Planning & Zoning Commission - Regular Meeting

The meeting will now come to order. Welcome to the June 16, 2026 meeting of the City of Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission. My name is John Collins, and I'm the chair of this commission. Carlos White, would you do the invocation?

Yes. Let us pray. Father God, we come to you asking for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as we approach the city's business. We pray that you guide us through this process. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Amen.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Allen Thomas. Clayton sale here. Zach women's team here. William McCurry here. John Collins here. Brad Carter here. Carlos White here. Toya Jacobs here. Kimberstone here. Anika Royal here. Thomas Remington here. Kenneth Bell here. We have for him.

All right. Approval of the agenda. Uh, Shantae.

Of the many handouts you have you should have a handout in front of you that smart number 3 and upper right hand corner. That is a request for the Pogo LLC. They are to continue this item to the July 21st me they want to make some weeks to their changes and come back so we'll just need a motion in order to move it otherwise everything else on your agenda is fine.

Okay, so motion to table item three in section seven.

Do we need to table it to a particular meeting date or just table it?

Yes, July 21st.

July 21st. To the July 21st meeting.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, nay. All right, that item is moved off of the agenda. Okay, so now we need a motion to approve the revised agenda.

Is it just a basic motion?

Yeah.

Motion to approve the agenda.

We have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, say nay. All right, approval of the minutes. You have all been presented in advance with the minutes from the January 20, can that be right, January? May 19th. Yeah, I have a, all right. May 19th, 2026 meeting, and have had an opportunity to read and review the minutes. Are there any questions or corrections?

Are we going to approve June 6th or June 9th in July? Yes. Okay.

Motion to approve the minutes.

We have a motion and a second. All those in favor of the minutes, approving the minutes, say aye. Aye. And opposed, say nay. The minutes are approved. New business. Request by MOW Properties LLC to rezone 2.43 acres located at the southwestern corner of the intersection of Howell and McClellan streets from R6 residential high-density multifamily to CG general commercial. Staff presentation by Shantae Gooby.

And since you have an empty chair, I'll let Mr. Bell, he's the next alternate, come up, and you can take that seat. Mr. Curie can still participate in conversation so he he he still has the ability to um say his piece if you will all right so this property is located centrally in the city it is designated by the red star this is an aerial photograph of the property of faces on House Street so to the left this would be South Greenville elementary to your right this main right would be Evan Street. The property is just about 2 and a half acres. This is a photograph taken from House Street so on this one Evans would be to your left hooker Road would be to your right. This property is not around any activity centers which again is typically where we do have commercial development. So under the current zoning it could generate about 279 trips. Under the proposed zoning it could generate 454 which is a net increase of 175 trips. I'm going to go to the next slide we didn't do a traffic report on this one simply because this property is surrounded by basically a grid street pattern many streets that can take you in and out of the property unlike if you were facing Charles Boulevard there is no other way to go so that's why there's not a traffic report included this property is located in the Green smell run watershed if stormwater rules apply it will require 25 year detention Nitrogen and phosphorus reduction. However, there's already a building there This property is not located in a special flood hazard area. There are no jurisdictional wetland streams or buffers The property is currently zoned or six this property is basically has been in greenville since greenville had zoning so it's been this zoning since 1969 and so your future land use plan basically shows um that this area is shown as residential so that's your brown which is called traditional neighborhood medium to high density So again, property is our six. It is surrounded by our six. The land use plan recommends residential zoning because of this. In staff's opinion, the request is not in compliance with the horizons plan or the future land use plan map. So we do recommend denial and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you. Any questions for staff? All right, thank you. The public hearing is open. The first speaker will have five minutes, with each additional speaker having three minutes until 30 minutes has expired. Is there anyone present to speak in favor of this proposal? If you could state your name for the record, please.

Yeah, my name's Mark Holloman. I'm in favor of it. I've worked with the city for quite some time on this zoning. We mow properties. I'm the managing partner for mow properties. We bought the property in 2019 and we bought it from a fertilizer company that had been a retail fertilizer company in this location since 1971. They were operating out of the Midwest. They closed this branch down, but they were selling fertilizer, chemicals, pesticides, those type of things, and had been for quite some time. When we purchased it, it was an empty building. We cleaned it up, put a new facade on it, made it look better we thought for the community and for that area of Greenville we own about 50 properties in the greater Greenville area and we try to improve the looks of our property so we improved the look of it we started out renting it to home builders and they were selling siding out of it So it was not just a storage facility. It was a retail. People came in there, bought siding. They did sell some sheetrock as well out of that location. They rented from us for, I would say, about two years. After that, an individual that worked on cars went in there. He kept most of his cars housed inside the building. It's a 15,000 square foot warehouse, if you will, with retail up front but storage in the back. He mainly stored his cars in the back, about 300 of them, believe it or not. how big the location is but he did repair cars in there as well but he didn't park them outside he put everything inside the building he stayed with us about three years and over the last year we've had an individual that is part of that community lives in that area, wanted to start a body shop and a mechanic shop, and really working with younger individuals that want to do that type of business. So it's almost like, think of it as a mechanic shop startup, the apprenticeship that he's training individuals how to work on cars and how to be mechanics. Anyway, I will admit, and Chante and I talked about this, He didn't treat the outside very well. There were cars outside. And I think that's how it got noticed that, hey, this is residential, but they're operating the commercial property out of it. So I worked with him to clean it up. I think it looks much better. He does house most of his cars inside now. But as you can see from the picture, there are some outside. So I understand that there's violations. Johnny with code enforcement violation calls me all the time to clean up my properties. I'll do that, but I really think that we should be able to keep this as a commercial property, change the zoning, and allow individuals in that area to see a thriving business trying to grow the community and grow younger individuals becoming mechanics. And really, I didn't come here to give a speech. I was coming here to answer any questions. But I think I used most of my time giving a speech.

Thank you. Why wouldn't that land use be grandfathered in if it's been basically used as a commercial zone for 40 plus years now, 50 plus?

That was my hope. Yeah, you can answer. I was going to say that was my question as well. And I would admit this is probably not good to admit. I did not know it was inside that way, but I was born and raised in Greenville and I never knew that wasn't a commercial property. I know nobody's ever lived there. That's for sure.

Mr. Woodman, the answer to that is that it was used where we're not looking at it in the category we're looking at it in the specific uses so since many of us have been born that was used as fertilizer storage right so it was used with the fertilizer it actually come off and on in the trains but it was completely enclosed there was a home builders that was using it for storage as well of surplus products however we have a different change which is now we are repairing cars so while in the category right it may sound industrial or commercial but the specific use has not been there so that's how we've gotten to this point and the zoning it general commercial will will basically help to resolve a lot of the issues that we have

I think you know your history. And I was waiting for you to say that. We moved over there in like 1974, 75. And as kids, we used to walk through there. And it was always a storage. It was never any activity there other than coming off the train. And we saw our parents would always walk us to the train track. And then we'd walk on over to South Greenville because they was kind of nervous about the trains. That's a lot of kids in that neighborhood. And what you speak on is admirable when the guys with the mechanic shop and stuff like that. But the issue I have is what happens when they leave and it's already considered general commercial? What comes next? It's a lot of kids over there. A lot of back and forth trying to get to that gym from Hockham Projects in the neighborhood and from Kernel Park going over to Hockham Project.

In the UDO, didn't we pass something where we can get a special use for something? Conditional. Conditional use? Yeah.

Well, it's not so much as a conditional use for me. Excuse me. Let me keep talking for a second. It's not so much a conditional use for me. It's more so safety for the kids because we don't know what comes next. And we're not here to try to figure out what comes next. That's why I was considered high-density residential. And I think... in my opinion um it should stay that but that's we'll vote on that later i just want you to understand there's a lot of families over there and that's why it's considered high density residential and that's why it never changed and that's why i was always considered storage so i mean i don't really know anything other than that if i can defend that question okay i went to south greenville as well so i was in that area quite a bit

Also, from the line of farmers, we bought our fertilizer from there directly. And we drove our trucks in there to get fertilizer loaded on the truck and delivered back to our home. Home builders did sell out of that building. And trucks went in there, picked up their sheetrock, picked up their siding, and went out. You have cars going through there anyway. Cars to be repaired are going to be the same. It's not like there's going to be a heavy increase in traffic. I'm not sure I agree with the numbers, just personally, of increase in traffic because of this. this commercial spot. The reason I say that is how is a cut through now from one road to the other, the main third players. So anyway, I just want to defend a little bit about me personally, knowing that we went and got our fertilizer.

right and it goes a little bit deeper than that because once it's considered commercial then property value goes up right so now taxes go up right in the surrounding so we have to be considerate of that too because that's affordable housing over there and that's affordability all within itself when it comes to those single-family houses So we have to be thinking about all of that. And I get what you're saying. Yeah, but that's that's just something I have to just throw out there.

