGep6WFWHrbCNOeZZiHVBondOxKMepCZYjBL6y-jUtRBBsA0mvuulADpQC3j9DnamEghYrUxW648vxRBTBaj9fPvoK3sVDiBWwsBuV7ERbnQ23lXUj42fwCkrj445vdrA4r3g3A~UBrP9PWG7zpiiz-iAQd-X1TsYwFJgQ3OLk~V48VDtybNIHBOKqyObH8wYjr3BfG~sL5QLHWMeLoef7FSjy5Cfjj1wiypdRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pender County","date","2025-09-02T22:32:15Z","article","The Pender County Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of a conditional rezoning that would permit countertop fabrication (stone cutting and polishing) and specialty trade contractor activities at a 3,500-square-foot building on U.S. 421 north of Shiloh Road.

Planning staff noted the property has a long history of commercial use and that the proposed operation would occupy an existing building and include screened outdoor storage. \"This building has been there for a number of years ... operating commercially,\" planning staff told the board, and staff recommended approval because the proposal was compatible with the existing site and the rural-agriculture future land use designation that allows limited nonresidential uses.

The application would allow two principal elements: an indoor stone cutting/finishing operation for kitchen and bathroom countertops and a trade-contractor component for installation at off-site homes and businesses. The applicant proposed perimeter screening for outdoor storage and said operations would comply with the Unified Development Ordinance and all applicable state and federal regulations. Staff estimated the use would generate modest traffic — roughly 30 vehicle trips per day based on standard trip-generation rates — and noted that the U.S. 421 corridor in that area already carries substantially more traffic than many local roads (staff cited approximately 4,500 trips per day on the segment cited in the packet).

Board members asked about noise, dust and wet-cutting methods; staff and a board member with industry experience said stone fabrication is typically a wet process that reduces airborne dust and can be contained within the building. The board also noted an existing special-use-permit history for the parcel that previously allowed other light industrial and commercial uses.

The board voted to recommend the conditional rezoning with two straightforward conditions: compliance with the UDO, and compliance with all local, state and federal permits and regulations. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for a public hearing scheduled Oct. 20 in Burgaw.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","September 03, 2025 Planning Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The board recommended approval of a conditional rezoning to allow stone cutting/finishing and specialty trade contractor work at an existing 3,500 sq. ft. commercial building on U.S. 421, finding the use consistent with the property’s historical commercial character and limited traffic impact.","taxTitle","Pender County, North Carolina","taxId",75713,"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},6477178,"Planning board backs Slough Point Marina expansion after applicant reduces slips, adds parking and agrees to speed signage",4821,5525000,10346000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a&start=5525&end=10346","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a/thumbnail_5525000.jpg","/articles/6477178/Pender-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-backs-Slough-Point-Marina-expansion-after-applicant-reduces-slips-adds-parking-and-agrees-to-speed-signage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477178-d92d8f7138dcec5714995800b85e2d6e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770691765&Signature=gS--ito4XVTmIHw9yFHcr13o1FYyI~ugen9OCFn1hz6gIkXSoZSHNvLEJrn8sJyYi1o3uEW2BEPvqKl4OplELTV1N~k0qCN~CdjRmMKy~31SIbpjatTn4VBk1TOQ-o5xsk0lXw3wFK9-OAP2JNr2GLYUSgXrGCNz5j9SEah2lxZExx9VFqSz3r9KUl5qcmtHfDwCLwrPUNSyjBicVwuKCYhUmn1vUmeD7ZOzCEa1VISKPWJ-l8f3U85VjozLH4qWtnuDR-r137zY6Gk2fkVPX~VVZkH-ku1v7Phffy2DDaX9FsjYJ5qQN4O0zHDtmqCCf6tpNEHz~Go3HuomxawOAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pender County Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional rezoning to expand an existing dry-stack boat storage marina on Lewis Road, near the Intracoastal Waterway.

