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Commissioners approve Duke Energy conditional rezoning for Jacksonville operations center
Summary
The Onslow County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a conditional rezoning for a 14.19‑acre Duke Energy operations center and lay‑down yard on Richlands Highway; planning staff said wetlands were avoided and no military impacts were identified.
On June 16 the Onslow County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning to allow a Duke Energy Progress operations center and lay‑down yard on a 14.19‑acre portion of a larger parcel on Richlands Highway.
Planning staff presented the request as a conditional Highway Business district (HBCZ) with 16 conditions addressing site layout, stormwater, landscaping and procedural requirements. Planner Carter Metcalf told the board the site is forested, contains regulated wetlands at the rear that the applicant avoided, and is at the edge of a New River Air Station flight-path overlay; planning‑staff liaisons said there was no military impact.
Amy Kraut, an attorney for Duke Energy, said the center would be a regional hub for maintenance crews and materials — an office/warehouse component at the road frontage with a lay‑down yard toward the rear that would store poles, trucks and non‑energized materials. “This is an ideal location for the operation center,” Kraut said, and noted the site has water and sewer capacity at Richlands Highway and that the applicant conducted neighborhood meetings with no opposition reported.
Engineer David Bergmark described the layout and said wetlands had been delineated and placed outside the proposed lay‑down area; the site plan includes two drives to improve vehicle circulation and buffers along the frontage. Jeremy Thigpen, representing Duke, said the facility would improve the company’s ability to stage crews and materials during storms.
The county planning board previously recommended unanimous approval; no citizens spoke against the request during the planning-board hearing or at the county meeting. Commissioners approved the conditional rezoning by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Approved conditions require the developer to secure site‑specific permits (driveway, stormwater, erosion control) and to meet the county’s landscape and lighting standards; minor amendments to the plan may be approved administratively by the planning director.
Staff asked the board to adopt a statement of consistency and authorized the chairman to sign the necessary documents.
