Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harnett County commissioners approve rezoning request along US‑401 corridor over one dissent
Summary
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners approved a request to rezone a parcel along U.S. 401 from RA‑40 to commercial, following a presentation by the applicant and planning staff; the measure passed 4‑1.
Harnett County commissioners voted 4‑1 Aug. 4 to approve a rezoning request that would change a parcel along U.S. 401 from RA‑40 (rural/residential) to commercial.
The request was presented during public comment by attorney Hunter Winstead of Morning Star Law Group, who represented Blissful Properties and Realty. Winstead said the applicant is seeking a commercial designation consistent with the county’s newly adopted 2040 future land‑use map and described surrounding uses, including a self‑storage facility to the north and a memory care center to the northeast. “We’re requesting to rezone from R A 40 to commercial,” Winstead told the board.
Planning staff returned the item to the board after it had been tabled at a June hearing so staff could provide a timeline for intersection improvements at Piney Grove‑Rawls Road and U.S. 401 North. Planning staff member Sarah Arbour told the board the requested information had been provided in a memorandum and offered to answer remaining questions.
The board made a procedural motion to take the previously tabled case back up for consideration and then voted to approve the rezoning. When commissioners voted, the chair called for “aye”; one commissioner voiced opposition. The board clerk announced the tally as “4 to 1.” No individual vote names were recorded in the transcript.
Winstead and the project team said the site is constrained — noting the southern portion of the parcel narrows to roughly 75 feet — and that specific entrance and site‑plan issues would be addressed later in the development review process. Winstead described the planned use as likely “a really small retail convenience store” intended to serve nearby residents and motorists on 401. He also said, referring to the county’s comprehensive plan, that the requested commercial designation is “squarely consistent” with the future land‑use map enacted in April.
Planning staff and the applicant emphasized that rezoning determines allowable uses and that driveway location and traffic‑safety concerns are decided during site‑plan review and permitting. The applicant cited a court‑of‑appeals precedent in a summary remark about property owners’ rights to access public roads during later permitting stages.
The rezoning approval sends the property to the permitting stage; no site plan or building permit was before the board. The transcript contains no subsequent recorded conditions attached to the rezoning or explicit timetable for development.