I agree. And I completely understand. You look at the tax value on this and see what it's gone from from when we bought it in 2019 to what it is today. So I agree on the tax value. I mean, the property's value going up. I, I will commit to the city and will work with the city on any change of leasing that I stay in a certain area. But it's been this way since 1971.

Residential.

Yeah, I understand the zoning, but it's operated as a commercial or industrial type facility since 1971. Whatever its zone, I get that and I'm not debating that, but it has operated differently.

We understand, but we're talking about zoning. When we change the zone, that is something totally different than what it used to be operated as. And it's considered residential now for a reason, because it's high-density residential. Regardless of what was going on and what was taking place, it's still considered high-density residential. And I'm not knocking the concept of who's in there and what they're doing. It's a great idea. But the facts are it's high density residential. There's a lot of people over there. There's a lot of people walking back and forth. And that's why staff probably, I mean, I can't speak for staff, but that's why it was kind of.

No, I understand. No, I appreciate the debate and the dialogue. It's good that way.

Okay.

Any other questions for Mr. Hotlin?

address please please do so special use permit will be required for that because in the general commercial district so he still has more steps to to go but the biggest point I wanted to make is conditional zoning you still have to live within the uses of the zoning district. So since this is residential, there is no car repair. There is no retail use within the current zoning. So that's why a conditional zoning won't fix him.

OK, I thought and I'm sorry for going off, but I thought the conditional zoning was to further limit someone who who is going to build somewhere. So I mean, this seems like the use, but we can't zone it first and then conditionalize it later. That doesn't that seems to disconnect the point of it for me, for for what we all discussed it was about. Am I missing something?

So right now it's our six been our six forever. OK. He could, if he were to choose, to go the conditional zoning route with commercial.

With the rezoning. That's right.

Yes.

I mean, this seems like a perfect.

Not speaking. I don't want to speak for him.

I don't know the violence here, so I'm learning. So speak for me. Right.

We discussed this many moons ago and the the the thing with the conditional zoning is that whatever conditions you put, they don't expire. They run with the land. So if next week the guys who are repairing cars, we don't want to do it anymore. And the only thing he had was I want to do a conditional zoning for repair cars. He's out of luck.

Yeah.

And so On his side of the coin, he's looking at it as general commercial gives him a variety of uses. But going a conditional route is possible, but then you have some handcuffs with doing it that way.

yeah i mean that perfect that's exactly how i expected it to work and that's how it seems like it that this seems like a perfect first swing at that that week for it yeah but i think he would have to come back with that absolutely yeah absolutely we're i'm committed to that anything that would be a special use then we would come back and if it's not you know right then we would right but if we just rezone it without that special use then it's wild west right That's where you're putting us. So we're already, you know, it's been painted into a corner for very weird reasons, the history here. But I think that this, to me, this seems like that would be, that would make me a lot more comfortable voting for this.

Okay. Thank you guys.

Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in favor of this request? Is there anyone present to speak in opposition to this request? Seeing none, the public hearing is closed. And I'll turn it over to Commission for discussion or a motion.

I just have one question for Chante. And this might be just as a clarifying question for me to make sure I understand it properly. So with the special use permit, it's a possible solution, correct?

Well. The special use permit only works for car repair. Right. So when you ask for a special use permit, you have to specify what that use is.

Right.

However, this rezoning as it is. Right.

is open to the correct multiple uses you have in your list of uses so the question the question that i'm with the special use permit if that is a i'm i'm not saying that the road that he will or should go down is possibly it could be done and then in the future The zoning would still be the same, but no, it wouldn't turn commercial. But with that special use addendum with that stamp on it, so it could not remain our six and then have a special use permit for auto repair.

Right. Because that's not within the uses in the our six district.

Gotcha.

But it couldn't do anything else commercial besides auto repair if that was the special use other than a permitted use that's already allowed in CG.

Got it. Okay.

And they could rezone back to R6.

That UDO is confusing.

All right. I'll entertain a motion. There's still. Yeah, I guess it's the long language, Chair.

It requires the language, as does the next one.

Yeah, I got a lot of papers here. And because it's not recommended, it's backwards, too. Right. So is it?

Okay, I got it. Motion to recommend denial with the proposed amendment to advise that, although the proposed amendment is consistent with. It's not.

No, that's not it. That's not it. That's not it. How many we got, man? Although. Page eight. Because it is. Page eight on your PDF there.

So this is the first to deny on the page in caps. Recommend denial to advise that it is inconsistent.

I was on the wrong sentence. Sorry about that. Motion to recommend denial of the proposed amendment to advise that it is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan and to adopt staff report which address plan consistency and other matters.

Do we have a second?

Second.

OK. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. And opposed, say nay. Motion passes. All right. Our next item. Request by P&D Property Management Group LLC to rezone 17.23 acres located near the intersection of Corey Road and Vicksburg Drive from Pitt County Jurisdiction RR Rural Residential to CHCZ Heavy Commercial Conditional Zoning including limiting the uses to one 28-bay driving range, two 18-hole golf courses, and restaurant cafe as an accessory use with hours of operation of Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Staff presentation by Shantae Gooby.

