Harnett County approves multiple rezonings and adopts conditional-zoning text amendment
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Summary
The board approved several rezoning requests — converting industrial land to rural/residential designations and expanding commercial zoning in locations near I‑95 — and adopted a text amendment to add conditional zoning to the county Unified Development Ordinance to allow mutually agreed conditions between owners and the county.
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners voted to approve several rezoning requests and a major text amendment to the county Unified Development Ordinance that establishes a conditional-zoning process.
Planning staff described three separate rezoning requests: a 26.5-acre parcel owned by Rock Solid Farm LLC (applicant Montgomery Ballard) to move from industrial to an RA30 rural-agricultural district and amend the future land-use map; a four-acre parcel returned from commercial to RA20R at the request of the property executor; and a 14.12-acre portion of a split-zoned site near Bud Hawkins Road that Clear River LLC sought to reclassify to commercial. In each case staff recommended approval, and the planning board had earlier voted unanimously to recommend the rezonings.
Applicant representatives and neighbors both addressed the commission. Anas Varian, representing Clear River LLC, said national freight company J.B. Hunt had expressed interest in locating on part of the commercial parcel and that other businesses (including a towing operator) were interested; nearby residents and commenters warned that additional truck traffic and changes in access would affect safety and quality of life.
After public comment and discussion, the board approved the rezoning requests. Commissioners emphasized the need to balance job creation and infrastructure impacts; several said conditional zoning could require developers to address traffic impacts, pay for off-site improvements or offer other mitigations.
The board then adopted a comprehensive text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance to add a conditional-zoning option. Planning staff said conditional zoning would allow the county and property owner to enter mutually agreed-upon conditions and give the county authority to require higher standards (buffers, traffic improvements, sidewalks, timing and other mitigation) than conventional rezonings while complying with Senate Bill 382 limits on unilateral downzoning. Staff noted the amendment will lengthen review times (a minimum 60-day staff review) but will give the county more negotiating leverage with applicants.
Commissioners and residents debated whether conditional rezoning could be used to secure impact-fee–like developer contributions; staff and the board described it as a negotiation tool to expedite mitigation commitments (for example, requiring turn lanes, stoplights or traffic-impact analyses and requiring developers to fund those improvements in advance of or concurrent with development). Supporters said it provides a legal means to secure community protections in the post–Senate Bill 382 environment; some residents asked for more public education on the state law and the county’s strategy going forward.
The conditional-zoning text amendment passed after public comment and discussion; staff said the county would follow the standard application path (pre-submittal, outreach where required, minimum staff review, planning board and commissioners).
