Johnston County denies conditional rezoning for indoor RV storage near West Johnston High School

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on June 1 denied a conditional rezoning request that would have changed about 2.6 acres at 6232 Raleigh Road from agricultural residential to a general-business conditional district for indoor recreational-vehicle storage.

Planning Director Braon Newton introduced case 26-01 and said staff and the planning board had recommended approval with conditions limiting the use to indoor RV storage and requiring compliance with NC DOT access rules. "This first condition here is that it would be only for the indoor storage of recreational vehicles," Newton said, adding that any change of tenant or occupancy would have to return to the board.

Applicant Kurt Frell told commissioners he revised an earlier proposal after the board denied a prior commercial application. "This application is limited to indoor storage and recreational vehicles only. There will be no outdoor storage, no equipment yard, no truck terminal activities, no vehicle repair work, no fueling, no wastewater disposal, and no overnight occupancy," Frell said, and described conditions that would cap the project at two buildings and a maximum of 16 RVs with hours limited to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Neighbors across Raleigh Road and nearby residents strongly opposed the request. Samantha Worley said the revision was a minor tweak of the previously denied plan and questioned whether conditions would prevent non-RV uses or outdoor storage. "He's changed it from outdoor storage to indoor storage to get around the 12-month limit after a denied application," Worley said.

Several residents and experts pressed traffic and safety concerns tied to the site's proximity to West Johnston High School and to narrow, curved sections of Raleigh Road. Retired state engineer Thomas Honeyut Jr. warned that blind curves, winter black ice and limited shoulders made the site hazardous for frequent RV ingress and egress, and said the main entrance to West Johnston High School sits about 1,200 feet from one proposed driveway.

Commissioners debated the case using the standard conditional-zoning criteria: consistency with the comprehensive plan, whether the rezoning is in the public interest, and reasonableness. Multiple commissioners said they had trouble concluding the change served immediate neighbors or was reasonable given the potential detriments. One commissioner moved to adopt a statement of consistency finding that "the use is not in the public interest and further that use is not consistent with the comprehensive plan use plan." The motion was seconded and carried; the board announced the request was denied.

The denial leaves the property's underlying zoning unchanged and preserves current residential land-use controls. Planning staff noted that conditional zoning binds approval to the applicant's written conditions and that any future change of use or tenant would require board review.

The board's action represents a final decision on case 26-01 at this meeting; no additional votes on this matter were scheduled.