Onslow County commissioners approve three rezonings and three zoning code amendments

On Monday the Onslow County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve three separate zoning map amendments and three zoning text amendments, following staff presentations and brief public hearings.

Planning staff presented the first rezoning, a request by Tidewater Associates on behalf of Coastal Bay Developers LLC to change two parcels at 30302 Coastal Reef Court from Residential-15 to Residential-5. Carter Metcalfe, planning staff, said the combined rezoning area is 0.73 acres and that R-5 allows smaller minimum lots and multifamily uses compared with R-15; he noted the proposed change aligns with the county's future land-use designation of "village" and that the county planning board recommended approval on Feb. 6. Josh Edmondson, representing Ty Warner and Associates, told commissioners the owners now wish to sell and develop the two lots consistent with neighboring R-5 lots.

The board then approved a rezoning request by Adam Parrish for a 0.25-acre parcel at 249 Fulcher Landing Road from Residential-8 Manufactured to Community Business. Metcalfe said the change would permit small-scale retail and service uses that would serve nearby coastal neighborhoods; Parrish told the board his intent is to place an ice machine on the property to serve local fishermen and the adjacent RV park.

A third rezoning, filed by Matt Canada, asked to rezone three tax parcels totaling 52.21 acres at 1055 Old Folkston Road from Rural Agriculture to Highway Business. Metcalfe described the site as currently forested and noted environmental constraints including blue-line streams and areas in the AE flood zone that would be reviewed during development. He also told commissioners that if multifamily housing were developed on the site it could contribute to school capacity concerns. Matt Canada and a nearby resident, John Pierce, both spoke in favor of permitting commercial uses along the Highway 210 corridor.

The board also approved three zoning-text amendments proposed by county planning staff. Amendment 1 creates a conditional-site-plan pathway so applicants may present a simplified conditional site plan at rezoning with a requirement to submit a full engineered site plan later if approval is granted. Amendment 2 removes a county requirement that all parks have paved parking lots and specific buffering and landscaping standards, giving the county more flexibility in park implementation. Amendment 3 allows the zoning administrator to approve relocating required street-tree plantings elsewhere on site when required plantings conflict with utility infrastructure, while maintaining the total number of on-site plantings.

Each of the six items was presented to the planning board, which recommended approval for all; commissioners adopted statements of consistency and authorized the chairman to sign necessary documents. No citizens spoke in opposition at the hearings, and commissioners recorded no opposing votes.

Votes at a glance - Coastal Bay rezoning (PZ 2024-33): Motion to approve passed unanimously; board authorized chairman to sign consistency statement. Staff noted the parcels total 0.73 acres and that schools serving the area (Dixon Elementary and Dixon High) are projected to be overcapacity. (Presenter: Carter Metcalfe; speaker in support: Josh Edmondson.) - Parrish rezoning (PRZ 2025-2): Motion to approve passed unanimously; applicant Adam Parrish said he intends to install an ice machine for local fishermen. Parcel size 0.25 acres; nearby Fulcher Landing Campground noted. (Presenter: Carter Metcalfe; applicant: Adam Parrish.) - Canada rezoning (PRZ 2025-3): Motion to approve passed unanimously; rezoning covers 52.21 acres at Old Folkston Road. Staff flagged blue-line streams and AE flood-zone areas that will require review during development and noted potential school-capacity impacts if multifamily is built. (Presenter: Carter Metcalfe; applicant: Matt Canada; supporter: John Pierce.) - Zoning text amendment ZTA 2025-1 (conditional-site-plan): Approved unanimously; creates a conditional-site-plan option for conditional rezonings with required follow-up engineering when applicable. (Presenter: Carter Metcalfe.) - Zoning text amendment ZTA 2025-1 (parks definition and requirements): Approved unanimously; removes the blanket requirement for paved parking lots and certain buffering/landscaping standards for county parks to allow flexible implementation. (Presenter: Carter Metcalfe.) - Zoning text amendment ZTA 2025-1 (street-tree relocation): Approved unanimously; grants the zoning administrator authority to allow relocating required street-tree plantings on site when they conflict with utilities, while requiring the same overall planting count.

Why it matters Rezoning and zoning-text changes reconfigure what kinds of development are allowed on specific parcels and change procedural options for future development proposals. County staff said the rezonings generally align with the Onslow County future land-use map and planning objectives; they also flagged constraints (school capacity, floodplain and stream resources) that will be considered during any permitting and development review.

What commissioners said Commissioners recorded no formal debate on the motions beyond standard procedure questions. Metcalfe answered commissioners' questions about the conditional rezoning process and explained that applicants must hold neighborhood meetings, submit the conditional site plan to staff for technical review, and then proceed through the planning board and commission hearings. Commissioners adopted consistency statements and authorized the chairman to sign.

Next steps Approved rezonings will proceed through the county's development review and permitting processes for any proposed subdivisions or site plans. Text amendments are effective according to the county's ordinance timeline and will be applied during future plan reviews as described by planning staff.