How appropriate that we just had this conversation ahead of this. So this is a good building block. I am going to give you some more details, more information on this staff report. First of all, it's your first conditional rezoning. And secondly, because it is a conditional rezoning, then we can give you a lot more specifics than if it were like the rezoning before, which was just a conditional. When the UDO was adopted, one of the things that came out of that was conditional zoning was established. We had not had conditional zoning prior to that. This is probably one of the biggest changes that we had in the UDO. This is a tool where you can modify the standards based on feedback you get from either the community neighborhoods and the city. But as we talked about before, the property owners have to agree with those conditions. They do not expire. They run with the land. So if the property sold five times over, those conditions stay with it. The only way to amend the conditions, either adding or deleting, is to go back through this process again. so I want to talk just a little bit because this is just perfect with what we talked about before which is what is a conditional zoning and the first thing to remember with conditional zoning is you can't undermine the base zoning and so what that means is so you can prohibit or you can limit uses within the zoning district but you can't add uses that are already there dimensions you may be able to increase the setback but you can't reduce it you may be able to reduce the density so let's say it's in a residential district it allows 17 units per acre but a condition would be will dial it back to 14 units per acre Other things may be site features such as you're stepping up the buffer yard that may be required. Potentially you could increase your open space. Another element and this is included in this request is to have hours of operation stated because otherwise the city does not have hours of operations. But the big thing is is we can't include conditions where the city doesn't already have the ability to regulate those regulations. So we can't throw in extras that the city doesn't have the authority to regulate. So a conditional rezoning does require a community engagement meeting. The purpose is to promote community engagement between those that want to develop the property. Notifications are sent out by the applicant advising property owners within 500 feet of the meeting the meeting has the same request that's in front of you or some some elements of the request we also have them post a sign for anyone's that aren't property owners maybe you're a resident maybe you happen to drive by that every day so we do it twofold we do mail notice to owners and then we also post a sign as well or the applicant does So the community engagement meeting for this item was held April 14th from 6 to 8. It was actually held at Sawyer's Fun Park, which is already existing on the property. The very same conditions that you have in your request was what was discussed at that meeting. So there haven't been any changes between what was discussed and then what's in front of you. Currently the property is located in Pitt County's jurisdiction. It's zoned RR Rural Residential. The existing development, which is Sawyer's Fun Park, was reviewed and approved under the county. The existing use, again, Sawyer's Fun Park has a cafe. It's roughly 38,000 square feet. There's also a vacant property, and I'm gonna get to a map and show you what I'm talking about. There's a vacant property that's between this rezoning and the Cory Ridge subdivision that's also owned by the applicant I'll say you could look at that as a buffer if you want with the understanding that it can still be developed at any time this request does not in any way encompass that vacant property so I'm gonna just brush over this when we talk about a conditional rezoning this particular request has only two elements of conditions if you will first of all they are limiting to the conditions to the ones that were stated in the request which is a driving range and a mini golf and then another type of restaurant or cafe and then the other element is they have added hours of operation so those are the two conditions And so again, I'll just briefly go over these additional uses in addition to the ones that are already there, which is the fun part. Again, a 28 bay driving range and then two 18 hole mini golf courses, restaurant and cafe hours of operation Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. So some additional steps to try to bring this sort of full circle. So the property is in Pitt County's jurisdiction. So an annexation will be required. The only body who acts on annexations is city council. So based off of the schedule tonight, the next council meeting is August 13th. And at that meeting, there will be an annexation request and then the rezoning. If the annexation request is not approved, this rezoning dies because this is city zoning. Okay. So now let's get to where we're actually talking about. So this map is located in the southern section of the city. It's more specifically located along Corey Road. You have Worthington Road here at the bottom. To the north is Corey Ridge subdivision. To the south, this is a city park. This is Voidley Park. So this was the map that was included in the request. So this is provided to you by the applicant. This was the same map that was shown at the community engagement meeting. So Corey Road is on your right-hand side. If you look underneath the transparency, you can see where Sawyer's Fun Park is already there. It's showing you that. Then you have the driving range, which is shown here. And it has a 600-foot driving range, which heads to the west, essentially. And then to the south of that, this little purple trapezoid is showing you the location of the many golf courses. And then you do have some additional parking that's shown right here as you come in off of the entrance. The total property is just a little over 17 acres. This is a photograph. So this is taken from Corey Road. This is directly in front of the driveway. So to the left would be Worthington Road and to the right would take you back to Fire Tower Road. We talked a little bit about activity centers. The only activity center that's near this is just a small neighborhood one, which is just at the intersection of Cory Road and Worthington Road. So under this request, under the current zoning, the zoning could generate about 136 trips a day. And then under the proposed zoning, it could generate about 300 trips. And so there's a net increase of 164 trips. So what this is showing you is this is just a graph of showing you the ADT under the current zoning. ADT is average daily trips. And then what the proposed ADT would be. So in the green, it's showing you under the current zoning and the 170 trips, I think it was, that that would mean Cory Road is operating at about 31.3. I'm going to make the numbers very specific of its design ADT. If you add in the additional net increase of those trips, that will take you to 32.5% of the design ADT. This property is located in the Fork Swamp watershed. If stormwater rules apply, it will require 25-year detention and nitrogen and phosphorus detention. A portion of the property is located in the special flood hazard area, and there also may be jurisdictional wetlands, buffers, and or streams. So this is a really busy zoning map. We've got three different local governments zoning. First of all, on your left-hand side, you'll see that we are showing you Winterville's jurisdiction. So we have basically just shown Winterville as white zoning. What you see in purple and then just this tiny little smidge right here at the bottom, GC, that is county zoning. So the purple is RR, a rural residential. The rest of the colors are city zoning. again the property was developed under the county it's considered a private recreational center it's roughly about 38,000 square feet the remaining vacant portion of the property if it were developed under the county could be additional recreation center or there's a residential component and they could squeeze out about 15 additional single-family lots on the remainder of the property Again, under this request, it would be, just a little bit more detail, the driving range is described as a two-story, 28 bay driving range. Just an example in your mind if you've ever been to Drive Shack or Topgolf. This is essentially the same thing if you think about the bays and what I sort of think of as little cubes sitting on top of one another. You also have the mini golf and again I'll just repeat hours of operation Sunday to Thursday 9 to 10 Friday and Saturday 9 to 11. This is the future land use plan and if you notice the future land use plan does extend into this area so even though some of it is stolen pick counties jurisdiction. we still try to forecast what recommended land uses should be because we do have annexations we do need a rezoning and we do need something to base it off of so the city's land use plan shows Cory Road with two different types of residential. You've got the yellow and then this beige color. So they're both residential. And then you have the green, which is potential conservation open space. And this really serves two elements. First of all, it's recognizing Boydle Park as a city park. But then the other piece is the environmental constraints with Fork Swamp running on the western edge of the property. So this is the map I always show you. Again, I'm not gonna repeat that, but again, you can see Cory Ridge is shown as residential. Also included in your staff report, again, staff did a little bit more for you in the staff report because we have more knowns of what this rezoning could produce. And so within your staff report, I gave you some other considerations. So one of the things that staff noted was the proximity of the driving range to Corey Ridge, mainly related to the amplified sound and that the driving range is semi-enclosed. The front part of it is unenclosed because that's how you hit the ball out of the driving range. The most intensive buffer yards, which is required by code, buffer yards are not part of their conditions, the most intensive buffer yard that would be required would require six large trees, eight small trees, and 26 shrubs for every 100 linear feet along the property line. The point I'm trying to make here is that large trees are required to be 10 foot at installation. and small trees are required to be eight feet at the time of planting and I'm just trying to say that the prescribed buffer yard are going to be maybe 10 feet maybe a little above that at the time of planting I essentially just said that I'm sorry I repeated myself and then the last consideration is and I don't know that I did a very good job of it but you do have that intervening piece That is owned by the applicant. And again, while it's shown as property, could be considered a de facto buffer. You still have to just keep in mind that it can also be developed. So in staff's opinion, the request is not in compliance. with the comprehensive plan and the future land use plan. And again, with all the other considerations as discussed, staff recommends denial of the request and I'll be glad to answer any questions.

Chante, so is that Winterville or Greenville? I'm kind of confused.

Well, you may have a Winterville address because the post office in Winterville delivers your mail.

Okay.

But this per this particular property is under the jurisdiction of the pit county zoning so there's two steps they're going to need to annex into the city and then they will need city zoning and this is the city zoning they've chosen and if they stay on schedule then the annexation and the rezoning will end up at council at their august meeting so shouldn't this

Shouldn't it start at the county?

They're leaving the county.

Oh, okay. I'm just... But we're going to decide now, and then council will decide if they can leave the county.

That's correct. But if the annexation isn't approved...

But county's planning is kind of out of the question, right?

They're out of it.

Even though this is in their county. Yeah.

the time being wow right i mean go ahead no i'm just saying he has the right idea of what's happening but essentially as she stated if the annexation isn't approved at the next meeting this all dies it goes away but the reason it's kind of being presented this way essentially is because this has to go through the pnz as a first step whereas annexation just goes right to council so that's kind of the reason for the timeline but yeah county is out of it this is going to be strictly agreeable so we

I don't know, do we seem like we kind of like?

He tried to get it zoned at the county first and it got denied there. Oh, okay.

All right, I get it. There it is. There it is. All right.

A couple maps ago, you had a red on, it's a commercial near Worthington. What is that?

That's a graveyard right now. I know, that's what it is. That is... Down at the bottom at the intersection.

Are you talking about what's red here? Yes, ma'am. All the city is showing is they're recommending commercial, and the main reason they're recommending commercial is because it's at the corner of two main roads. What could it be used for zoning?

It's not even the city right now.

It's right now. Right. What? What would you speak? Yes. Thank you.

Well, it's currently has the same zoning. If you look at it this on this map, it currently has the same zoning as the property here. It's rural residential. It's in the county's jurisdiction.

That was future land use that had as commercial.

I'm sorry. You're right. Okay.

But across the street from that, it's general commercial.

In the county.

Yes. For future land use also.

Yeah. Well, for future land use, it's on the other side of the road, directly across the road.

Oh, yeah. Is GC. Yeah.

Yeah. We're on the fringe of where we're starting to kind of orbit around each other.

I think that guy sells pecans somewhere.

All right.

