Planning board recommends Corridor Commercial rezoning at Piney Green Road

The Jacksonville Planning Advisory Board voted Feb. 9 to recommend rezoning about seven acres at the intersection of Piney Green Road and Carver Drive from Residential Single-Family 20 (RSF-20) to Corridor Commercial, a staff-initiated request that was submitted with signatures from all three property owners. Planning staff (Ryan) said the change would align the parcels with existing commercial uses nearby — including a shopping center with Food Lion and Starbucks — and would give landowners additional redevelopment options while not altering the status of an existing nonconforming apartment on one parcel.

The board’s recommendation follows staff’s presentation of notice procedures required under the North Carolina General Statutes: signs posted on site, mailed letters to adjoining property owners and a two-week newspaper advertisement within the 10–25 day advertising window before the council hearing. Board members asked whether owners had signed the application and whether rezoning would address the nonconforming apartment; staff confirmed owners had signed and said rezoning would not retroactively change the apartment’s existing nonconforming status.

After discussion the board moved to approve the staff evaluation (findings A–J) and to forward the rezoning to city council. The vote on the motion was recorded verbally as 'Aye' by members present. The recommendation to council is advisory; final action rests with city council at its public hearing.

The board’s packet includes maps, the owner-signed applications and an aerial ortho image showing the transfer station, the former volunteer fire department parcel and adjacent commercial development. City staff said this rezoning is intended to be consistent with the city’s land-use guidance for corridors and with surrounding commercial uses. The council public hearing will provide an opportunity for additional public comment and for any required statutory hearings.