Raeford Council Approves Rezoning on Lemont Drive to Allow a Manufactured Home

The Raeford City Council voted unanimously Aug. 22 to rezone an approximately 2-acre portion of a 10-acre property on Lemont Drive from R-8 (Residential 8,000) to RMH (Residential Manufactured Home) after a re-opened public hearing and staff presentation.

City Code Administrator Felecia Locklear told the council staff had identified 10 prior rezonings to RMH in the immediate area since 2017 — three on Lemont Drive and seven on nearby Edgewater — and reviewed how the city’s rules require manufactured homes on private lots to have appearance and foundation standards. "A modular home is built to NC Building Code while the manufactured home is built to HUD code," Locklear said, and Raeford requires a masonry foundation on private lots and a minimum 4-foot by 6-foot porch on the front of manufactured homes placed on private lots to help them resemble other residential structures.

The applicants are Christopher and Kathryn Spivey; the subject parcel is owned by Wright Business Investments LLC (PIN# 694241001021). Locklear explained the map shows a "2-acre portion" of a 10-acre tract to allow space for perk testing and septic drain lines; she also noted there is no public water in the neighborhood and therefore no fire hydrants.

Several residents raised objections during the public hearing, contending not all neighbors received notice, warning that allowing a manufactured home could decrease property values, and asking what would stop the property from being converted into a mobile home park. Locklear responded that the city’s Unified Development Ordinance requires notice to adjacent property owners — which includes properties across a road — and reiterated that the rezoning review does not consider road condition as one of the seven map-amendment standards.

Councilman Robert Conoly emphasized access concerns, saying the road serving Forest Creek Acres is in poor shape. "The road was in horrible condition and should actually be considered more of a ditch," Conoly said. Locklear told the council she had found a recorded private road maintenance agreement that required the developer to maintain the road until two-thirds of lots were sold; the subdivision originally contained 85 lots, meaning the developer’s maintenance obligation would end after roughly 57 lots are sold. She also said she completed an NCDOT SR-1 petition form and provided it to residents; the road length from Turnpike Road to Wallace McLean Road was reported as just over 1.02 miles.

Councilwoman Mary Neil King, who moved to re-open the hearing earlier for additional staff review and later moved to close it, said the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) functions as a planning "buffer" that extends land-use protections to areas outside the corporate limits. After discussion, Councilman Wayne Willis moved to accept the planning board’s recommendation of approval; Councilwoman King seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

The council’s action approves the rezoning to RMH; the record contains the planning-board recommendation and the staff presentation. The City Clerk’s minutes record the unanimous vote; the council did not attach additional conditions in the hearing record.

What's next: the applicant may pursue permitting and site work consistent with city codes; questions about private-road maintenance and potential NCDOT acceptance remain matters for property owners and state review.