Any other questions for staff? I actually have a question for you, Ms. Guby. So when we talked about the conditional zoning, we talked about it specifically for this, for the driving range, the putt-putt, the cafe. The proposed it's not a full plan, but the proposed layout of it is that part of that condition? If we approve that conditional zoning, could it pivot, move, move to another part of that property or is it locked into that's the footprint that was improving? It's a good question.

I would say for the most part, based on what I understand of the location of the improvements, it may move just a bit up or down or to the side. And I'll let the engineer speak to this because he did design it. So can it be tweaked? Yes. But I think the layout is the layout. We've had discussions of things moving around and I think they're pretty married to the way that they have it laid out.

And staff recommended denial.

Yes.

Okay.

Any other questions for

Staff? I've got one quick question. To the north of the 17 point, I think it's 17.23 acres, to the north between what's proposed here and... Cory Ridge. Cory Ridge, thank you. That is, you know, I guess what could the future hold for that? Will that always be a, you know, as far as the ownership of that, in between here and quarry ridge i know there's some trees there may have been a tree farm or something somebody planted trees uh along there but i didn't know what the uh future could hold for that if this was to pass you know could it continue to infringe on quarry ridge even closer

i don't want to speak for the applicant but i will say that yes it can be developed it is not included in this request it is not encumbered whatsoever so right now it's in pitt county's jurisdiction it could be developed under pitt county or at some point they may decide to annex it and get city zoning thank you And I'm gonna leave this up because Mr. Anderson also wants to use this same map. But if you want me to move to a different map, I'd be glad to.

All right. The public hearing is open. The first speaker will have five minutes with each additional speaker having three minutes until 30 minutes has expired. And let me say both those for and those against the request will each have 30 minutes. So is there anyone present to speak in favor of this request? And if you could state your name for the record, Mr. Anderson.

Yes, sir. Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the commission. My name is Scott Anderson. Excuse me. I'm a civil engineer with our consulting group and here tonight on behalf of P&D Property Management Group and Sawyers Fund Park. Appreciate your time and consideration of this item this evening. Again, tonight we're requesting approval of a conditional rezoning for approximately 17.23 acres located along Quarry Road to allow the expansion of Sawyers Fun Park through the addition of a 28 bay technology enhanced driving range and two 18-hole miniature golf courses. I think Ms. Scooby mentioned earlier, when you think about the technology-enhanced driving range, that is something similar to a Topgolf or a Driveshack. But I want to be clear that this is a much more community, neighborhood-scale driving range at 28 bays versus a Topgolf Driveshack that is typically 90 to 120 bays. So again, we're 25% of the size of what a normal Topgolfer drive shack. So the thought is that we'll be using technology similar to what they have, but on a size and scale that is much more appropriate for the surrounding community. Before discussing further details of the proposal, I think it's important to recognize what this property is today. This is not vacant land. The properties owned by the Sawyers already serve as a family entertainment and recreational destination. It currently contains Sawyers Fun Park, which includes a trampoline park, arcade, laser tag facility, and a cafe, as well as the famed cheer training facility. Training facility. cheer training facility. That's a tongue twister for me. Families throughout Greenville and Pitt County already visit this property for recreation and entertainment. The proposal before you tonight simply expands that existing recreational campus with the additional family oriented outdoor activities. Over the past four years, we've worked extensively with city staff, county staff, neighbors and community stakeholders to refine this concept. The project you're considering tonight is substantially different from earlier concepts. We have eliminated go-karts entirely from the proposal. We reduced the size of the driving range and moved it as far away from Corrie Ridge as possible. We have reduced the overall rezoning area. Originally at the county, we had requested 32 acres. This request is down to 17 acres. We've added operational restrictions and added limitations on permitted uses. Furthermore, by annexing into the city of Greenville, one, it allows us to connect to Greenville utility sewer, which is one of the primary reasons for annexing into the city. But it also makes the property subject to the city ordinances regarding lighting restriction, noise limitations, and the landscape buffering requirements. One of the most important aspects of this request is that it is not a traditional commercial rezoning. As Ms. Guby mentioned, this is a conditional zoning. So the property will be permanently restricted to a very limited list of recreational uses, including indoor and outdoor recreation, driving range, miniature golf, arcade and entertainment uses, trampoline facility, and accessory food service. So the rezoning will not permit a gas station. It will not permit warehouses. It will not permit convenience stores or strip commercial development. The conditions approved with this request will run with the land permanently and limit future development. The staff report identifies two primary concerns, consistency with the future land use map and compatibility with nearby residential development. We certainly understand those concerns. However, we believe this property occupies a unique location in Greenville. We're directly to the south is Voidley Park, one of Greenville's premier recreational facilities containing lighted softball fields, volleyball courts, walking trails, gym facilities, and other recreational amenities. To the east is an existing cheer and recreational facility. and the current property already, as we said, contains indoor recreation activities. So rather than introducing a new land use into the area, this proposal expands the existing recreational corridor that already serves our community. With respect to compatibility, outdoor recreational activities are limited to specific operating hours. All the lighting must be fully shielded and directed inward toward the site. Amplified noise levels will be limited to 65 decibels at residential property lines, and Type E buffer yards will be installed adjacent to residential properties. In addition, there's currently a substantial separation between the proposed improvements in the Quarry Ridge neighborhood with over 490 feet of distance and a 13 and a half acre property that is under common ownership as a subject property will serve as a buffer. staff report notes that traffic impacts expected to be minimal again the roadway after development will be thirty two and a half percent of its capacity and again finally we believe this project provides a benefit that extends beyond this property Greenville continues to grow and attract businesses and needs the family-seeking recreational opportunities close to home. Projects like this create destinations where families can gather together, spend time together, and enjoy activities without leaving their community. Sawyers Fun Park has already established itself as a valued community asset, and this proposal represents the next step in its continued growth and success. While we recognize that this request is not perfectly aligned with the future land use map designation, we believe the unique circumstances of this property, the existing recreational character of the area, and the conditions proposed by the applicant, and the limited impacts identified throughout the review process support approval of this request. For those reasons, we respectfully request that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend approval of the conditional rezoning. Thank you, and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

What is considered common ownership? You mentioned that word.

Yeah, so it's under a couple of different LLCs, but the two owners of the LLC are the same. So P&D Property Management, Sawyers Fund Park, are all the same parent owners so both the property that is under the request the 17 acres that we're requesting for rezoning as well as the 13 and a half acres to the north that is not included in the rezoning are all owned by the same ownership group okay any questions for mr anderson

Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in favor of the request? Give us your name for the record and you will have three minutes.

I'm TJ Sawyer, owner of Sawyer's Fun Park. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to tell you a story about when I moved here in 1992. In 93, I started working for a local gymnastics center on 10th Street, you may remember. The owner came to me and said, I want to show you some blueprints of her new facility. Called me in her office, showed, she was super excited. I said, where are you going to build this new facility? And she said, Old Firetower Road. I shook my head, I said, why are you building way out there? It's a two lane road full of cows and tobacco fields and some trailer parks. She said, Greenville is growing in that direction. And as you know, she was right. Greenville is growing this direction. So fast forward in 2000, I opened up the first cheer gym here in town called EC Cats. A few years later in 2002, I started looking for our first property. for our new facility. And I had that in mind what she taught me. And so we found this piece of property that was next to Boyd League. I thought it was perfect. We were out in the county. None of the neighborhoods were out there. And we were thinking that Worthington was going to be the next mini fire tower. Today, Greenville is preparing to invest over $50 million in a sports complex. So in my 25 plus years of being in the competitive cheer world and the travel teams, I always had three pillars to take our teams for the competitions. Hotels, restaurant, and entertainment. A great facility may bring teams here once, but if families don't have the places to stay, places to eat, things to do while they're here, they won't come back. So hot shots. hopefully with the driving range will be called, will help provide the third pillar. It gives visiting families another reason to choose Greenville and another reason to return. But again, this is not just about the sports tourism. We have a problem with our college graduates leaving Greenville because there's nothing to do. There's no activities. And so this proposal will help with keeping our college graduates here locally. It will help also the other companies that are here trying to attract young professionals. So if we're going to invest $50 million in bringing people to Greenville, I think we should also invest in our businesses and attractions that will encourage them to stay longer, return often, and help Greenville grow in the right direction. I'm here to answer any questions if you need them.

Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Sawyer? Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in support of the request? State your name for the record. You have three minutes.

thank you good afternoon my name is jamie sawyer for the past four years we've worked hard to work with our neighbors to address concerns regarding every project proposed for our property we've held numerous meetings answered questions and made significant changes to our plans what we've learned through the process is that no matter how many changes we make the answer is always no We've gone back to the drawing board multiple times presenting entirely different concepts from go-karts to mini-storage housing, mini-golf in a driving range, yet each time the goalpost moves and their answer is still no. The only alternatives they suggested have been that we move, we make the property a tree farm, or we donate it as conservation land. Those simply are not realistic options. Ultimately, they don't want anything built on our property and they will contest any project presented. At some point, our rights as property owners are being infringed upon. The reality is that our property can already be developed under its current zoning. We could build indoor recreational facilities much closer to the neighborhood and neighboring homes than what we're proposing today, such as a skating rink or volleyball complex. These would also have lighting, traffic, and some noise. Instead, our proposal places activities 600 feet from the nearest neighborhood and directly beside an existing recreation center where outdoor activities already take place daily. So contesting a project that is 600 feet away because it has outdoor mini golf when we can already build indoor facilities next to the neighborhood is unreasonable. So what should be answered today is whether we too can offer outdoor activities next to existing outdoor activities. This project is not an unusual request throughout Quick County. Residential neighborhoods already coexist with commercial buildings, businesses, restaurants, medical offices, theaters, bowling alleys, golf courses, driving ranges and recreational facilities. We recognize that some neighbors oppose this project. However, many residents within Corey Ridge surrounding neighborhoods and across Pitt County have expressed strong support through emails to city council and public comments. We believe this project is a good and reasonable use of our property, a great fit for this location and something our community wants and needs. And we respectfully ask for your support so we can move forward and bring this opportunity to the county. Thank you for your time.

Any questions for Ms. Sawyer?

I did have a question. So when you were speaking of the different communities that are around there, are you by chance a part of that community?

We live in Irish Creek, which is in which is on Old Tar Road. Sorry. Old Tar Road. So around the corner, around the on the other side of parallel road. Okay. We're not in that area.

Second question. What was the outcome of the community meeting that you held in April? I believe it was the outcome. Yes.

And in what way?

So what did you guys resolve? I heard you say that there was a lot of support.

We do have a lot of support. Unfortunately, we probably won't have many that come and speak because it's such a conflict with those that live in the area. I know at the last meeting, one person did come out and spoke in favor and was promptly pounced upon after leaving so it's a you know they have to live you know with the people who oppose it so it's kind of difficult for them to speak publicly but they've emailed City Council and they have posted publicly where we ask for public support we have hundreds of comments of people who support it even people who live in the neighborhood people who are on the HOA as a matter of fact I don't know if they'll speak today in favor or not and the neighborhoods across the street as well Thank you.

I have a question as well. I love the idea. I just this is kind of a general question. There's a lot of indoor driving, driving range facilities as well as a decision to do an outdoor one or just design user.

Well, we offer indoor now with the fun part. And a lot of people in our area want something to do outside, especially like in the summertime. People want to be outside with their kids and have a good time as well. And with us being right beside Boyd Lee already offering outdoor activities for families, it just makes sense to be able to offer something outside.

Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in support of the request?

you can state your name for the record you have three minutes good june sanchez uh good evening and thank you campus members for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight regarding the proposed soros fun park expansion my name is june sanchez and i am the owner of fame all-stars north carolina that is directly in front of soros fun park tonight however i'm not speaking as a business owner i'm speaking as a resident a parent as someone who genuinely genuinely loves this community I moved to Greenville when I was 12 years old, and over the years I've watched the city grow tremendously. Greenville continues to attract new families, new businesses, and new opportunities, yet one of the conversations I hear most often is that our community needs more family entertainment. More activities, more activities for young people, more destinations that bring people together. The stories expansion is exactly the type of investment that helps address those needs. This project is about creating a place where families can spend time together, where children can make memories, where visitors can choose Greenville as a destination, and where college students and young professionals have additional recreational options beyond what currently exists. As our population grows, the demand for quality entertainment and recreational opportunities grows with it. Communities thrive. when they provide places for people to gather, connect, and enjoy life outside of work and school. Projects like this contribute to the overall quality of life that helps attract and retain residents, businesses, and future investments. I also believe that it is important that we support local entrepreneurs who are willing to invest their resources back into the community that they call home. When local business owners choose to expand, create jobs, and provide new opportunities for residents, it sends a positive message about Greenville's commitment to growth and innovation. No project will ever have unanimous support, but I believe the broader impact of this expansion will be overwhelmingly positive and an opportunity to provide something that many Greenville residents want. I encourage the council to consider long-term benefits that long-term benefits that this project can bring to our city and support the storage fund park expansion. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Sanchez?

Yeah, you said you live in that neighborhood? You live in the neighborhoods over there?

I live off Ivy Road. I own the famed All-Stars. Okay, okay. It's in front of it.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Sanchez. Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in support of the request? Please identify yourself for the record and you have three minutes.

My name is Mason Miller. I'm the assistant general manager at Sawyer's Fun Park. I'm here to kind of speak on what people say when they come in our facility about, you know, the rezoning request and their desire for us to expand. We've been an institution in this community since long before Sawyer's Fun Park existed in Air U and then in EC Cats. This has been a family entertainment center for years. And a lot of the people in our community come in on a daily basis, and I'm personally the one who chats to a lot of them. And overwhelmingly, I hear support for it from family members who come in and say, we want more things for our kids to do. As a family entertainment center right now, we're focused a lot on the younger kids. And that's great. It's getting these kids off their phones, off their tablets. I'm sure if any of you have kids now, you kind of know that that's an issue with people scrolling on their phones and whatnot. And parents have expressed support and expressed the fact that they want their kids to be able to do something. And as kids get older, they kind of age out of our current offerings. And there's not really much for them to do. For the upper grade and middle schoolers, for the high schoolers, and for our college kids who move into our city to have to go to college, they want things to do that aren't going downtown. I personally just graduated from ECU. And I know that as somebody who doesn't drink, who doesn't like going to the club or anything, I'd have loved to have something to do outside of going downtown and stuff like that. And I've had college kids who come into our facility and say, this is great, but we'd really like, and what's the most common thing I hear? Topgolf. What's the most common thing in any of these Facebook threads that you read where the mayor or other people are asking, what do you want to see in Greenville? I see Topgolf all the time as I'm scrolling through these things. In our facility, I have people come up to me and ask, when's this getting approved? When's this getting approved? And unfortunately, a lot of these people who say that are not the people that have time to come to these meetings. They're people with families with kids that have after school activities, have a ton of other things to do. They don't have time to come to these meetings and show support. So I would encourage the board to understand that we have a lot of people who aren't here today who are in support. You can see this online. You can see the requests for more things to do from other business owners who want people to come into our city because a lot of our business doesn't necessarily just come from this area. It comes from all the surrounding areas. As much as we'd love for people to eat in the cafe for all of their meals, they're not going to, and that's okay with us because they go and support other local business owners. So I'd encourage the board to think about the whole community and not just a minority of vocal people who seem to be against it who are the ones that always come to these meetings. Support the people who are online sharing their opinions who might not necessarily have the time to come. I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miller. Is there anyone else present to speak in support of the proposal? Seeing none, is there anyone present to speak in opposition to the proposal? Please identify yourself for the record and you have five minutes.

I've got to turn them down perfectly to three.

All right. Even better.

