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Commissioners approve Payton’s Ridge conditional rezoning, add berm and screening conditions
Summary
The Onslow County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning to allow a sand-mining operation adjacent to Payton’s Ridge, attaching 11 staff conditions plus a berm and planting requirement intended to limit truck traffic, dust and visual impacts.
The Onslow County Board of Commissioners voted April 20 to approve a conditional rezoning for a 20.36-acre parcel in the Payton’s Ridge area that will allow an on-site sand-mining operation and a limited secondary recreational use once reclaimed.
Planning staff described the request as a change from R15 to a conditional rural-agriculture zoning that would permit mining over one acre as a by-right use under the new district with a narrowly defined table of uses. Staff highlighted required state permits, the site’s flight-path overlay, and the need for a state stormwater and erosion-control permit and a major site-plan review before operations proceed.
Developer representatives said sand mined on the parcel would support local construction and be reclaimed as a neighborhood amenity pond. “We have to go through a stringent review process through the state to obtain our mining permit,” said Josh Edmonson, representing the applicant, noting dust-mitigation, dewatering and reclamation plans. Owner Elijah Morton said nearby pits have been reclaimed as amenity ponds and proposed traffic controls, including a truck-routing plan and a gated exit to force trucks onto NC 24.
Neighbors spoke against the rezoning, citing concerns about truck traffic, noise and property values. Michael Hammer, who lives adjacent to the proposed operation, urged the board to “consider the potential impact that it will have on the community,” adding that a pit so close to homes could harm quality of life.
Commissioners discussed the 11 staff-proposed conditions and asked the applicant to add a berm and screening plan to address dust and visibility. The applicant agreed to a 20-foot-wide buffer that would allow roughly a 6-foot berm planted with evergreen screening. With those conditions, the board approved the rezoning on a voice vote.
The approval requires the developer to submit a licensed-appraiser’s value opinion concluding there will be no negative short- or long-term property impacts, to obtain DEQ stormwater and erosion-control permits, and to implement the truck routing and reclamation commitments before final approvals and permits are issued. Final site engineering will be subject to the county’s major site-plan review.
Next steps: the developer must complete major site-plan review and secure required state permits before full operations and any reclamation schedule are implemented.
