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Commissioners recess contested rezoning for towing yard after neighbor objections
Summary
A legislative hearing on rezoning a Majolica Road parcel for an automobile towing-with-storage facility was recessed to Sept. 2 after neighbors and counsel raised spot-zoning and nuisance concerns; the applicant was not present and the board agreed to reconvene for responses to questions and possible conditions.
Rowan County commissioners recessed a legislative hearing on Aug. 18 regarding a rezoning request for a towing-with-storage facility at 11124 Majolica Road (parcel 451058), citing outstanding questions and the applicant’s absence.
Planning staff described the requested conditional district for a roughly 7-acre operational area on a 21-acre parcel. The text amendment authorizing "automobile towing with storage" requires opaque fencing and potentially a vegetative buffer, limits individual vehicles to on-site storage for a maximum of six months, and allows the board to negotiate site-specific conditions. Staff said the parcel has been operating in zoning violation (dead storage) since 2024, and a stay on enforcement has been in place while the rezoning application progressed.
John Autry, who said he manages the business, told commissioners the owner Jeremy Goode was out of town and that many vehicles remain on-site short term while insurance or owners arrange removal. Autry told the board the prior site fire "was actually a natural disaster" and said the operation primarily stores accident or abandoned vehicles pending title or removal.
Oakland Meadows LLC, which owns a neighboring manufactured-home park, opposed the rezoning. Attorney John Scarborough asked the board to deny the application, arguing an approval would be unlawful spot zoning. "An approval of Mister Goode's application would fall squarely within this definition," Scarborough said, citing state spot-zoning standards and arguing the proposed commercial use is inconsistent with the county's Western Area Land Use Plan calling for medium-density residential.
Commissioners questioned enforcement history, fire-suppression planning and screening. Because the applicant was not present to answer follow-up questions or negotiate conditions, the board voted to recess the hearing and resume on Sept. 2 to give the owner the opportunity to participate and for the board to consider tailored conditions.
The rezoning remains pending; staff said approval would require a zoning permit to cure the existing violation, while denial would return the matter to enforcement.