Good evening. I am Jerry McRoy. I live at 1017 Vanguard Drive in Quarry Ridge Subdivision. My property fronts on Quarry Road. I can see the sign for Sawyer's Fun Park from my kitchen window day and night. Well, our neighborhoods are right back where we started over four years ago. Sawyer's Property Management is in the uncomfortable position of having purchased land which was not zoned for their future plans, and they are now trying to mitigate their original mistake. Excuse me. The current project being proposed by Sawyer's is just the latest version of the same old idea. Sawyer's wants to expand their operations to outdoor activities. Since neighborhood opposition has been evident for a number of years, Sawyer keeps putting different shades of lipstick on the same old pig. Bottom line, 13 plus acres they purchased adjacent to their current location is not zoned and not congruent with their ambitious plans. They have been from the county to the city back to the county, and now back to the city again. Every time so far, Sawyers has been denied. Their misleading and political backroom dealing has yet to work for them. Not even their current and persistent social media campaign against the surrounding neighborhoods has made their plans more appealing to those of us adjacent to their operations. The local community opposition group is not pleased to keep fighting the same battle over and over. At this point, Sawyer's continual proposals have become outright neighborhood harassment. There are hundreds of solid tax-paying households in the neighborhoods surrounding Sawyer's operations. As city council appointees, I absolutely believe you should represent our interests I feel our tax dollars are being misappropriated by being used to have the Greenville Planning Department work toward helping Sawyers realize their aggressive plans. Sawyers operation is not even in the city and they do not pay taxes to the city of Greenville. As a resident of Pitt County in Greenville City, I ask tonight that you once and for all shut down the Sawyer's Assault on our local community. I am retired and I do not need another job to battle repeated threats and infringements on my neighborhood's peace and quiet. Our road has one and only one commercial operation, which probably never should have been allowed in the first place. Sawyers should be happy that they've been allowed to build two businesses already on a rural residential road. Please convince Sawyers by your actions tonight to take their business aspirations somewhere where they are acceptable. Like all of you, we just want to maintain a safe, quiet, and peaceful neighborhood.

Thank you. Thank you. Any questions for Mr. McCroy? Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? If you could state your name and you have three minutes.

Hi, I'm Jamie Smith and I live in the Blackwood subdivision. Before I get started on my remarks, I just want for you guys to picture the map that you saw earlier that had all the residential homes pictured. Each one of those little squares represent the dream of a homeowner, someone who has put in the time effort to save money to purchase a home in this specific area of Pitt County. I'm not here because I oppose business growth or recreation. In fact, I've enjoyed seeing families make memories at Sawyer's over the years. I'm here because this decision is bigger than one business owner and one project. It's about whether Greenville's comprehensive plan actually means something. The city has spent years telling residents where growth should occur and what kinds of development belong in different areas. Families like mine made decisions about where to buy a home based on those plans. We trusted that the character of our neighborhood would be protected through thoughtful planning and consistent zoning. Tonight, you're being asked to recommend annexing county property into the, well, you're not being asked to annex, but considering annexing county property later into the city so it can be rezoned heavy commercial for a two-story, 28-bay driving range, outdoor miniature golf, and a restaurant serving alcohol until 11 p.m. on weekend nights. For context, I recorded outdoor music at Sawyer's before he started making requests for outdoor development. This is what my family heard regularly from our backyard. If that fits the city's vision for a traditional residential neighborhood, then I have to ask, what wouldn't? This decision is about more than Sawyers and its property. If the city is willing to annex rural residential land and immediately approve heavy commercial zoning in an area designated for traditional neighborhood development, it becomes much harder to explain why similar requests should be denied elsewhere. That's why consistency matters. residents developers and future homeowners all deserve confidence that the city's plans and zoning decisions will be applied fairly and consistently your own planning staff has concluded that this request is inconsistent with the horizons 2026 it is inconsistent with the future land use and character map and is not in the public interest i hope you will give great weight to that professional recommendation This isn't the first proposal for this property. This isn't the first proposal for this property. The concepts have changed, but the location hasn't, and the concepts have not changed much despite what you've heard. Previous boards and councils have repeatedly concluded that this site is not appropriate for more intensive commercial development. approving this request would send a message that our long-range plans are flexible when pressure is applied and that residents cannot rely on commitments from the city has made to them i ask you to send a different message comprehensive plans or promises if we only follow them when they're convenient they're no longer plans that we can trust their suggestions thank you are there any questions for ms smith no

Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? State your name for the record. You have three minutes.

Hello, my name is Caitlin Kerner, and I am here to speak against this because my house shares a direct property line with the current buffer area that is not in the zoning request, but my property looks out to all this land. This is not the first time, not the second time, not even the third time that we are talking about the same thing. For years, it's been a question of what they should be doing with this land. Commercial zoning is not compatible with the surrounding areas, nor your Horizon 2026 plan as addressed many times. Does this commercial zoning, conditional or not, meet the criteria of being compatible ensuring compatibility of possible development in conditional districts with the use and enjoyment of the neighboring properties. Because I can tell you, it is not an enjoyment coming here, missing my own kids' activities that are happening right now to keep fighting this. Corrie Ridge is a two-lane road. I'm worried about the traffic. My kid's bus goes back and forth down that street and unloads kids off directly onto Corrie Road past 4 PM, which is during business hours. Are we worried about kids crossing the street during these business hours when they should be enjoying their riding their bikes or walking their dogs or having good times in their neighborhoods with their families? While it has been said that there's going to be a cafe, they have confirmed that there will be alcohol sales here that will be, um, be given out. Will the city redirect funds to public transit down to this new proposed commercial district on quarry road to ensure that people have safe way to get home and not drinking and driving past a church, a daycare past my kids riding their bike on the street. It is not in the best interest of the surrounding area to have a commercial zoning in a current residential area. On the weekends, we can hear the cheering and baseball playing at Boiley Park already. So do you really think that having more outdoor entertainment that much closer to my property is going to be reduced sound? Trees are not going to hide that. Already, multiple times in the past, We have been hearing music and outdoor entertainment from my own back porch that wasn't stopped until we had to call the county sheriff multiple times to have them because they were not allowed to be playing out there. This was not a one-time event that is being addressed. It is multiple, multiple nights of loud music into the night. A two story building is not needed or wanted in this area. It is a great plan, just not in the right spot. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any questions for Ms. Kerner? Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? If you could state your name for the record, you have three minutes.

Good evening. My name is Mohadar. I'm a resident of Quarry Ridge. I've been living there for about 17 years and I'm against this proposal. I think that as some of the other colleagues who live in the neighborhood have outlined, if you just drive simply down Quarry Ridge or Quarry Road, it's a heavily dense residential area and there are more neighborhoods that are coming. So it really doesn't make sense to approve something that's going to be two stories high with music, alcohol, and other things. And I also think that we're being presented with a false choice. We're being told that we need a Topgolf and that people are leaving. If you look at some of the other communities like Cary or Chapel Hill, People want to stay in those areas, and when you go through, you don't see Topgolf near a residential neighborhood. When you look at Topgolf, it's completely isolated like on a freeway. There's a reason for that. It's because of the size, and it's an eyesore. So I think if we use a simple premise, which is if this was your house and this was being proposed, how would you feel? you know spending time money and effort purchasing a house raising a family is this the kind of place that you wouldn't want beside your house I don't really think so I think it's a good idea but it just needs to be a more less dense residential area it cannot be beside a neighborhood thank you any questions okay thank you and is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request

State your name for the record, and you have three minutes.

Before my time begins, I just wanted to make an observation. We had the invocation, but we did not have the Pledge of Allegiance. I don't know if that was an oversight, but I just wanted to mention it. Good evening. My name is Louise McGroy. I live in Corey Ridge Subdivision. Moratorium, harassment. Please remember these two words, I will come back to them. I strongly recommend this resounding request be denied for the fifth time. Sawyers Farm Park has demonstrated they do not respect their neighbors. They have demonstrated their lack of respect for the law. They ignored restrictions of outside entertainment. What makes you think they will abide by any restrictions? haven't thus far. They have resorted to taking their fight against the neighboring residents in the media and on social media. They do not speak the full truth on these attacks against the neighboring residents. You will hear tonight from neighbors, which you already have, many reasons that this request should be denied for the fifth time. Now, back to those two words. Moratorium. and harassment. The definition of moratorium is a temporary halt, freeze, or suspension that stops a business from repeatedly going before a planning and zoning board. Planning and zoning boards often use a moratorium when a business keeps coming back after being repeatedly denied. This certainly applies in this case. Harassment. The definition of harassment is repeated or persistent behavior unwanted by the person experiencing it. create substantial emotional distress and stress. Both of these words apply here. Four years we've been fighting this battle. December 22, 2022, Pitt County Planning and Board, planning board, denied. December 2023, city planning and zoning, denied. March 2024, city council, denied. July 2025, Pitt County Board denied, and here we are for the fifth time. I didn't hear when they, the applicant, when they were speaking, mentioned anything about a bar. This is a residential road, and if we have drunk drivers coming out at 11 o'clock at night on the weekends, somebody's gonna get hurt. No, the little children should not be outside at that time. But they could. I would not want to be responsible for the death or maiming of anyone, child or adult. I thank you for your time. I thank you for your consideration. And I pray that you will make the right decision and put an end to this ongoing assault.

