Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Iredell County approves conditional rezoning of 12.19 acres along River Highway, bars use as a nightclub
Summary
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to rezone about 12.19 acres along River Highway (U.S. 150) from RA to General Business–Conditional, approving a narrowed list of permitted uses and removing “bar” as an allowed use at the applicant’s request.
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a conditional rezoning of roughly 12.19 acres along River Highway (also called 150), expanding the county’s 2045 horizon plan corridor commercial designation and excluding bars from the list of permitted uses.
Planning staff presented the request and said the property would amend the 2045 horizon plan corridor commercial designation and lies adjacent to existing commercial uses. "The request we have before us tonight is to rezone a property that's currently RA ... to general business conditional district," Matthew Todd, planning staff, told the board.
The rezoning drew objections from nearby homeowners concerned about noise, traffic and open-ended uses that would persist if the land changes hands. "We all have a lot of concern," said Luke Lambert, a property owner adjacent to the site, who asked the board to require conditions or a site plan to protect the residential area. Transportation engineer and resident Matt Sinn urged the board to consider noise mitigation such as a sound wall, noting that counties generally cannot control future uses once zoning changes hands.
Applicant representatives described the site constraints and development intent. William Allison of Piedmont Land Approvals, speaking for the owners Woodland and Waterview LLC, said topography and watershed rules would naturally push development toward the eastern portion of the parcel and away from adjoining homes and that the owners did not intend to "pigeonhole themselves" into only a few uses. Lynn K. Beeler, listed with Woodland and Waterview LLC, said the owners planned a boat-service-oriented convenience use and that she did not intend to operate a bar. "I don't wanna limit it to a point where we can't have a convenience store," Beeler told the board.
Planning staff explained the mechanics and limits of the conditional rezoning. "This is a conditional request. So they are limited to that list of uses that are in the application," Matthew Todd said, and added that watershed rules limit impervious coverage on the site to about 36% unless the applicant chooses a high-density option that would raise that to 50% with stormwater controls.
During the meeting the applicant agreed to remove bars from the list of permitted uses, and the board approved a motion by Commissioner Haupp to adopt the zoning map amendment, finding it consistent with the 2045 horizon plan, citing the property's proximity to other commercial uses and the conditions intended to protect surrounding property owners. The motion included the additional condition removing bars as a permitted use and passed without recorded opposition.
The county record shows the planning board had unanimously recommended approval prior to the commission hearing. The county staff noted that conditional rezoning limits the property to the listed uses unless a future owner returns to the rezoning process to expand them.
The decision changes both the zoning and the county land-use plan designation for the parcel; any future owner who wants additional uses beyond the approved list must apply for a new rezoning.
The full staff report and any signed modification excluding bars will be finalized and placed in the county record following the meeting.
