Commissioners hear Harnett Horizons 2040 presentation; adoption postponed to include absent commissioner

Harnett County commissioners heard a final presentation of the Harnett Horizons 2040 comprehensive development plan and agreed to delay a vote until the next meeting so an absent commissioner can participate.

Stewart Engineering consultant Jake Petrowski and county planning staff summarized the plan—s major recommendations: updated future land-use maps, agricultural-protection overlays, new "village district" design guidance (including Buies Creek as a conceptual village), a Jetport overlay to protect airport-adjacent employment areas, transportation priorities and strategies to address housing affordability. Petrowski told the board the plan is intended to guide rezonings, infrastructure decisions and future zoning code updates: "It is a comprehensive plan that provides guidance on growth and development over the coming years," he said.

Why it matters: the county is experiencing rapid growth and the plan proposes tools to balance development with farmland preservation, expand local commercial options, and shape transportation and housing outcomes.

Public input and key recommendations Planning staff said the draft drew roughly 1,800 survey responses and more than a year of public engagement. The plan recommends: an agricultural protection overlay to reduce conflicts with working farms; incentives and design options to address housing affordability; creation of village districts to concentrate mixed uses and limit low-density sprawl; and conditional zoning as a tool to secure public improvements tied to large developments.

Speakers at the public hearing praised the plan and suggested amendments. Richard Chapman urged the county to add a dedicated chapter on the Cape Fear River and proposed creation of a volunteer Cape Fear River Health and Use Council to coordinate river-related recreation, tourism and water-quality work. "The Cape Fear River is the biggest distinctive distinction and geographical fact in Harnett County," Chapman said. Lynn Marshbanks raised questions about tree preservation and potential displacement in the conceptual Buies Creek village-design guidance, saying she wanted to "preserve as much of that as possible." Other speakers commended staff for outreach and urged the board to align implementation steps with infrastructure and school capacity planning.

Board action After discussion the commissioners voted to postpone adoption until the next scheduled meeting or work session so Commissioner Jaggers could participate; the motion carried unanimously.

Ending: Staff will bring the plan back for adoption or further amendment at the next meeting. Commissioners and staff noted the plan is intended to be a living document and recommended periodic updates as growth continues.