Neighbors oppose Worthington Road storage rezoning; Pitt County commissioners deny Happy Trails request

Pitt County commissioners on May 20 denied a request from Happy Trails LLC to rezone 3.32 acres on Worthington Road from rural residential to a General Commercial Conditional District for a self‑storage warehouse facility.

The request drew heavy public opposition: six residents who live immediately adjacent to or near the proposed site spoke against the rezoning during the public hearing, citing concerns about increased traffic near D.H. Conley High School, noise from large industrial roll‑up doors, lighting shining into backyards, stormwater and flooding impacts, and a decline in property character and value. Several speakers said the area had been rural residential long before nearby commercial uses developed.

Jonas Hill (staff member) described the site, proposed conditions and required compliance items, including a paved driveway and parking areas, a stormwater pond, a 6‑foot chain‑link fence with three strands of barbed wire at the top, a five‑foot berm with landscaping where vegetation is absent, and limits on hours of operation (7 a.m. to 9 p.m.). He said the planning board had voted 9–0 to recommend denial on the earlier February 2024 application, and that the petitioner resubmitted with revisions.

Residents who spoke against the rezoning included Kathy Sikalski (20 52 Toll Road), Steve Craig (1643 Toll Road), Chris Carter (2030 Toll Road), Jacqueline Cartwright (2030 Toll Road), Maggie Craig (1643 Toll Road), and Frances Mills (neighbor adjacent to the school). Their testimony focused on cumulative impacts of multiple storage facilities in the area—existing mini‑storage next to Woodland Point was repeatedly cited as an example—and on perceived enforcement and nuisance problems with nearby storage operations.

Mike Baldwin, representing the petitioner and landowner Woody Richard, described changes the applicant had made after the planning board meeting: reducing building footprint and number of units (from 43 to 37), moving buildings farther from rear property lines and adding berms and landscaping, installing façade lighting rather than area fixtures, and providing a stormwater plan. Baldwin emphasized that the proposed units are larger (25 by 50 feet) and that the proposed density (12 doors per acre) is far lower than the adjacent facility’s density.

Commissioners debated the proposal after the hearing. Several commissioners expressed concern for protecting residential property values and safety for school traffic; one commissioner noted law‑enforcement and narcotics risks he associated with storage units from professional experience. Commissioner discussion also raised procedural questions about the alignment of the future land‑use plan and the commercial node along NC 43 South.

A motion to deny the rezoning (finding it inconsistent with the land‑use plan and not reasonable or in the public interest) carried. Commissioners instructed staff to prepare the formal consistency and reasonableness statements documenting the board’s findings.

Provenance: Public hearing and resident comments begin at the staff presentation introducing the Happy Trails rezoning (Jonas Hill) and continue through residents’ testimony and the commissioners’ motion to deny (transcript segments).