Lincoln County approves special‑use permit for large Lincoln Charter recreational complex with buffer condition

Lincoln County commissioners voted to approve a special‑use permit for the Foundation for Education, Inc. to build an 87.22‑acre recreational campus associated with Lincoln Charter School that will include athletic fields, a gymnatorium, performing arts space and phased facilities.

The applicant, represented by attorney Rob Brown, said the plan calls for a 70,000‑square‑foot performing arts center eventually, a 34,000‑square‑foot gymnatorium, a potential 45,000‑square‑foot indoor swim complex and multiple outdoor athletic fields. Brown said the Foundation owns the property and that phase 1 — stadium and track, tennis courts, cross‑country trails and the gymnatorium — is targeted to begin grading in December and to be completed by January 2027 if the special‑use permit is approved.

The board heard sustained public comment from neighbors who said the project could create traffic congestion on narrow two‑lane roads, increase noise and cause light spillover into adjacent yards. Sheila Sadler, a neighbor, asked whether Lincoln Charter would be required to install a berm and tree line, require lights to be dark‑sky compliant and lock parking lots when not in use. “If this does indeed pass, can Lincoln Charter be required to put a berm and tree line between the properties?” Sadler asked.

Rob Brown and the project engineer answered several concerns: they said the site retains significant tree save areas, they offered to install a planting and berm buffer, and engineers said modern back‑cutoff athletic lighting would keep most light on the fields. Project engineer Jeff Oden said the team planned to construct an evergreen buffer and berm to mitigate sight lines into the development.

The board amended the applicant’s motion to make a Class B buffer a condition of approval along the northwestern parking‑lot edge closest to Old Plank Road, and commissioners indicated they understood that additional specific buffer requirements would be drafted and tied to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance standards. After the amendment, the board approved the permit on a voice vote.

The permit includes a five‑year vesting period sought by the applicant for the phased plan rather than the standard two years. Brown told the board the Foundation will comply with all federal, state and local development requirements and will coordinate with property owners about boundary and tree‑save commitments. Laura Sigmund Gilliland, a family member who sold the land to the Foundation, recorded support for the project and said the family sought tree preservation and other protections during sale negotiations.

The board’s action was limited to the special‑use permit and did not approve detailed civil engineering plans, traffic control plans or final lighting specifications; those items will be addressed in subsequent site plan and permitting reviews. The county also noted that state law limits the use of road service level as a basis to deny school zoning, and a separate traffic study requirement may apply at later site‑plan stages.