Thank you, Ms. McRoy. Ms. McRoy.

City Attorney Dixon, I just want to make clear, moratorium is outside of the purview of this commission, right? So we can only make a recommendation about the current proposal.

And also... We heard your concern, but you made a statement about no respect for the law. What do you mean for that? Because they are here to defend themselves, too. When you say that, what do you mean by that?

Okay. A prime example I can give you is during COVID, they were not supposed to be open. They remained open. I have it in my notebook here, the number of citations they received. So that's an example. I mean, this is a governor's order. and they're not going to abide by it. There were other businesses that did abide by the covert restrictions and went out of business as a result, but they stayed within the confines of the law.

Are we allowed to let them defend that? I mean, that's kind of a strong accusation right there.

I don't mind him coming and defending.

This isn't a quasi-judicial game, so it's not normally like a due process, evidentiary, cross-examine. That stuff usually doesn't take place here. So I would say that would largely be improper, but the board could vote to allow them to come up and say something if you feel like it's necessary. If that is within your purview, you can do that. But that's kind of the parameters of this. It's very uncommon in these kind of hearings. Oh, okay.

I just think that's a strong accusation. Okay. All right.

This obviously isn't going to be a court of law.

That was cited last time, too. They definitely were cited over 20 times for COVID violations.

I think it's fair that people have stated noise violations and things like that. That's all for you guys proper to be considered, but I don't think it's going to be necessary to be proven in law.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Any questions for Ms. McCrory? Other questions? Thank you.

You're welcome.

Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? Please state your name for the record, and you have three minutes.

My name is Glenn Stewart. My wife and I live on Cory Road. TJ Sawyer's property is directly behind our house. TJ does not live at this property. He lives several miles away. We bought our home in 2013 and planned to live there until we die. We thought this area was quiet and being zoned residential, it would be a safe investment. When we bought our property, T.J. Sawyer had one metal building on his property. It was 100 feet behind my neighbor's house. About 2015, T.J. built a second metal building behind my neighbor's house. Soon thereafter, he built a third metal building and a street about 100 feet from the bedroom side of my house. Prior to the construction of his second building, TJ did not come to us and say, hey neighbor, I'm gonna build a building. And there wasn't any public meeting. Prior to the third construction, nobody came and said, hey neighbor, I'm gonna go ahead and build a building back here. And there wasn't a public meeting. Finally, they built a road beside my house. Nobody came and said, we're gonna build a road beside your house. No public meeting, they just did it. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of families that purchase home on Cory Road because it is residential and quiet. Business activities have historically been built on Old Tower Road or on County Home Road. Like stated before, in the past few years, TJ has requested four times, this is the fifth time, to go ahead and approve his plans. And each time before, he has met disapproval. I appeal to you council members to deny this request. First, because of the sale of alcoholic beverages And second, because TJ will expand his operating hours with closing to 10 or 11 p.m. I'm afraid the combination of late hours and alcohol sales will result in buzz driving or DUIs on Cory Road. A few years ago when Sawyer's Fun Park had outdoor music, there were times that they could not control the volume and had neighbors' complaints. So if we ask TJ, what are your plans? Who's gonna control the flow of alcohol?

Thank you, Mr. Stewart. Are there any questions for Mr. Stewart? Thank you. Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to their quest? You can state your name for the record, and you have three minutes.

Good evening. My name is Neil Boardman. I'm a homeowner in the Corey Ridge subdivision as well. And I respectfully ask that you recommend denial for this request. This is not a new proposal. It's a repeated attempt to achieve the same outcome through a different path. For surrounding neighbors, it has been four years of effort marked with constant concern, stress, and sustained opposition. Other people have stated, but the record's clear. December 22, rezoning request withdrawn. December 23, this commission voted against it 4-2. March 24, city council unanimously rejected a related change. July 25, Pitt County Planning Board voted 6-1 for denial for similar commercial areas. Now we're here June 26th. This time with a request for annexation, heavy commercial conditional zoning to allow a high intensity outdoor entertainment use, expanded operations including an additional bar and restaurant. So the central question is simple. What has materially changed to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and to justify a different outcome? Nothing. There's nothing in the surrounding land use that's changed, nothing in the zoning, nothing in the compatibility of this proposal with the existing community. The area remains a single family residential and the property remains zoned residential as residential land as it was purchased. This proposal creates the same fundamental conflict already reviewed and rejected multiple times, placing a high intensity commercial entertainment use directly near established neighborhoods. that brings conflict for predictable impacts such as prolonged noise and activity from outdoor entertainment, light and visual intrusion from nighttime operations, increased traffic and safety, negative effects on property values and neighborhood stability. These are not hypotheticals. They are exactly why this proposal has been denied before. This is why these concerns remain today. There's also a matter of consistency and fairness. Zoning exists to protect residents and ensure compatible land use. Approving this request will require setting aside these principles and making an exception that clearly conflicts with the established character of the area. There are also legitimate concerns about precedent. Approving this opens the door for further commercial encroachment, bringing those impacts progressively closer to neighborhood boundaries. Based on the history of repeated denials, clear incompatibility with surrounding uses and the responsibility to protect neighborhood stability and property values, the appropriate recommendation remains unchanged. I respectfully ask that you once again recommend denial. Thank you for your time and for your service.

Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Boardman? Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? you'll state your name for the record and you have three minutes.

My name is Mary Lou Stewart. Um, and I'm here to just say Corey Ridge, Vicksburg, uh, black, bam, all the neighborhoods around us. My house is a little brick home that sits right in front of where this is all going to happen. My neighbor, had to complain so many times about noise because her little girl couldn't sleep has put her house on the market and she's moving now if this would happen with more and more people where they would just say oh we're just going to have to get out of here they sell their homes and go these are people who saved their money and purchased a family home to make it a place to raise their children and to live. And my husband and I were retired. We bought our house and planned on staying there until, I don't know, one of the funeral homes came and took us away, maybe. Whatever. But I don't want to have to sell. And also, my husband was talking about the road that we didn't know was going to be beside our house. The road is right beside our house. The lights shine into our bedroom and into our sunroom. And so if we have more and more cars coming up and down that road, I mean, you know, you can fix the streetlights, you can do this and that, but when people leave and they have their car lights on, it's going to shine. And it's going to shine into the homes across the street. One of the fellows that's here tonight is at the end of that road on the other side. And those lights are going to shine right into his home when they pull out. And there's going to be a lot of them. And yes, I am concerned about the alcohol consumption. And you can't always control the way people drink and the way people drive. So that's out of our control. So that's about all I have to say. And just think about how you would feel if this was coming into your neighborhood. and you've had this choice to make. God bless you all and thank you very much.

Thank you, Ms. Stewart. Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition to the request? You can state your name for the record and you have three minutes. To the microphone.

I live at 1001 Vicksburg Drive, directly across the street from the lady that just spoke on Corey. I see Sawyer Fun Park every day of my life. I'm not ashamed to say that I see that. I bought the house in 2014. One of the first questions I asked my realtor to ask them was, are they developing any further? The answer I got was no. I moved 1,500 miles from Oklahoma to buy that specific house. Out in kind of the country, because I'm from Oklahoma. I'm used to being in the country. I'm also torn on this event because, or this proposal, because I'm a golfer. I think this would be a fantastic venue. I just don't want it in my backyard. And on that topic, I'd like the council to consider it doesn't just impact the land, the use. I have plans for my house. I have a swimming pool I'm getting ready to put in. I have a detached garage, another one I'm adding. I'm not doing any of that till we resolve this because the exit and the entry road to this facility right inside my house all night. Bedroom, backyard, porch, everything. So this really impacts the minority of the neighbors that are here. That's just all I wanted to say is just to consider that.

