Commissioners adopt ZO-2-25 to apply county zoning to portion of Rockwell ETJ

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners held a legislative hearing March 3 and approved ZO-2-25, a request to apply Rowan County zoning to a portion of tax map 361 parcel 1 that had been inside the Town of Rockwell’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

Planning Director Ed Muir told the board the property owner, the Hamilton family, had asked the town of Rockwell to rescind zoning over about 52.5 acres; Rockwell acted January 13 to rescind zoning over that portion. Muir said the tract is enrolled in present-use-value (ag use) for much of the property, and that the town’s residential-agriculture designation and Rowan County’s rural-agriculture (RA) district are similar in permitted uses.

Muir said the rescission arose because the ETJ line bisected the parcel in a way that did not follow property lines and caused complications for the owner. The planning department notified adjacent property owners and posted a sign; staff reported one nearby property owner had raised concerns at the planning stage but no complaints were voiced at the county legislative hearing.

After opening and closing the public hearing with no speakers, the board adopted the planning board’s statement that ZO-2-25 is consistent with the East Rowan Area 2 land use plan and is reasonable and appropriate. The board then voted to approve ZO-2-25, adopting county zoning jurisdiction and applying the county RA district to the site.

Planning staff said single-family residences and accessory structures on the property would be conforming uses under Rowan County zoning. The county will complete administrative steps to reflect the jurisdictional change; town zoning was to remain in effect until the county adopted zoning within 60 days of the town’s legislative action, a timeline Muir referenced in his presentation.

The board’s approval was recorded by voice vote following the public hearing.