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Hope Mills board approves rezoning to Office & Institutional at Camden Road corner
Summary
The Hope Mills Board approved rezoning of roughly 0.86 acres at Camden Road and Walders Beach Road from R‑7.5 to Office & Institutional (O&I) after staff explained O&I uses, neighbors raised concerns about vape shops and used‑car lots, and the applicant’s agent said office use would be a better neighbor.
The Town of Hope Mills Board of Commissioners voted April 21 to rezone about 0.86 acres at the southeast corner of Camden Road and Walders Beach Road from R‑7.5 (low‑density residential) to Office & Institutional (O&I).
Planning staff presented the request and explained O&I is intended to sit between commercial and residential areas and allows quietly operating businesses such as doctors’ offices, banks and libraries while reserving some uses for conditional approval. The Cumberland County joint planning board had recommended approval at its March 18 meeting.
An agent for the property owner told the board the applicant pivoted from retail to office because “office is actually a better neighbor than a residence because there won’t be anything going on there after 6:00,” adding the applicant intends typical office hours and limited evening activity.
Several nearby residents raised concerns during the public hearing about uses they feared could encroach on the neighborhood — specifically vape shops and used‑car lots — and were reassured by staff comments that those particular uses would be restricted under the proposed zoning and by distance rules in town code.
A commissioner moved to approve the rezoning, arguing the requested O&I classification would be compatible with adjacent uses despite the parcel not matching the Southwest Cumberland land‑use plan’s low‑density designation. The motion carried; no roll‑call vote tally appears in the transcript.
Next steps for the applicant include any conditional‑use approvals for nonstandard activities and any necessary sewer extension if the developer pursues sewer service for the parcel.
The board opened and closed the public hearing on the item during the April 21 meeting; the town planner’s presentation and the board’s decision were included in the public packet.
