Pender County planning panel approves rezoning for 1.65-acre Hampstead parcel

The Pender County Planning Board voted to approve a zoning map amendment for Rezoning 2026-95, which would reclassify roughly 1.649 acres of a larger parcel east of U.S. Highway 17 in Hampstead from Planned Development (PD) to Office & Institutional (O&I).

Staff planner Virginia Norris told the board the parcel was bisected by the NCDOT Hampstead bypass connector and that the county’s Imagine Pender 2050 comprehensive plan now designates the front piece as a “neighborhood center.” She said water service is available from Pender County Utilities, sewer service is provided by Pluris, and no traffic impact study or school impacts were identified at this rezoning stage. "Staff finds that the request is consistent with the comprehensive plan," Norris said, and recommended approval.

Attorney Matt Nichols, representing property owners Jeffrey L. Morris and Nora F. Morris, described ownership since about 2000 and said the new bypass created a practical separation of the front 1.649 acres from the remainder of the tract. Nichols argued O&I fits the neighborhood-center place type and noted existing uses on the parcel include offices and an orthodontist. "The front part is the neighborhood center, and we think that's more in line with O&I zoning," he said.

Board members asked technical questions about setbacks and access. One member asked whether the lot should be treated as a through lot with front setbacks on both streets; the interim planning director and staff confirmed that the 25-foot front setback would apply along both rights-of-way and that future development would require NCDOT driveway permits and any necessary access management.

After discussion a board member moved to approve the map amendment with a finding of consistency with the Imagine Pender 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The board recorded a voice vote in favor; the motion carried and staff noted the case will be considered by the Board of Commissioners at its May 18 meeting.

What happens next: If the Board of Commissioners approves the map amendment, any future development on the rezoned parcel will be subject to O&I dimensional standards and permit-level review, including required driveway permits from NCDOT.

Notes: The applicants are listed in the staff report as Jeffrey L. Morris and Nora F. Morris. Staff presentation materials cited UDO dimensional standards, permitted uses in O&I, and the Imagine Pender 2050 future-land-use designation. The staff report did not include a traffic impact analysis for this rezoning application.