Morganton council denies rezoning request for 2.38-acre parcel on South Sterling Street

Morganton City Council voted to deny a request to rezone a 2.38-acre portion of an assembled five-parcel tract fronting on South Sterling Street from the Medium Intensity District (MID) to the High Intensity District (HID).

The rezoning request covered portions of parcels addressed as 1807 South Sterling Street, 0 Sloane Avenue and 0 Sterling Forest Drive. The applicant and its consultants said the change would enable a compact, multi-tenant retail or office development near the interstate interchange and argued that topography and parcel configuration made smaller footprints infeasible. The council denied the request after a public hearing and deliberation.

The applicant's attorney, Amanda Hodiern, told the council the proposal had been shaped to limit impacts: "We wanted to create a size and scale that was appropriate," she said, describing a 2.38-acre '2delta of change' restricted to the frontage on South Sterling and keeping the corridor overlay in place to preserve higher design standards. Daniel Almasan of Terramor Development, who assisted the application, said topography and stormwater requirements made smaller, economically viable sites impractical: "It's because it's hard to develop. It leans back so far," he said.

City staff noted the area is largely zoned MID and that the Imagine Morganton 2040 comprehensive plan designated the affected block as mixed-density residential, which planners said envisions mostly residential growth with only limited, neighborhood-scale commercial uses. Planning staff advised denying the rezoning and the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended denial by a 6-3 vote. Staff noted HID allows additional uses and greater building height (up to 75 feet) and said those allowances could introduce uses and scales inconsistent with the plan's designation.

Councilmembers discussed compatibility with adjacent homes, the comprehensive plan guidance and the parcel's unusual topography. Councilmember Wendy Kato, who moved denial, said she was concerned about allowing up to 75-foot-high buildings next to smaller residences and preferred either leaving the MID designation or extending HID in a contiguous way rather than creating an isolated pocket. After discussion, the council voted to deny the rezoning.

The denial leaves the property zoned MID; any future development proposals would still be subject to the city's corridor overlay standards and the requirements of the zoning ordinance.

The council's decision was made following a public hearing at which the applicant presented evidence and neighbors had an opportunity to comment. No specific development plan was approved or rejected by this action; the council considered only the zoning map amendment request.

Looking ahead, the applicant, property owner and city staff may revisit development options that conform to the existing MID designation or propose a different form of rezoning that addresses the council's compatibility concerns.