Thank you. Madam Clerk, how much time do we have left in the 30 minutes? Two minutes? Okay. Is there anyone else present to speak in opposition? If you could state your name for the record and you get the last two minutes.

My name is Hugh Bryan. I live at 816 Van Gert. I have lived there for the last eight years. The last six years I've served as president of the Corrie Ridge HOA. December 22 to 25 December 2022 December 2023 March 2024 July 2025 June 2026 plus at least two meetings at Mr. Sawyer's facility and the meeting on April 14 of this year. I would say that my tenure has been as president has been preoccupied by this particular issue. And I talk to the residents of our community frequently. We've had a lot of meetings, all well-intended, well-attended, and all unconvincing to the community that it was a good idea. It is a good idea. It's just in a not good place. I want to convey the continuous, relentless frustration that our community has experienced over this effort to drive a square peg into a round hole. From all of these meetings we've attended on and on and on, it just kind of feels like TJ is in the batter's box and gets an unlimited number of strikes because it just keeps coming up and coming up and coming up. However, with the wrong decision, if you approve this, we don't have any more strikes. We're done. It's over. So I urge you to stand with the people who have so much at stake and have demonstrated repeatedly that they do not want to commercialize our neighborhood any further. I thank you for your time and your service.

Thank you, Mr. Bryant. All right, 30 minutes having elapsed. The public hearing is now closed, and I will turn it over to the board for discussion and eventually a motion.

All right, I'll lead it off. To the Sawyers, this is a brilliant idea. And like the young man stated, it could possibly be something for everybody to do. And Greenwood does need that, especially for the kids. Unfortunately, at the same time, once we talk amongst ourselves, one, staff has denied recommendation for it. The single most, well, one of the top investments in a person's life is their home. And people buy those homes to have a great quality of life. And to have their quality of life derailed or interrupted is something that will be something we have to really consider. For the commission that we are tasked to do, I'm just saying that it's just going to take some soul searching on this one because the city wants to grow. The city has to grow. Entertainment is a must. But like the guy stated, also, when you go to those top golfs and stuff, they are on the interstate. And they are kind of off on their own. So it's kind of in that little quagmire right there. But it's a great idea. I don't want you to ever think that it's not a great idea. But at the same time, the location is just not a great place. I have a question about the growth.

Fire Tower is a busy road. Worthington, I'm assuming, because they built a roundabout, and they're building on the old tar, making it five lanes all the way from Target past L'Orealis. Is that growth gonna continue to grow out there? Like, I saw the, like we said, the red for commercial on Worthington, is the business, that's the future land map, is that... growth going to keep coming and we have to keep thinking about this or I don't understand what's going to happen to Corey. I know something's going on.

But it's DOT. DOT can be the next 30 years. Well, I understand that, but I mean, does any

Growth always leads DOT. And this property, if it doesn't develop into this, it's going to be cut up into sub-divided, annexed and subdivided. That seems to be the two choices. So I think that the property owners and the neighbors need to figure it out. I don't think it does necessarily agree with our future land use, which we did just... I think if that land to the north of it could be included with a permanent buffer, Maybe that could do something to appease both parties. Because this, again, I understand these homeowners are frustrated. This is the second time I've heard this. And both times, it took the full 30 minutes on both. And so we don't love hearing this either. It's just something's got to give here. And I'm not going to vote to approve it this time because, again, it does not uh it's not consistent with with what we have but but that that land will that's not a motion that's just me stating my intention but that that land is not going to stay what it is right now growth is coming for that area of the city so there's two different visions for the property for the land the neighbors vision and the homeowners are completely different visions for this land

And for the property owner to realize that if you get the value out of it, this is a silly question. Do the homeowners all around there purchase the property from them?

That's an option if they want to turn it into a conservation. But no, I mean, a developer is going to buy it and subdivide it.

A developer will buy it.

it's i mean i'm not saying that for sure but yeah that's that's that sure seems how it would it's going to go if this doesn't if this doesn't develop and it is right next to boyd lee and it's a good spot and like i said if you could get that those those 13 acres north of it to be to be somehow as a consistent buffer you might come out on top that would be a buffer to corey ridge to court yeah you're right not to the vicksburg neighborhood but but yeah i don't i i

Just anticipating when we get a motion, is everyone eligible to vote? No. Okay. Who's not voting?

Okay.

All right. Thanks.

So just going to lay out some of the things that I was thinking about when we had our lovely 30-minute public hearing. And I thank everybody for coming, because usually these meetings are just us sitting up here and listening to lovely Shante. So it's nice that we have some different voices tonight. No offense, Shante. I think that I was really undecided coming into this because the public on Facebook, like DeSoyer stated, was very in support of this. And I do think that it is something that we need, but I have questions about the location. And one thing I do want to say is I'm going to use my token college student. I am a resident here full time. I don't just go to ECU and then leave. This is not going to keep me in Greenville. Now, if this came with 100 jobs making $100,000 or more, yeah, maybe I'd stay. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to stay because of a driving range. I mean, I like mini golf. It's fun. That's why I go to Myrtle Beach. The neighbors are extremely concerned and I want to address that there was hostility coming from both sides tonight and I don't think that that provides a working relationship to get this to any sort of resolution soon. Because I think that it's partially that the Sawyers and the neighbors don't have the same vision for the property. And I think that if we're talking about this being consistent with what the city has in mind for this location, that we cannot vote to recommend this tonight. Because, and I agree with what Ms. Smith said. I was taking notes on this because it was extremely important that there is consistency here. And that if we do this and we allow it, because the Sawyers are well-intentioned members of our community, as far as I'm aware. And they do a lot, and I know many people who love their facility. Just because of that, we can't make an exception for one property that then would lead us down the road of doing this elsewhere, especially if you want to get into it on 10th Street. I mean, not that there's much left, but what is left? There's a lot of other dense places that have land up. that could be developed the same way based on the precedent of this. And so as much as I wanted to support this because I think the concept is great and I think it is something that the city needs, I think it's in the wrong location. And if you come back to us in a different location where there's not neighbors, you have my vote then.

But the conditional zoning map, isn't that the whole, isn't that why it was passed to create specials of being privileges for this? Like what we just talked about earlier? Yeah.

I think it's the fact that you could condition this. I mean, if I'm not mistaken, it was attempted to be self-storage or some sort of storage facility as well. So I don't think it has much to do with the fact that it's conditional and this would be the only thing that's allowed. I think it's the fact that it's commercial. If they wanted to do residential and build it in a neighborhood, I think it appears that that would be an acceptable compromise. So I think it's all, my understanding is that it's very little to do with the conditions and more to do with that it's just commercial.

Any further discussion, or I'll entertain a motion.

I'd just like to add that I applaud the Sawyers for the entrepreneurial spirit, and we definitely do need these things. But I'd be willing to bet 95% of people at least would love to go here and hit balls. And I know it would be a great time, but if it's in your backyard, you'd feel different about it. And that's just all there is to it. It is the right idea in the wrong place. I don't like that. I really applaud people for sticking their neck out and having a vision, and I respect that. But I also truly believe that it would have a direct impact on property values as well, because You could wake up one day, say, to the north or to the east in Blackwood or Quarry Ridge or Vicksburg, and it would have a direct effect on what potential buyers would consider paying for a house. And people can disagree with that, but that's a fact. So I just don't see it. I see it as a great thing. but when you're thinking for all of the citizens and you put yourself in everyone's shoes, I think most people love this idea as long as it's not in their backyard. So with that, I'd make a motion to recommend denial of the proposed amendment to advise that it is inconsistent with comprehensive plan and to adopt the staff report which addresses plan consistency and other matters.

I was worried you weren't going to read the line.

And I second that.

We have a motion and a second. All right. How about with the vote, we also have a hand up just to make sure we know how many people. All those in favor of the motion, please say aye and raise your hand. Aye. All those against, raise your hand and say nay. The motion passes. All right. Our next item is adjournment. Is there a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. And a second? Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All right.