Iredell planning board recommends denial of rezoning for 51.5-acre Josie Road tract; forwards denial to commissioners

The Iredell County Planning Board voted 5-4 on Oct. 1 to recommend denial of a rezoning request for roughly 51.525 acres along Josie Road that would change five parcels from Residential Agricultural to Highway Business Conditional District. The board’s recommendation will go to the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, which is scheduled to hear the request on Nov. 18, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the same facility.

The vote came after a staff presentation and more than a dozen public commenters, many of whom said the proposed rezoning would bring truck traffic and other impacts to an otherwise rural area. The application was filed by Metrolina Capital Partners and presented at the meeting by the applicant’s attorney, Keith Merritt of Hamilton Stevens Steel & Martin, and land‑use consultant William Allison of Piedmont Land Approvals.

Staff recommended approval and said a majority of the site is designated Highway Destination Commercial in the county’s 2045 Horizon Plan. Merritt told the board the request “matches the use of the property in both your 2030 and 2045 horizon plans” and noted conditions the applicant offered to address neighbors’ concerns: a truck‑parking facility’s main entry and exit would be on Tomlin Mill Road, a minimum five‑foot berm along the northern border (with options such as a 10‑foot setback plus a fence or a 30‑foot vegetative buffer plus a five‑foot berm), a sealed engineered stormwater plan, and downward‑directed lighting. Merritt also presented a letter from Love’s confirming an easement across Love’s property for access to Tomlin Mill Road.

Neighbors who spoke against the rezoning cited traffic congestion, diesel exhaust, noise, light pollution and potential groundwater impacts from increased runoff. “The biggest issue isn't the berm or the light pollution. Pollution is the traffic,” said Todd Beavis, who gave his address as 341 Josie Road. Robert Bridal, a Sandra Drive resident, said the prevailing wind would carry diesel fumes toward nearby homes: “I'm gonna be sucking down diesel fumes, French fry oil, and everything else,” he said. Other residents asked for a larger berm and wider vegetative buffer than the five feet the applicant proposes.

Board discussion cited two tensions: consistency with the county’s horizon plan, which identifies the I‑77 interchange area for commercial uses, and uncertainty about the long‑term development pattern for a tract of this size. One board member said the zoning district carries a defined list of allowed uses and that the district is appropriate near an interstate interchange. Another board member said the parcel’s size and remaining undeveloped acreage left too many unknowns.

Two formal motions were made. The first motion, to recommend approval and find the rezoning consistent with the 2045 Horizon Plan, failed on a 4‑to‑5 voice/count. A second motion to recommend denial — finding the proposed map amendment inconsistent with the 2045 Horizon Plan but nonetheless reasonable and in the public interest — carried on a 5‑to‑4 vote. The planning board’s action is advisory only; the Board of County Commissioners makes the final decision.

The staff packet noted that staff received three or four phone calls in opposition and one email in support (a project manager at Love’s). The applicant said an engineered stormwater plan would be provided, although the attorney said such plans are typically produced and sealed by a licensed engineer and must meet state and local requirements.

What’s next: the planning board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for a public hearing Nov. 18, 2025, at 6 p.m. Members of the public who spoke urged neighbors to attend that hearing.

Ending: The board chair reminded speakers that the planning board’s recommendation is advisory and reiterated that, given the property’s proximity to I‑77, commercial development is possible. Neighbors were advised to remain engaged at the Nov. 18 county commissioners meeting.