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Neighbors oppose proposed rezoning near Carnes Crossroads; bill moves forward on first reading
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Summary
Residents near Carnes Crossroads spoke against a proposed rezoning for a masonry business, citing concerns about noise, trucks, aesthetics and proximity to a family cemetery. The council treated the measure as first reading by title only; further committee review will follow.
Several residents addressed county council during public comment to oppose a proposed rezoning application related to property owned by LaRocca Masonry LLC, which is listed on the agenda as a first-reading zoning bill (Bill 25-43).
Deanna Renee Holcomb, who said she owns property adjacent to the site identified in the application, told the council she plans to build a home near the parcel and described the applicant’s current site work as unsettling. Holcomb said the applicant had excavated and dug a pond and that she was concerned a planned metal building with a gravel parking lot would be out of character with the neighborhood. She asked the council to consider the area’s existing residential character, nearby traffic patterns and the presence of a family cemetery.
Manila Dobbs, who said she lives on Memory Lane and was born on the family parcel near the proposed site, said many neighbors object and the community previously asked the county in 1997 to limit further commercial encroachment in that corridor. Dobbs noted the new Berkeley (Roper) hospital is nearby and asked that further commercial rezoning into interior residential areas be resisted.
Council members and staff clarified that the bill under discussion that evening was for first reading only; Councilman Philip Ovi reminded the audience that first reading is by title and that substantive votes (second reading) will occur later after committee review. Because this was a first-reading item, the council did not vote on the zoning request that night.
Residents asked that the council and planning staff consider setbacks, truck access and the visual impact of a metal building behind the existing neighborhood. Holcomb said she had heard the applicant undertook excavation without permits; the transcript records that claim as a speaker statement and does not include documentary evidence provided to council at the meeting.
Next steps: Bill 25-43 was read into the record by title and referred to the appropriate committee for further consideration and eventual second-reading vote.
