Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Smithfield council defers rezoning after debate over parcel split and future land-use map
Summary
Council debated whether to combine two parcels and change the future land-use designation from historic-residential to downtown mixed-use; planning commission favored combining parcels, staff cited lease and advertising costs; council directed staff to re-advertise and return with a single-parcel option after survey work.
Smithfield — The Town Council on Nov. 5 deferred action on a rezoning and comprehensive-plan amendment after a prolonged debate over whether to treat two adjacent lots as a single parcel and how that should appear on the future land-use map.
Planner Miss Clary told the council the application seeks to rezone property from heavy industrial to downtown to align with neighboring parcels and to amend the future land-use map to reflect newly reconfigured lot lines. Planning Commission recommended combining the two parcels and designating the entire site as historic-district downtown mixed use; staff recommended keeping the lots separate to avoid immediate administrative and advertising costs and to preserve the current lease footprint.
Council members pressed the practical and policy trade-offs. A staff member said combining the parcels would require a new survey and recordation; Miss Clary and staff estimated surveying costs at about $1,000 and advertising fees around $400–$800. A councilmember who supported the planning commission’s unanimous recommendation said, “costs should not be a consideration here,” urging the council to follow the planning panel’s guidance so the future land-use map reflects the town’s aims.
Council also discussed protections the town could include in any sale or lease, including deed restrictions that would prevent residential development if the council chose to do so in future agreements. Council directed staff to re-advertise the alternative that shows the property as a single parcel with a downtown mixed-use future land-use designation and to work with the property owner on a boundary-line vacation and lease adjustments; the item will return at the earliest feasible meeting after required procedures and any necessary Planning Commission involvement.
No rezoning vote was taken at the meeting. The council’s procedural direction was to re-advertise and bring the amended application back for public hearing and vote; staff said the revised schedule could push the hearing to January depending on coordination with the planning commission and survey timeline.
Why it matters: Changing the parcel configuration and future land-use designation will guide the town’s long-term development expectations for a site adjacent to downtown Main Street, shaping permissible future uses and the town’s leverage in any future sale or development agreement.
