The Person County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 1 approved in part a request to rezone land near the US 501/NC 49 intersection, limiting action to parcels on the west side of Jim Thorpe Highway while leaving a contested east‑side parcel's split zoning unchanged.

The rezoning petition, filed in the agenda as RZDash02Dash25 by Chris and Brian Hicks, sought to rezone 6.62 acres spanning six parcels from Residential R to Highway Business B‑1. Planning staff said the parcels sit in a growth area outside Roxboro and that some adjacent parcels are already zoned B‑1. Planning Director (speaker 7) told the board the change would make allowed uses align with surrounding commercial areas.

The proposal drew opposition from church leaders who said commercial use adjacent to Providence Baptist Church and its cemetery could pose safety and environmental risks. "We would hate to see somebody come in and put something like a sweepstakes shop there or any of a number of businesses that would be unsavory," said Reverend Raymond Wooden during the public hearing, flagging concerns about stormwater runoff and citing historic groundwater contamination at nearby sites. Herman Gentry, a trustee for the church, said cemetery roads are not built for heavy trucks and warned of risks to children in the church playground.

Applicant Chris Hicks responded that similar adjacencies between businesses and cemeteries exist elsewhere in the county and that topography and the parcel's runoff patterns would not direct water toward the church. Hicks said he has no present intent to remove existing residential structures and offered to keep the church informed about future proposals.

After the public comment period and questions about which retail and adult‑oriented uses would be permitted under B‑1 (planning staff said some uses are governed by a separate ordinance), a commissioner offered a substitute motion to approve only the parcels on the west side of Jim Thorpe Highway and to leave the east‑side split zoning in place. The board adopted that substitute motion by voice vote, recorded as 4–1.

The substitute approval corrects split zoning on certain parcels on the west side and avoids an immediate zoning change for property that abuts the church and cemetery. Planning staff noted that site‑specific access to US 501 and NC 49 will be subject to state Department of Transportation driveway permits.

The board’s action narrows the scope of permitted commercial uses allowed immediately; any future physical modifications to structures or new access would require building permits, DOT approval where relevant, and any additional county reviews required by ordinance.