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Business owners say Granville County planning rules forced auction company to leave; county attorney defends enforcement
Summary
Owners of Granville Auction Company told the Board of Commissioners that shifting requirements from the planning department forced them to move operations out of the county; county attorney and planning staff responded that a complaint-driven enforcement action found ongoing commercial auctions and no rezoning or special use approvals in place.
Landon Tate, co-owner of Grandpa Auction Company, told the Granville County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 20 that a months-long exchange with county planning staff over zoning compliance culminated in new, last-minute requirements that made it impossible for the business to continue operating in the county. "We were misled. We were dismissed. And frankly, I felt belittled," Tate said, describing a notice of violation and a later special-use-permit process he called opaque and unfair.
Tate and his partner Perry Enloe said the planning director gave them guidance that discouraged an appeal and then later imposed a 10-item checklist with a three-business-day deadline to keep a scheduled hearing. Enloe told the board the auction operation generated significant sales-tax revenue — he estimated the county’s 2% share from their auctions topped $100,000 in the last 12 months — and said the…
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