Planning board unanimously recommends rezoning of southern portion of 40.485-acre parcel in Iredell County

The Iredell County Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of rezoning case 2604-1 and a companion amendment to the county’s 2045 Horizon Plan, forwarding the matter to the Iredell County Board of Commissioners for final action on May 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the same facility.

Leslie Meadows, planning staff, told the board that the request would apply only to the southern portion of a larger 40.485-acre parcel — roughly 18 acres that were released from Statesville’s extraterritorial jurisdiction in 2002 — and that staff supports assigning medium-density residential to that portion. “The staff does support this request based on the following,” Meadows said, outlining that part of the parcel already lies in the county with medium-density residential designation and that the surrounding land is residential in character. Meadows noted setbacks and RA-district standards that would govern future homes.

The applicant, Philip Johnson, described the filing as a family land division rather than a development. “My family has owned this property since 1952,” Johnson said, adding the partition would divide the remaining acreage among family members and allow for potential future home sites. Johnson provided his address for the record as 177 Weeping Cherry Lane.

A nearby resident asked whether Weeping Cherry Lane is fully state-maintained and whether the city plans annexation in that area. Meadows said portions are state-maintained and, to her knowledge, the city does not have annexation plans for the corridor. The resident said he had previously been told by the city that annexation was not expected in the foreseeable future.

After closing public input, a board member moved to recommend approval of the rezoning map and the 2045 Horizon Plan amendment, finding the proposal consistent with the county’s adopted plan and appropriate given the existing residential character; the board voted unanimously in favor. The chair told the applicant that the Iredell County Commissioners will consider the final decision at the May 5, 2026 meeting at 6:00 PM and that the board’s role was a recommendation.

The staff report, as presented, said the request would ensure the county assigns appropriate zoning to property released from the city’s ETJ and would align the southern portion with the medium-density residential designation already applied to the northern portion of the parcel. No members of the public spoke in opposition during the session.

The board also handled routine business later in the meeting, approving the Feb. 4 minutes and setting committee assignments and case reminders; the rezoning recommendation remains subject to the county commission’s final vote on May 5.