Rocky Mount council approves rezoning, land‑code updates and two economic development deals

The Rocky Mount City Council on Jan. 13 approved a series of land‑use and economic development actions, including a rezoning of roughly 75 acres off Hunter Hill Road, an option to sell 19.13 acres at Old Carriage Road and Sunset Avenue, and an economic development agreement conveying 55 acres near Thomas A. Betts Parkway and Peel Road for an industrial park.

Those measures — together with two text amendments to the city's land development code and a resolution adopting housing rehabilitation policies — were approved by voice vote during the meeting. Council members also heard public comment and received a report on a settlement with a local data center operator.

The rezoning approved would change a roughly 75‑acre parcel (bordering Hunter Hill Road) from A‑1 (agricultural) to R6 MFA (medium‑density multifamily residential). Joseph Beau Cook, deputy director in the Department of Development Services, told the council the planning board recommended approval because the request is consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan and the city's land‑use policy for outward growth in that area. Kevin Varnell of Stocks Engineering, representing the contract purchasers, said the rezoning would restrict the site to residential uses, and that apartments are not a proposed use; he said single‑family detached lots would be similar in size to adjacent subdivisions.

Council approval included the requirement that a 50‑foot buffer be maintained from the on‑site stream (Goose Branch), and that future development would be subject to the city's stormwater and DOT review requirements. The ordinance was adopted by voice vote.

In economic development actions, Kenneth Hunter, the assistant to the city manager for…