Staff recommended approval based on consistency with the future land use map and existing water-dependent uses in the area; the board’s recommendation includes an added condition requiring the applicant to install two speed radar signs on Lewis Road, at the applicant’s expense, subject to NCDOT and county approval and maintenance by the applicant.

\"The proposal before you is consistent with the future land use map,\" planner Miss Waters told the board while summarizing staff analysis. She noted environmental constraints on the property including special flood hazard areas, wetlands and areas of environmental concern, and said the applicant had reduced the proposal from an earlier 2023 submittal.

Attorney Matt Nichols and the applicant’s team described changes from the 2023 proposal: a cut in the number of new dry-stack spaces from 356 to 223, removal of a restaurant use, an increase in parking from 115 to 131 spaces total, and a reduction of the proposed northern dry stack from four levels to three. Nichols said the revised plan increases the project footprint under conditional zoning from about 2.2 acres to 6.8 acres to create a more efficient layout and additional on-site parking. \"We're talking about essentially adding more slips here. However, we're doing that within a footprint that's nearly 3 times the size that's currently under the conditional zoning,\" Nichols said.

Applicant operations manager Brian Thurston explained operational controls for marina use, including a reservation system and multiple forklift/drop zones. Thurston said the marina operates with an app-based reservation system and limits launches per day; the facility currently runs three forklifts and will add drop-zone capacity under the proposal.

Several nearby residents and marina customers spoke during public comment. Supporters said the marina provides safe, efficient access to the water and a neighborhood gathering place; nearby residents urged careful mitigation of traffic and parking impacts. \"If it wasn't for the marina, I'd probably be playing a lot more golf because that public dock is, for lack of a better term, horrendous for me,\" said Walt Taylor, a marina user.

Several neighbors who live on Lewis Road described congestion at the adjacent state boat ramp and asked for enhanced traffic controls. In response, the applicant agreed to work with NCDOT and the county to install two digital speed-radar signs in both travel directions on Lewis Road at the applicant’s expense; the planning board added that commitment as a condition to the recommendation.

Staff and the applicant also pointed to environmental approvals already received: Nichols said required CAMA (Coastal Area Management Act) permitting for water-dependent structures had been completed.

The planning board passed a motion to recommend approval, including the standard conditions listed in the staff report and the added condition requiring the speed radar signs. The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action at its Oct. 20 meeting in Burgaw.","The Pender County Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of a conditional rezoning to expand Slough Point Marina’s dry-stack boat storage and related uses, after the applicant reduced the number of proposed slips, increased on-site parking and agreed to install speed radar signs on Lewis Road as a mitigation condition.",{"_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},6477183,"Pender Planning Board endorses Imagine Pender 2050 draft with two clarifying edits",4096,1416000,5512000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a&start=1416&end=5512","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713111-3e375cb084347171c29dafa8f28d942a/thumbnail_1416000.jpg","/articles/6477183/Pender-County/North-Carolina/Pender-Planning-Board-endorses-Imagine-Pender-2050-draft-with-two-clarifying-edits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477183-3824b8a2138912f7cd4d218e8e1c9fc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770691765&Signature=DVEsQBwcTFix39EaqZ6vx6cEvRJhriBjim7zneSS4ZvozRgGEXX~2xJFQygHheGk1pZz0mweMrL21ePlkcLQoWVa~01DRcw6UY7SXrVOxQviTBA1Rt-tQLHK7A~w-9ro-xi1rt1SPQ~32aTJ4qZwNdvOq4lWhrPEgRP1L~r08PPXv49B7qFc-cNF4wHCA61h32FTuvPiMbWIs4icQ0EWrWZiG7-mxzCLnY9ir1JykcT21xyEsPd3MJZh7OchY4yqpMBfrFh5ykFHZOcwb7xRKMuNL129XtVZXK2A6tzVPIvw0SkZyreuOs2Ep3tqepxGEhTN1aOfdsFh97mLgD3YCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Pender County Planning Board members voted unanimously to endorse the public hearing draft of the Imagine Pender 2050 comprehensive land use plan on a motion that included two memorandum items for staff to carry forward to the Board of County Commissioners.

