Iredell County hears rezoning briefing for 51.5‑acre Josie Road site; schedules Dec. 2 public hearing on land‑development code changes
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Summary
Planning staff briefed commissioners on a conditional rezoning for roughly 51.525 acres along Josie Road that would allow heavy‑permitted uses, with the applicant adding conditions to limit truck access to Tomlin Mill Road after neighbor concern; the board also called a Dec. 2 public hearing on proposed land‑development code amendments including changes to accessory dwelling unit size and solar decommissioning rules.
County planning staff and the Board of Commissioners discussed a conditional rezoning request and related land‑development code changes during the Oct. 25 meeting of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners. The board set a public hearing on the proposed text amendments for Dec. 2, 2025.
Matthew Todd, who briefed the board, said the rezoning question concerns approximately 51.525 acres along Josie Road. "The first time this request was submitted, it was just a straight rezoning request, not conditional," Todd said, noting that planning staff and the applicant subsequently moved to the conditional rezoning process after neighbors raised concerns. He described conditions the applicant included: engineered stormwater plans, downward‑directed lighting, a berm along the northern residential boundary, and a requirement that any truck‑related traffic access the site from Tomlin Mill Road rather than Josie Road. "Any any truck traffic . . . would access off of Tomlin Mill and not Josie Road," Todd said.
Todd told the board the original submittal previously received a 5–4 planning‑board recommendation to approve. He said that after the applicant revised the proposal through the conditional process and submitted additional clarifying conditions, the planning board gave an unfavorable recommendation on the second review. Commissioners raised questions about connectivity — noting that the parcel can only be accessed from Tomlin Mill through adjoining property not owned by the applicant — and about how many tractor‑trailers could fit on the rezoned acreage.
Separately, Todd summarized a proposed set of text amendments to the county's land‑development code for which the board called a public hearing. Key changes previewed by staff include removing confusing summary tables that some residents misinterpret as the exclusive list of permitted uses; adding a limited set of commonly requested uses; expanding flexibility for accessory dwelling units (proposal: increase the typical size limit from 650 square feet to 1,000 square feet); allowing a property owner with an active building permit to temporarily live in an on‑site RV while constructing a house (subject to time limits tied to the permit); exempting commercial major subdivisions from the county's open‑space requirement in some circumstances; and aligning county text with recent state law changes on resubmittal waiting periods and on decommissioning requirements for solar facilities larger than 2 megawatts.
Todd said planning staff added these edits to improve user clarity and reflect state law changes. He noted planning board recommended the text amendment unanimously, 8–0. The board directed staff to proceed to the advertised Dec. 2 public hearing, where the public will be able to review details of the proposed changes on the county planning web pages before speaking.
The board did not make a final decision on the rezoning at the Oct. 25 meeting; the rezoning item is scheduled for the 6:00 p.m. public hearing earlier noted. The county manager said the planning packet will be posted to the county website for public review ahead of the hearing.