Pender County commissioners voted to rezone a portion of a county-owned parcel near the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and NC 210 in Hampstead, approving only the segment described as west of Safe Passage and north of Dan Owen Drive.

Planning staff had presented the requested rezoning of roughly 27.5 acres from Residential Performance (RP) to General Business (GB), saying the change would extend highway-oriented commercial capacity and was consistent with the newly adopted Imagine Pender 2050 map. Members of the public who live on Dan Owen Drive and in neighboring subdivisions strongly opposed rezoning the southern/western pieces because of traffic, private-road access and long‑standing drainage problems.

"If this were to be decided to be a commercial rezoning for the two large parcels on either side of Dan Owen, our property would be just about worthless as a residential property," one nearby homeowner said during public comment, urging creation of green space instead. Other residents pointed to a diversion ditch and siltation they say now flood private yards; staff and the county manager agreed to meet with residents for follow-up inspections and remediation options.

The board followed the planning board recommendation to approve rezoning only the front, commercially contiguous portion and to leave the remaining parcels under their current zoning pending further study or conditional rezoning. Commissioner discussion emphasized the county's ownership history of the land, enterprise-fund accounting for the purchase, and an interest in recouping some utility-related costs for land left unused.

The approved motion included findings of consistency with Imagine Pender 2050 policies cited by staff and limited the rezoning language to the geographic description provided. County staff committed to coordinate with Public Utilities and the county manager to address drainage and property‑maintenance issues raised by residents.