NASH COUNTY, N.C. — After lengthy public hearings on Jan. 6, the Nash County Board of Commissioners postponed one conditional rezoning request and denied another, responding to persistent resident concerns about water supply, agricultural compatibility and neighborhood impacts.

The board voted to postpone consideration of a conditional rezoning for two contiguous tracts on West Orange Church Road (a request to rezone from R‑40 to RA‑30CC for a 49‑lot development) to give county staff and the developer time to negotiate a public‑water extension or other binding commitments. Commissioner Paul Davis moved for a postponement tied to county‑developer negotiations and limited to a maximum period (the board discussed a 90‑day window with the option to return earlier); the motion carried.

Why it mattered: dozens of residents told commissioners that groundwater in the area has already been strained by recent development — in one public comment a resident said several neighbors’ wells have produced little or no water for months — and warned that adding dozens of lots without a concrete county‑water plan could worsen pressure, fire‑protection capability and long‑term reliability.

Planner Adam Tyson told the board the developer had revised an earlier plan to avoid direct driveway access onto West Orange Church Road and that the subject property totals about 43.8 acres. The updated sketch plan proposes internal road access and 49 lots (up from 46 in an earlier iteration). Tyson said Nash County public water exists nearby (on Strickland Road and near Needham Road) but there is a gap of roughly 2,200–2,700 feet the county would have to design and extend to reach the site. He said the county could explore an oversized‑agreement or cost‑share with the developer but no commitment had been finalized.

Developer response: a representative for CT Williams Corporation said the company would connect to county water if the system were extended to the project’s connection point; the developer declined to commit unilaterally to build landscape berms or other buffering the community requested.

Denial for Williams Run Section 2: The board separately considered an unconditional rezoning request for Williams Run Section 2 — three parcels totaling 71.75 acres proposed for a 76‑lot RA‑30CZ subdivision adjacent to recorded developments on Strickland Road. Staff recommended conditions including mandatory extension of Nash County public water into the interior of the subdivision and a wetlands‑preservation lot.

Members of the public raised many of the same objections: potential groundwater stress, the cumulative effect of roughly 650 planned or approved houses within a two‑mile radius, impacts to farming and concerns about a long‑standing private access path used by an elderly resident (witnesses said the resident drives agricultural equipment and cares for a disabled family member). Several speakers said previous shared‑driveway approvals and the lack of consistent buffering had reduced the rural character of the area.

After deliberation, the commissioners adopted a statement that the Williams Run rezoning was "unreasonable and not in the public interest" because of incompatible land uses and insufficient buffering, and they voted to deny the map amendment. One commissioner recorded a 'no' vote while the motion to deny carried.

What happens next: the West Orange Church rezoning will return to the board if county staff and the developer reach an agreement on water‑service extension (the postponement was limited to a board‑specified maximum timeframe). The developer for Williams Run may choose to revise the proposal and seek reconsideration, but the board’s denial stands for now.

Quotes: "If we approve rezonings without a defined water plan, we risk burdening existing residents," said a resident during the hearing. In response, the developer said, "Bring the water system and we'll connect to it," according to remarks made at the meeting.

The board adjourned the planning portion of the public hearing after votes and moved on to other agenda items, including grant approvals and procurement actions.