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Onslow County approves Starling Cove conditional rezoning, drawing residents' objections over traffic and schools
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing and debate over traffic, schools and spot-zoning concerns, the Onslow County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning for Starling Cove that allows up to 130 homes on about 56 acres by a 5–2 vote; the approval includes developer commitments on buffers, sidewalks, stormwater infiltration and potential right-turn lanes subject to NCDOT review.
On July 20, 2026, the Onslow County Board of Commissioners voted 5–2 to approve a conditional rezoning for the Starling Cove development (CREZ 2026-2), allowing up to 130 single-family lots on about 56.04 acres along Queens Creek Road.
The conditional zoning application by D.R. Horton/ProPro Properties replaces a Rural Agriculture (RA) designation with a conditional R-10 district. Planning staff and the applicant described the proposal as a planned residential development that would require stormwater infiltration basins, sidewalks, a 10-foot landscape buffer in impacted areas and voluntary construction of right‑turn lanes at site accesses subject to NCDOT approval.
“We're proposing 2.31 units per acre,” said Grayson Morgan, entitlements manager for D.R. Horton, summarizing the site plan, the minimum lot sizes (5,500 square feet, average ~10,000) and the developer’s pledged conditions, including on‑site stormwater measures and a recreational playground. Morgan told the board ONWASA has provided a “will‑serve” letter and that the developer will install a pump station that ONWASA would operate after certification.
Opponents urged denial. Ian Manion, a nearby property owner, invoked North Carolina case law in arguing the rezoning met the tests for harmful spot zoning, asserting that a 1‑acre parcel would be left as an “island” surrounded by higher density and that the rezoning did not provide meaningful protections for adjacent properties. “I believe the proposal violates all four tests” laid out in Karisman v. Guilford County, he said.
Residents, neighborhood advocates and the community group Hubert United repeatedly pressed the commission on cumulative impacts to Queens Creek Road, emergency response and school capacity, saying existing development approvals in the corridor and delayed school construction make an additional project risky for local infrastructure.
Commissioners debated the tradeoffs between authorizing a planned project with explicit conditions and leaving the property to develop under RA rules, which supporters warned could lead to uncoordinated uses (campgrounds, trailer parks or septic systems) and less community protection. Commissioner (speaker 17) said he could not, “in good conscience,” vote for the rezoning because of flooding and traffic concerns and cast one of the two no votes.
Board members who voted to approve emphasized that conditional zoning secures specific community benefits that would not be guaranteed under the default RA option: stormwater infiltration basins rather than discharge to wetlands, a required buffer, sidewalks, and a capped unit count tied to sewer service rather than on-site septic. The county attorney and planning staff noted the conditional rezoning carries conditions enforceable through the rezoning instrument and subsequent subdivision and permitting processes.
What the approval means next: the conditional site plan will proceed through Onslow County’s major subdivision review (concept, preliminary, final plats), and the developer must obtain state permits (stormwater, water/sewer extensions, and any wetlands permits) and NCDOT approval for the proposed turn lanes before construction. The project also relies on ONWASA accepting the pump station and system turn‑over following certification.
Votes at a glance — other final actions taken July 20, 2026: • HEMB II rezoning (PREZ 2026-5) — approved after staff presentation and public comment; rezoning from RA to Highway Business for 4.59 acres at 5234 Richlands Highway. • CDM Smith professional services agreement — five‑year contract for landfill engineering and testing — approved. • HCCBG FY27 amendment — Onslow County accepted an increase to its Home and Community Care Block Grant award and approved the revised certification and budget workbook. • Clinical-services agreement with Coastal Carolina Community College — five‑year EMS clinical placement agreement — approved. • Planning-board appointments — Donna Chase (Jacksonville seat) and Vernon Walton (White Oak seat) were appointed.
The planning staff record and the applicant’s conditional site plan are now the governing documents for the Starling Cove project; further design, permitting and construction will be contingent on those approvals and state agency reviews. The board’s action does not waive required state or federal permits.
