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Newton Council approves rezoning for 601 E D St amid staff preference for narrower district
Summary
The Newton City Council unanimously approved Rezoning 2023-8 to rezone 0.59 acres at 601 E D St from B-1 Neighborhood Business to B-4 General Business despite staff recommending B-2 as more consistent with the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan.
The Newton City Council unanimously approved Rezoning 2023-8 on Tuesday, rezoning a 0.59-acre parcel at 601 E D St from B-1 Neighborhood Business to B-4 General Business.
Planning Assistant Alex Fulbright told the council the site—identified as Catawba County PIN 374017-10-8747—sits at the southwest corner of E D St and S Caldwell Ave and that the applicant, Robert Gibbs Jr., seeks broader commercial uses than allowed in the existing B-1 district. Fulbright said the site is in a Neighborhood Node under the city’s newly adopted Comprehensive Plan and that staff views a B-2 Highway Business district as more consistent with the plan’s intent, but that the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the applicant’s request.
After the public hearing produced no speakers, Mayor Pro Tem John Stiver moved approval and the council voted to adopt the rezoning. The ordinance and related documents are on file in the city clerk’s office.
Why it matters: Rezoning to B-4 expands the range of commercial uses allowed on a corner of NC 10/NC 16 Business near downtown, which could change the type of businesses that locate at the site and affect traffic and neighboring residential uses. The record notes a 2021 average daily traffic count of 12,000 on East D Street, down from 16,000 in 2003.
The council approved the matter by motion and roll call; the ordinance is effective per the city clerk’s record of actions.
