Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harnett County commissioners deny rezoning request for Oak Grove Church Road parcel
Summary
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to deny a request by BS Land LLC to rezone about 14.85 acres from RA-40 to RA-30 on Oak Grove Church Road, after staff recommended approval but the planning board and neighborhood residents raised compatibility and traffic concerns.
Harnett County commissioners voted unanimously to deny a rezoning request by BS Land LLC that would have changed roughly 14.85 acres of a 68.3-acre tract on Oak Grove Church Road from RA-40 to RA-30.
The request, identified in the meeting as Plan 2506001, was presented by county planning staff, who recommended approval, and opposed by the county planning board (which recommended denial 4–1) and by multiple neighboring residents who said the change conflicted with the county
Harnett Horizons 2040 agricultural protection designation and would increase traffic on a rural two-lane road.
Planning staff said the rezoning would place the property under a single set of zoning regulations and align its zoning with adjacent parcels. "This would allow for the site to be developed under one set of zoning regulations and places the property in the same zoning category as the adjacent properties," said Sarah Arber, Harnett County Development Services.
Joseph Adams, representing the applicant (BS Land LLC), argued the planning board
was incorrect to base denial on criteria he said apply to variances rather than rezonings. "The basis presented and made by the planning board was a mistake," Adams said, citing Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes as the applicable statutory framework for rezoning review.
Brad Barefoot of Marsh Engineering Services, who prepared subdivision concepts for the site, told commissioners that the two layout options (with and without rezoning) would differ only by one lot in the firm
's plans and that rezoning would primarily simplify lot geometry. "The 2 vary by 1 lot at the end of the day," Barefoot said, adding that a contiguous zoning classification would avoid irregular lot shapes caused by a split zoning line.
Neighbors and one resident speaker opposed the change. Wesley Rich, who lives directly across Oak Grove Church Road, said roughly 38 households signed a letter opposing the rezoning and told the board the change could enable "the full build out of a 59-home subdivision." He also cited traffic projections, saying the road could see a near doubling of vehicle trips when combined with other nearby developments. "Oak Grove Church Road could see a 97% increase in daily traffic," Rich said, and described the road as narrow with limited shoulders and visibility.
Property owner Trent Wilson said he had farmed the land for decades and was selling after poor crop years. "I farmed that land for 20 some years," Wilson told the board, and said he was seeking a straightforward, uniform zoning for parcels he is selling.
After public comment and discussion, a commissioner moved to deny Plan 2506001. The motion carried unanimously; the board clerk recorded the action as a denial of the rezoning request.
The record shows the property currently is split-zoned, with about 54 acres already zoned RA-30 and the remainder RA-40; water service is available to the site but the development would rely on private septic systems. A preliminary major subdivision plat has been submitted but its further review was paused pending the rezoning decision.
No timetable for any revised application or next steps was specified during the meeting.
