Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Edgecombe County commissioners approve property sale, financing and multiple project funding items; vote roundup
Summary
At its Sept. 2 meeting the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners approved the conditional rezoning of Jenkins Farm Road property, authorized installment financing, accepted a purchase offer for county land at Kingsborough Business Park, and approved state and federal grant packages and other routine items. The sale motion passed 5–1.
The Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners voted on multiple formal actions during its Sept. 2 meeting, approving a conditional rezoning for a Jenkins Farm Road subdivision, authorizing installment financing for county capital projects, accepting an offer to purchase county property at Kingsborough Business Park tied to a proposed data center, and approving several grant and contract funding packages.
Key outcomes
- Conditional rezoning (Case 25-CRZO3): Approved. The board voted to conditionally rezone a 29.32-acre parcel off Jenkins Farm Road from AR-30 (rural residential) to R-30C (single-family residential conditional district) with housing limited to single-family detached homes; the planning board had recommended approval. The applicant, Bernard McLeod (Lands Development LLC), said the proposal is for a 25-lot subdivision and described plans to keep homes affordable. The board adopted written findings of consistency and reasonableness as required by Section 160D-605 of the North Carolina General Statutes and related zoning provisions.
- Installment financing / limited-obligation bond authorization (up to $5,000,000): Approved unanimously. The board authorized Edgecombe County Public Facilities Corporation to issue up to $5,000,000 in limited-obligation bonds to fund county facility improvements (HVAC, roof, electrical), rolling stock for public safety and solid waste equipment; JPMorgan Chase Bank is the purchaser pending Local Government Commission approval. The financing is subject to LGC approval (scheduled Sept. 9) and a planned close on Sept. 16 if approved.
- Offer to purchase county property at Kingsborough Business Park (parcel 21.55 acres) and option on adjacent 100 acres: Approved 5–1. The county accepted an offer from Go Forth Solar LLC to purchase 21.55 acres for $350,000 and an option to buy an adjoining 100 acres for $1,650,000. County staff clarified the proposed development is a data center that would generate on-site power from natural gas and include carbon-capture equipment; it is not a solar project. The board noted the zoning ordinance currently does not list data centers as a permitted use; staff said a text amendment is being drafted and will go to the planning board Sept. 15. Approval of the sale authorizes the county manager and clerk to publish the required notice for upset bids; final sale depends on upset bid period and subsequent approvals.
- Lone Pine Mobile Home Park wastewater project funding: Approved unanimously. The county accepted a funding offer from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Infrastructure totaling $2,724,100 for construction: $862,050 loan, $500,000 principal forgiveness, and $1,362,050 grant. The project will address failing septic systems for about 100 residences in Lone Pine Mobile Home Park and along Ridgewood Road. The board approved the grant project ordinance and an engineering contract with Wooten Company to be paid from project funds.
- Edgecombe Memorial Library HVAC funding: Approved unanimously. The board appropriated $53,250 (county share) toward a $75,000 replacement for part of the library's heating and air system, consistent with the county–town funding formula; Tarboro had appropriated its share. The library director noted possible grant funds that could reduce local contributions.
- Golden Leaf Foundation project endorsements: Approved unanimously. After a review committee scored 13 submissions, the board endorsed four projects (county workforce hub "Edgecombe Works Better," Bridial Opportunity Institute health-care pipeline, Town of Tarboro farmers market/pavilion, and Edgecombe County Schools welding program partnership with Edgecombe Community College) for consideration under Golden Leaf's Community-Based Grant Initiative.
- Other routine approvals: The board approved budget amendments (items 1,2,4–8; item 3 was held), health department fee schedule updates, various contracts and change orders (including sole-source approval for Expansion Solutions LLC for temporary assistance with food nutrition program recertifications) and adopted the updated regional hazard mitigation plan covering Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson counties (ensuring continued eligibility for FEMA mitigation funding).
Vote tallies and motions: Several agenda items were approved by voice vote with commissioners saying "aye" and no recorded opposition in the transcript; where a recorded tally was announced, the Kingsborough sale passed 5–1. For certain approvals the board explicitly adopted written statements of consistency and reasonableness (rezoning case) as required by statute.
Next steps: Several approvals are contingent on subsequent procedural steps: the $5 million financing is subject to Local Government Commission approval, the Kingsborough sale requires the upset-bid period and any required zoning text amendment for data centers must follow public hearings, and the Lone Pine project will proceed under the terms of the state funding offer and the project's grant ordinance.
The board held a closed session on an economic development matter later in the meeting and then adjourned.
