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Selma council denies rezoning request for 17.77-acre Lizzie Mill Road parcel
Summary
The Selma Town Council voted to deny a rezoning request to change a 17.77-acre parcel on Lizzie Mill Road from R-20 (low-density) to R-10 (medium-density), citing land-use consistency, farmland preservation and drainage and traffic concerns raised by residents and staff.
The Selma Town Council on a voice vote denied an applicant’s request to rezone a 17.77-acre parcel at 2093 Lizzie Mill Road from R-20 (low-density residential) to R-10 (medium-density residential).
Planning staff presented the proposal and told the council the request is not consistent with the town’s land use plan; the planning board likewise found it not consistent but recommended the rezoning as reasonable. The applicant — represented by Justin Lee of Goblin Engineering — said the R-10 zoning would still accommodate single-family detached houses and would allow about 41 homes on the property compared with roughly 27 under R-20, an increase of about 14 lots.
The decision followed public testimony from neighbors and landowners who urged the council to preserve farmland and to be cautious about runoff and traffic impacts. Brooks Feeding, a local farmer and landowner, cited county figures on farmland loss and warned of long-term agricultural decline, saying, “A nation that cannot feed itself cannot survive.” Jennifer Edwards, a nearby resident, told the council the area was designated R-20 in the land-use plan and argued that moving the parcel to R-10 would be inconsistent with that plan.
Justin Lee told the council the developer would seek annexation to extend sewer service from an adjoining annexed mobile home park if the rezoning were approved, and that standard stormwater measures and ponds would be used to control runoff. He told the council the last traffic count he had seen for Lizzie Mill was about 2,900 vehicles per day and said a dedicated turn lane would be installed if NCDOT required one (he noted a rough threshold of about 4,000 vehicles per day for mandatory turn-lane consideration).
After closing the hearing and accepting testimony — including comments from a prior March meeting that the council agreed to incorporate into the record — council members debated growth and farmland preservation. The motion to deny the ordinance map amendment carried; the council recorded affirmative votes and the rezoning request was denied.
No subsequent motion was made at the meeting to resubmit the application or to direct staff to negotiate conditions; council members said they expected the record to reflect resident concerns about drainage, traffic and land-use consistency.
