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Edgecombe commissioners approve CT Williams conditional rezoning for large Macclesfield subdivision
Summary
After more than two hours of public comment and debate, the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 (one commissioner absent) to approve CT Williams Corporation’s request to rezone roughly 294 acres near Macclesfield from AR-30 to R‑20‑C with conditions limiting units and requiring site‑built single‑family homes.
The Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 on June 2 to approve a conditional rezoning request from Cecil T. (CT) Williams Corporation that will allow a new subdivision on land south of Macclesfield.
The approved application rezones two parcels (approximately 179.28 acres and 114.81 acres in the public notice) from AR‑30 Rural Residential to R‑20‑C Mixed Residential Conditional District. The concept plan submitted with the application shows a maximum of 332 lots with a required minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet and a condition that “only single family site‑built, detached homes are allowed.” Commissioners set the rezoning as a conditional approval tied to the submitted concept plan and the applicant’s written conditions.
The rezoning request returned to the board after a prior hearing resulted in a tie vote. Planning staff and the county’s planning board recommended against the request, concluding the proposed change was inconsistent with the county’s 2014 comprehensive plan and growth management policy for rural areas. Planner Dervin Veil told the board the planning board unanimously forwarded the application with an unfavorable recommendation and noted outstanding technical issues including septic permitting and NCDOT access requirements.
Applicant Cecil Williams and engineer Mike Tolleson said the R‑20 district was necessary to make the subdivision economically feasible. Williams and a company representative, Sam Johnson, said the development would feature internal streets (no road‑front lots), underground utilities, and homes intended for low‑ and moderate‑income buyers, older buyers and people seeking one‑level houses. Tolleson said soils testing and final layouts remain to be completed and that the “average lot size” shown in the concept is about 24,000 square feet, but the final lot count and sizes could change based on soils and other technical reviews.
Opposition among residents focused on infrastructure and environmental risks. Dozens of residents spoke in public comment, citing concerns about traffic on NC 111 and the triangular intersection at NC 42/111, the capacity of volunteer fire and EMS services, school capacity, drinking water and septic impacts, and loss of agricultural land and rural character. Several speakers pointed to town and regional land‑use plans that emphasize maintaining a “small‑town” character around Macclesfield. Adjacent landowner Thomas Tolleson urged commissioners to leave the zoning at AR‑30 and argued that the developer would still build under AR‑30.
Supporters told the board the development would supply needed workforce housing to support new and prospective industry in the region. Bob Pike of Carolina’s Gateway Partnership argued that recent and announced industry growth in the broader region has increased demand for workforce housing and that denser, concentrated subdivisions help concentrate infrastructure and services.
Commission discussion touched on control mechanisms. Staff and the board clarified that certain changes to the concept plan — such as increases in density or reductions in open space — would be considered major modifications requiring board review. The board also noted that minor internal adjustments could be handled administratively via the technical review committee.
Chairman Bennett Wiggins made the motion to approve the conditional rezoning as presented. The motion received a second; the board recorded four votes in favor and no votes opposed, with one commissioner absent. The planning board’s unfavorable recommendation and the record of public opposition were explicitly noted in the board’s discussion and are part of the official record.
The approval is limited to the conditions and concept plan submitted with the application. Additional design work — including soil suitability, NCDOT access approvals, septic permits and any significant increase in density — will require subsequent technical review or a return to the board.
Votes and next steps: The approval authorizes staff to draft an adoption ordinance and a written statement of reasonableness and consistency as required by state statute. Development remains subject to all required permitting including NCDOT, environmental health (septic), stormwater, and building permits; staff said those processes must be completed before construction can proceed.
