Residents urge commissioners to reject Laurel Road rezoning request ahead of July 21 hearing

Several residents of Laurel Road told the Carteret County Board of Commissioners on June 16 that they oppose a request to rezone a parcel from R-15 to B-1 conditional use.

Tabby Nance, who said she owns three parcels on Laurel Road (including 400 Laurel Road), told commissioners the same applicant previously sought rezoning and was denied. “That same basic request is now coming before you and will be on your July 21 meeting agenda,” she said, and added that the applicant’s purchase of the property appeared to be contingent on the rezoning. “There is no moratorium once it’s granted,” Nance warned, saying the change could open the door to further development requests.

The opponents described Laurel Road as a mostly rural, residential and agricultural corridor with a small number of nonresidential uses. Nance identified nearby properties including a Parker Boats facility, a vacant church parcel, a community college fire training center and an adjacent parcel held by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum in a conservation trust.

Trey Rivenbark, who said he owns three parcels and farms on Lowell Road, told the board the area regularly floods and that his land carries runoff from nearby parcels. “It floods every storm,” Rivenbark said, arguing that additional commercial development would worsen drainage problems.

Nearby resident Zach Brown and Nikolina Merle each told the board they agreed with the earlier speakers and urged commissioners to preserve the area as residential. Merle said she and her husband run a small business but only use their property for parking and “would like to keep it a residential location, and not turning commercial.”

The board did not take action on the rezoning request during the meeting. The item is scheduled for a public hearing at the board’s July 21 meeting, when the planning staff and the applicant are expected to appear and commissioners will hear formal testimony and consider any official motions.

Clarifying details: the request noted on the application discussed at the meeting would change a parcel zoned R-15 to B-1 conditional use; residents said the applicant is Jeff Pilcher and that the purchase may be contingent on the rezoning. Nearby uses described by speakers include Parker Boats, a community college fire training center, and Core Sound Waterfowl Museum (conservation trust).