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Commissioners approve conditional zoning for 618-acre Arthur Williams sand and clay quarry on NC 211
Summary
The board approved a conditional rezoning of roughly 618 acres along NC Highway 211 for an expanded sand-and-clay mining operation owned by William Arthur Williams; applicant and staff said the site will be mined in phases and reclaimed to agriculture when finished.
Moore County commissioners voted Feb. 18 to grant a conditional rezoning (RA → RA-CZ) for approximately 618 acres at 985 NC Highway 211, allowing an existing sand-and-clay mining operation to expand in phased sections.
Planning Director Deborah Ensminger presented the application from William Arthur Williams (owner/operator) and said the request met the Unified Development Ordinance requirements for a conditional rezoning. Ensminger described the subject parcels, the existing Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permit, the phasing plan (approximately 30 years, with individual phase approvals submitted to DEQ six months prior to each new phase), and the company’s restoration/reclamation approach, which the applicant said will return mined areas to agricultural uses and include berms and buffers.
Williams, who said his family has operated on the property for years, told commissioners the operation had identified a concreting sand deposit and that processing is “self-contained” with water reused onsite; he said there would be no blasting and that berms and 100-foot setbacks would be used where the mine approaches adjacent properties. Planning staff noted the application included truck-route exhibits, reclamation plans and other materials in the packet. The Planning Board had recommended approval 8–0.
After a public hearing with Williams present and public comments limited to the applicant and supportive remarks from nearby residents who characterized the operation as a “first-class operation,” the board approved the rezoning in a voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
