Johnston County commissioners deny rezoning at 6232 Raleigh Road after traffic and compatibility concerns

Johnston County commissioners voted Nov. 3 to deny a rezoning request (case 25‑05) for 6.69 acres at 6232 Raleigh Road after concerns about traffic safety, compatibility with surrounding residences and uncertainty about enforceability of conditions.

Planning Director Braston Newton told the board the site is currently zoned agricultural/residential and sits near West Johnston High School. Newton said the application sought general business conditional zoning with sixteen stated conditions limiting uses to outdoor storage, parking of commercial vehicles and semi loading and unloading; staff noted the parcel is on the periphery of the county's regional mixed‑use future land‑use place type and that Raleigh Road carries about 4,500 vehicles per day (2023 count).

The applicant's attorney, Bob Spence, and applicant Kurt Farrell described a specialized scaffolding and contractor‑service operation they said would produce limited traffic (Farrell estimated one to two semi deliveries per week and roughly ten contractor truck trips per week) and that the business would employ screening, a chain‑link perimeter fence and an angled driveway to keep truck turning movements on site. "I think that's the least impactful use you could almost put on that road," Spence said, arguing the conditional zoning and conditions would provide more enforceable restrictions than an agricultural residential use.

Residents who live on and near Raleigh Road disputed that account. Samantha Worley (6217 Raleigh Road) said she believes the conditional uses listed in the application may not be permitted under the county code except in industrial zones and that storage and semi loading resemble a trucking terminal. Thomas Honeycutt Jr., a retired civil engineer who owns property adjacent to the site, described limited sight lines on the hilly, two‑lane Raleigh Road and said large trucks entering and exiting the site could create a hazard, particularly where northbound cars crest a hill near the school. Brookie Honeycutt, former principal at West Johnston High School, and other residents described heavy morning and afternoon school traffic and urged denial on safety grounds.

Planning staff reported the planning board recommended denial, stating the proposal was inconsistent with the land‑use place type and expressed apprehension about the types of vehicles and movements that would use the site. During deliberations commissioners raised three recurring concerns: whether the request fit the county's regional mixed‑use center designation, the potential traffic and sight‑line risks on Raleigh Road near a high school, and the practical enforceability of hours, delivery windows and limits on outdoor storage if the land were rezoned and leased to a separate operator.

A commissioner moved to adopt a statement of consistency recommending denial and to deny the rezoning request as presented in the agenda packet. The motion received a second; the board voted in favor, and the chair declared the motion carried.

The denial leaves the parcel zoned agricultural/residential. Commissioners and staff noted that other commercial parcels exist along NC 210 and that rezoning decisions should be aligned with the county's land‑use plan and long‑range infrastructure planning.

The public record for case 25‑05 includes the applicant's site plan and the planning board's consistency recommendation; the board did not adopt any alternate conditions before denying the rezoning. The applicant and neighbors were advised how to appeal or refile under county procedures if they choose to do so.