Smithfield council rezones 75.61 acres on Business 70 to light industrial; developer commits to 100-foot undisturbed buffer

Smithfield Town Council voted unanimously to approve a zoning map amendment (RZ‑25‑01) to rezone 75.61 acres along U.S. Highway 70 Business in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction from R‑20A and B‑3 to light industrial.

Town planning staff told the council the rezoning would allow a light‑industrial warehouse campus. The developer presented a site plan for four buildings, relocated stormwater facilities and, in response to neighborhood concerns, a committed 100‑foot undisturbed wooded buffer between the proposed buildings and the adjacent residential subdivision. Staff recommended approval.

Clarias Partners representative Craig Daniger highlighted anticipated economic benefits. “We estimate this development to provide between 56 and 560 new jobs,” Daniger said at the public hearing, adding that the median projection for the project is roughly 150 jobs. He told council the project would include roadway and safety improvements at the site entrance and that a nearby parish had submitted a letter of support seeking the traffic signal.

Neighbors expressed a mix of concerns and conditional support. Mark Cooper of Barber Farm subdivision welcomed the larger buffer but asked the council to consider restricting hours of operation to limit nighttime truck noise. A nearby property owner told the council stormwater runoff was his chief worry after recent heavy rains; a different resident, Rodney Mitchell, urged preserving farmland and opposed rezoning.

Town staff and the project engineer said the site’s design would collect and route runoff to on‑site wet ponds and outlet to existing wetlands and streams. Civil engineer Nicholas Ahrens described the system’s controls: “The ponds have boxes in them, and the boxes are designed to let out the water at certain intervals based on how the water is rising in the pond,” he said. Staff also confirmed county sewer and water capacity for the project and noted the property is in the county’s service area, meaning property tax revenue would accrue to Johnston County rather than the town.

Council members voted to approve the rezoning by voice vote; the motion passed unanimously. During the meeting the mayor reminded the audience that, under state law, the council cannot impose conditions on a straight rezoning and that the town had relied on the developer’s commitments and the community meeting that produced the larger buffer.

The developer said next steps include permit‑level engineering, state and county reviews, and eventual subdivision/master‑plan submittals to the town.