The endorsement came after a presentation by consultants from Clarion and Milestones, who described the 20-month update process, two community engagement windows and changes made to the public hearing draft. \"This is a really important, start to the public adoption process for the Imagine Pender comprehensive plan update, that we've got before you tonight,\" Leanne King of Clarion said as she opened the presentation.

The vote sends the plan, with the planning board's recommended edits, to the commissioners for a scheduled public hearing on Oct. 6. The board also noted that the plan will need certification from the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) before final adoption because the plan addresses coastal areas.

King said the update is intended as a 20-year policy guide, not regulatory zoning: \"It is a policy document, and therefore, it is intentionally, flexible.\" She outlined the plan framework: three vision themes (coordinate growth/preservation/conservation and infrastructure; support Pender County's fiscal health; maintain a high quality of life), nine goals, 31 policies and 114 recommended actions. The consultants said the future land use map is the plan's guiding tool for decisions about where the county encourages growth and where conservation is preferred.

Consultants described several map changes incorporated since the public review draft, including (1) converting some rural neighborhood and rural crossroads designations near Penderly to rural agriculture at public request; (2) expanding rural neighborhood on the west side of Rocky Point to align with planned investments along the 421 corridor; (3) adding a residential neighborhood category near Industry and Commerce along 421 to reflect sewer extensions; and (4) expanding coastal neighborhood designations east of U.S. 17 to better match existing development patterns.

Board members discussed several policy topics in detail, including the plan's language about package wastewater treatment plants, parking standards for neighborhood and regional centers, and the role of Senate Bill 382 (the 2024 statute limiting local downzoning). King explained the SB 382 requirement as a statutory constraint: \"This is a new, statutory requirement ... that basically limits the local government's ability to what we call down zone property.\" Staff said the public hearing draft includes clarifying language to help applicants choose whether to follow the prior or the new map in certain master-planned development cases to avoid unintended legal impacts.

The board asked staff to take two memorandum items to the commissioners with the endorsed plan: (1) remove the bullet that listed \"establishments requiring large surface parking areas in excess of 20,000 square feet\" from the discouraged uses list for the neighborhood center category; and (2) correct omitted wording in the regional center parking guidance so the standard consistently reads that surface parking \"should be located to side and rear of buildings and dispersed across the development and not clustered in one large lot.\" Planning staff agreed to include those notes in the packet for the commissioners.

The planning board motion to endorse the plan, including the memorandum language above, passed unanimously. The planning board will present its endorsement and recommended memorandum to the Board of County Commissioners at the Oct. 6 public hearing; if the commissioners adopt the plan, it then will proceed to the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) certification process with the Division of Coastal Management.

Implementation steps identified in the plan range from ordinance updates to capital improvement planning; staff and the consultants emphasized that the plan is advisory and that zoning and development regulations (the Unified Development Ordinance) would require separate code changes to become regulatory. King told the board the plan's actions are intended to be prioritized and resourced through annual budget and CIP processes.

The planning board thanked staff and the steering committee for their work and agreed to forward the endorsed plan and memorandum to the commissioners for final consideration and DCM certification.

","The Pender County Planning Board endorsed the public hearing draft of the Imagine Pender 2050 comprehensive land use plan and asked staff to remove a discouraged-use bullet about large surface parking and to clarify parking-orientation language in the regional center section before the Board of Commissioners reviews the plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning board recommends approval for countertop fabrication and contractor use at existing commercial building on U.S. 421

Planning board backs Slough Point Marina expansion after applicant reduces slips, adds parking and agrees to speed signage

Pender Planning Board endorses Imagine Pender 2050 draft with two clarifying edits