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Planning board recommends partial approval of county land rezoning in Hampstead amid neighbor opposition
Summary
The Pender County Planning Board recommended rezoning only the northern portion of a county-owned 27.5-acre tract near Highway 17 to General Business, denying the remainder after public concerns about traffic, wetlands and private-road impacts.
The Pender County Planning Board voted to recommend rezoning a portion of county-owned property in Topsail Township while denying a rezoning request for the remainder of the tract after extensive public comment.
Staff presented rezoning case RZ-2025-87: two (functionally three) parcels totaling about 27.5 acres requested to be changed from Residential Performance (RP) to General Business (GB). Staff argued the area near U.S. Highway 17 already has a commercial pattern and that rezoning would allow services residents currently travel to Wilmington or Jacksonville to obtain locally. The county is the applicant and owner.
More than a dozen nearby residents spoke at the public hearing, citing shared concerns: increased traffic at the Food Lion/CVS intersection, safety for children who use Dan Owen Drive and private easements, wetlands and drainage impacts (including references to Mill Creek), potential loss of property values, and questions about the county’s decision to buy and market the land. Commenters noted Dan Owen Drive includes a 500-foot unpaved segment used by roughly 50 homes and urged protections for private easements and road safety.
Board members weighed the planning arguments and public concerns. Several commissioners and staff noted that RP zoning could allow roughly 125 residences by right (staff characterized that as an approximate estimate dependent on utilities and environmental constraints), which also raised concerns about school and service impacts. Commissioners discussed alternatives including a partial rezoning to GB for the acreage directly adjacent to Highway 17, or requiring a conditional rezoning to specify the permitted uses.
The planning board made a motion to recommend approval of the portion of the tract west of Safe Passage Way and adjoining Highway 17 (roughly 5.5–6 acres by GIS estimate) to General Business and to recommend denial of the remainder (the parcels east of Safe Passage Way and the southern parcel), citing compatibility with adjacent commercial zoning on Highway 17 and concerns about impacts to established residential areas. The motion carried on a voice vote; the board scheduled the item for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at the May 19 meeting in Hampstead. Notices will be mailed within 500 feet and signs posted on the property per standard procedure.
