Iredell County commissioners deny rezoning for 51.5-acre Josie Road site after safety and traffic concerns

The Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted 5–0 on Nov. 18 to deny a rezoning request for about 51.525 acres along Josie Road after residents and several commissioners said too many details remained unresolved.

The request, brought by the property owner Murano LLC and represented by Metrolina Capital Partners LLC, sought to change the site from residential-agriculture (RA) to Highway Business Conditional District to allow a truck-parking facility and supporting truck-oriented services. County planner Matthew Todd told the board staff recommended against the request after the planning board recommended denial, but he described four proposed conditions the applicant offered, including required truck access from Tomlin Mill Road, a five-foot berm and buffer along the northern border, an engineered stormwater plan and downward-directed lighting to limit light pollution.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing cited traffic safety, school congestion, stormwater runoff and potential crime or nuisance associated with commercial truck stops. Amy Marie Miller of Branchwood Road told the board she had a DOT public-record response showing the state would not change the on/off ramps at that interchange for three years and said that, in her view, approving the zoning before access and safety questions were resolved would increase the risk of accidents. She also cited figures she said were from a federal motor-carrier agency showing higher crime rates at commercial truck stops and asked the board not to approve the rezoning until DOT could address traffic access.

Other residents described waiting to see a concept plan until the later application, questioned how large areas of the site would be paved, and said the proposal had shifted between meetings. John Whalen, who owns property adjoining the site, described multiple recent accidents on Josie Road and raised the potential for increased runoff from paved surfaces, providing the board with a calculation he used to illustrate runoff volumes per paved acre.

Applicant representatives, including Metrolina partner Harry Toomas and attorney Ben Casarino, said the submitted site plan was illustrative and that some protections had been added in response to public input—most notably the exclusions of roughly 26 specific Highway Business uses and the condition that all truck traffic be routed to Tomlin Mill Road. Casarino said Love's (the truck-stop operator) had provided a letter of intent regarding shared access and that, if the project proceeded, the developer would record an easement.

Commissioners said they were sympathetic to both private-property rights and neighborhood concerns but repeatedly voiced ‘‘heartburn’’ about unknowns including the lack of an engineering-level traffic impact study, the details of any easement or access agreement, and open questions about stormwater infrastructure and hours of operation. Commissioner Stroud moved to deny the zoning map amendment, saying the proposal was too concept-driven and inconsistent with the county's 2045 horizon plan as presented; the motion passed unanimously.

The decision means the applicant would have to revise the proposal and return to the planning process if it wishes to pursue development. Several commissioners stressed that site-plan review, traffic studies, erosion-control approvals and any recorded easements would be required later in the process if the owner and the county pursue a new or modified application.

Action at a glance: Commissioner Stroud moved to deny the zoning map amendment; the board voted 5–0 to approve that motion and deny the request.

Next steps: The denial concludes the county's consideration of the current rezoning application; any revised rezoning or a new application would require new submittals to planning staff and the planning board before returning to the board of commissioners.