Union County board approves amended permit to formalize gravel parking at Sunset Ridge Estates

The Union County Land Use Board voted July 21 to approve an amendment to special‑use permit 2014‑005 to allow a gravel parking lot at Sunset Ridge Estates, a private wedding venue at 4707 Sugarwine Road.

Planning staff presented petition 2026SUPO2 and said the new lot would be a gravel surface of just over 50 spaces (staff noted roughly 58 spaces and about 23,000 square feet in the site plan) and would include perimeter landscaping. John Ware, senior planner, told the board the paved parking that previously existed has been removed by the new owner to return the property to compliance and that the amendment is an administrative, major amendment because the lot exceeds 50 spaces. Staff recommended approval provided the parking area is built to the county development ordinance and the site‑specific plan once approved.

Tatiana Katalam, who identified herself as the new owner, told the board she sought the amendment to keep guests from getting stuck and to make parking safe and organized. “When it rains, it gets really muddy … our guests' cars get stuck in the grass and mud,” Katalam said. She said she will comply with all Union County requirements and work with an engineer on the site plan.

Neighbors opposed. Diane Jessen and Peter Jessen said they were surprised and upset that a parking pad is already in place and that they had not received prior notice. “We look out and we see a parking lot where it should be farmland,” one neighbor said, calling the existing area “unsightly.” Neighbors also recalled earlier paved parking that prompted safety and nuisance concerns; staff and other board members responded that the paved surface has been removed and the current proposal is gravel with landscaping.

Board members reviewed the five quasi‑judicial findings required for a special‑use amendment (consistency with district standards and the comprehensive plan; protection of public health and safety; no substantial injury to nearby property values; harmony with the area; and conformity with the comprehensive plan). The board concluded the application met those findings, and a motion to approve the amendment to special‑use permit 2014‑005 to allow the gravel parking lot carried. The board asked that the approval include staff‑recommended conditions that the parking comply with the Union County Development Ordinance and applicable building codes and that the applicant follow the final site plan approved by the county.

What happens next: the county clerk will enter the approved site plans into the record and the applicant may proceed to obtain any required permits and construction approvals. The board noted parties may appeal a quasi‑judicial decision to the North Carolina Superior Court within the statutory appeal period.

— Reporting from the Union County Land Use Board meeting on July 21, 2026.