Planning staff backs conditional rezoning for New Salem mini‑storage; no public opposition at hearing

Union County planning staff recommended approval Thursday of a conditional rezoning to allow a type‑2 mini storage facility on about 2½ acres in the New Salem area.

The applicant, Terry and Deborah Stevens, asked to rezone two adjoining parcels from RA‑40 (residential agricultural, one‑acre minimum) to light industrial with conditions that include five‑year vesting rights, compliance with the Union County Development Ordinance, adherence to the site plan dated Dec. 9, 2024, and installation of a six‑foot opaque fence along the northern property boundary. Lee Jensen, the county’s director of planning and zoning, said the proposed buildings would be the typical metal “roll‑up door” storage buildings that are not climate‑controlled.

Jensen told commissioners the site is in a largely rural area with a small commercial node at the nearby intersection and that NCDOT requested the driveway be pushed back to improve intersection safety; the applicant revised the entrance location accordingly. He said three residents attended the applicant’s community meeting and asked about septic easements and potential lighting; the applicant moved previously permitted septic lines onto adjacent property and included lighting notes that limit illumination to wall packs on the buildings.

Staff recommended approval with the listed conditions and also recommended an amendment to the comprehensive plan to reflect a small commercial node at the intersection, a change Jensen said is consistent with a separate rural land use steering committee’s work. The county planning board also recommended unanimous approval when it considered the case.

Terry Stevens, who said he owns the nearby Christian Corner store, told the board the project grew from community interest and that the owners are “ready to go” if the rezoning is approved. There were no members of the public signed up to speak at the hearing and the board closed the public hearing at the end of the staff and applicant remarks; no final vote on rezoning was recorded at the meeting.

Why it matters: The request would change two parcels from rural residential to a limited industrial use at a rural crossroads. Commissioners must weigh staff recommendations and conditions against plan consistency and any emerging concerns from neighbors when the item returns for action.