Council approves rezoning of MLK/Vernon corner to B‑1 despite mixed votes

The Kinston City Council approved rezoning a property at the corner of Doctor Martin Luther King Boulevard and West Vernon Avenue from I‑1 (Industrial) to B‑1 (General Business) after the applicant and staff answered council questions on June 16. Planning and Code Enforcement Director Elizabeth Blount reminded the Council the item had been tabled at the June 2 meeting and that the public hearing had already closed.

Applicant David Edwards, representing the property owner, apologized for missing the prior meeting and said the owner had repaved the lot, removed gas pumps, and remediated underground storage tanks to make the building leasable. Edwards said he could not specify a tenant but wanted fewer zoning restrictions to attract retail tenants. Councilmembers raised concerns about potential uses; Councilmember Les Lipford and City Attorney James Cauley noted that a recently adopted local ordinance limiting saturation of vape and smoke shops would prevent that specific use under a B‑1 designation. Lipford moved to approve the rezoning and the required consistency statement. The motion carried with two dissenting votes recorded (Councilmember Antonio Hardy and Mayor Pro Tem Felicia Solomon); Les Lipford and Sammy Aiken voted in favor.

Why it matters: rezoning changes permitted uses and can influence commercial investment and neighborhood character. The council’s vote will allow the owner to market the property to a broader set of prospective tenants, subject to the city’s zoning code and recently adopted saturation limits on certain retail uses.