Catawba County commissioners deny rezoning request for 2733 Startown Road

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners voted 4–1 on May 18 to deny a request to rezone a 1.32-acre parcel at 2733 Startown Road (Parcel ID 3720-0648-6085) from R-20 Residential to Light Industrial (LI).

Chair Randy Isenhower moved to deny the rezoning and adopt a Plan Consistency and Reasonableness Statement; the motion carried with Vice-Chair Austin Allran and Commissioners Robert C. Abernethy, Jr. and Barbara G. Beatty joining Isenhower in support and Commissioner Cole Setzer opposed. The statement cites the county Comprehensive Plan's Future Land Use Map (adopted April 2024) recommendation of high-density residential for the parcel and warns that rezoning the small tract to LI could constitute invalid spot zoning under NCGS 160D-605.

Planning Director Chris Timberlake told the board the parcel is currently used for truck parking and equipment storage, includes concrete-block bins for aggregate, and displays a sign for "Rockett Grading." Timberlake noted the lot meets LI size minimums and that public water is available on Startown Road but public sewer is not; any use would require on-site septic. He also reported a 2023 Annual Average Daily Traffic figure of about 9,000 for this section of Startown Road and that the Startown area is designated for some industrial development elsewhere along the corridor.

Timberlake said the Planning Board held a hearing April 27 and voted 8–0 to recommend denial, citing: (1) the Comprehensive Plan future land use designation of high-density residential for this parcel, (2) the property being outside areas designated for industrial development on Startown Road, (3) adjacency to other R-20 residential parcels, and (4) the potential for spot zoning to relieve residential restrictions governing surrounding parcels.

Applicant Alton Rocket confirmed to the board that the lot is being used to park large equipment and told commissioners he believed most neighbors supported the rezoning request. Rusty Lutz, who lives directly across from the site, spoke in opposition, saying the request conflicts with the Startown small-area plan and the neighborhood's residential pattern. Commissioner Cole Setzer asked whether a nearby Sarstedt property was zoned residential; staff confirmed it is.

The board adopted the written consistency and reasonableness statement, entered into the record, and denied the request to rezone the parcel from R-20 to Light Industrial. No rezoning or follow-up study was approved at the meeting; the board's action was a formal denial of the application.

The board cited NCGS 160D-605 in its adopted statement as the statutory framework for evaluating reasonableness and potential spot zoning concerns. The Planning Board's recommendation, applicant testimony and public opposition were all part of the public record for the decision.

Next steps for the parcel were not specified at the meeting; staff did not report any pending alternate applications or immediate enforcement actions beyond the ongoing code compliance matter noted in Timberlake's presentation.