Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Call a meeting to order Hope everybody had a good holiday Oh yeah I have to remind myself uh, called a meeting to order. Um glad everybody's here. Hope you had a good holiday. Um. got a short agenda, but we'll get going. Um, we'll stand and start with the prayer and the corridor. Rogo Rogo. Oh, Roll call. Get getting ahead of ourselves, yeah Austin. President. Michael Best Lisa Allison, Thompson Forbes Sharon Gray present Lyman Hardy Rita Jackson-Gilbert. Minnie Johnson-Stewart. Steve Little here, Charles McLawhhorn, Michael White. We have a We'll stand and get started with at the prayer Let us pray Our Father and our God, we thank you, Lord, for many opportunities of life that you give us to serve you. We thank you, Lord, for the blessings that you bestowed upon us. We pray right now as we enter this meeting and everything that is said and done is according to your will. Lord, we just ask you to bless each member of this board and our county that we were working for she says thank you again for all blessings in Christ's name. Amen . Amen. Pledge allegiance to July of the United States of America and to the Republic of which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you for that. I just want to remind the board when you speak tonight, uh, please make sure to press the, the button on your microphone so so we can hear you. and that the public can hear you Um

the minutes were sent out. I'll take uh minute to review and a motion to approve the minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting. I motion we approve. All those in favor, let it be known by say I. right. Is there any public address to the board? to be general comments See a nun we can, we'll move on. Our first item of business is, uh, rezoning request. Ben. Good evening, Chairman and everyone of Y'all had a great holiday. We do have one rezoning request this evening, um, submitted by Mr. Christopher Sutton. The request is to rezone 45.62 acres of property owned by Stokes Sutton Farms LLC. This is Parcel 21731, and it's located at the southeastern corner of County Home Road and Ivy Road, and the request is to go from rural agricultural to rural residential. Location map um for this proposal, um, you see, again, it's just south of, um, Ivy Road on County Home Road, north of NC 102 east of Winterville in the town of Ayden. Some sight pictures of the property. This is looking at the property from County Home Road. So I was looking at it from Ivy Road and then the intersection of Raymond Harris Road. This is looking north on County Home Road towards Greenville. It's south on County Home Road. and then just a couple of pictures of adjacent properties. This is just a residence across County Home Road. a church on Ivy Road that is directly adjacent to the subject property and then some agricultural lands directly across the county home road. The existing land use in the area, um, you see the entire parcel is currently undeveloped and agricultural, which is what

a lot of the uses in the area are. Um, there is some residential kind of speckle throughout as well as some subdivisions directly to the south of the property. Um, the blue you see there, those are institutional uses. There are several churches and cemeteries in the direct area of the subject property. The envisioned Pitt County 2045 land use plan, um, does designate this area as rural residential. You see there also is a little cluster of rural, uh , Center just to the north of it at that intersection, but the property we're looking at is rural residential. This designation applies to transitional areas that include a mix of low density suburban development and agricultural lands. New developments should have relatively large lots or be closer away from sensitive areas and or working agricultural operations. Uh, they're typically located um around rural areas which include existing single-family homes, low density subdivisions, and surrounded agricultural lands. The uses are typically low density residential, agricultural, agribusiness, and some isolated non-residential uses of all major roads or near key intersections. Utility access is typically on-site septic systems with community water service and public sewer may be available in limited areas, and density is generally less than 1 to 2 units per acre. The Pit Counting zoning map, you see the area is currently zoned, uh, RA R Rural Agricultural, um, I do want to point out a couple of things. So, um, when zoning was adopted by the county in 2003. See that Ayden Golf Club Road and Ivy Road was kind of the line that divided the rural residential, which is typically closer to the, um, towns in the county, and then RA is typically when you get further away from, um, the towns, the municipalities, so that was just kind of the dividing line at that time. Um, so you see RR directly across the street and then on the top right corner you see kind of that end of Ivy Road, both sides of, um, Ivy Road are currently zoned RR and that's getting closer to the NC43 intersection where there is R are completely surrounding that intersection. So just to give you an idea of the current zoning out there. Um, again, the proposed zoning

is rural residential, and that is intended to accommodate low density, single-family residential uses, public uses, and institutional uses in areas that generally do not have access to public or community water or sewer systems. Um, Pitt County Plaintiff staff does find that this request is consistent with the envisioned Pitt County 2045 land use plan. The area requested for rezoning is designated as rural residential in the future land use map and the uses in the area are a mix of single-family residential land uses and agricultural and undeveloped land. Plan staff also finds that this request is reasonable and in the public interest because there's existing rural residential zoning directly across Ivy Road and on both sides of Ivy Road east of the subject property of the NC 43 South intersection, and additionally, any future non-residential uses will require site plan approval by planning staff. Again, staff does recommend approval of this request. Um, at this time, public comments will be entertained by the Planning Board and the board will then make a recommendation to the commissioners who are currently scheduled to hold a public hearing on Monday, February 16th . And I will turn over to you, Mr. Chairman, for public comments or any questions you may have with me. Any questions for Ben while he's there on the board? Uh, I'll open it up for public comment if anyone wants to speak on this item. so See youn. I'll close, um, public comment period. Richard, I, I want to make a motion for the approval of the request. um, grounds that it is consistent with the envisioned Pitt County. 2045 land use plan. and uh that this is there is existing rural residential zoning. in that neighborhood it is compatible with similar uses in this area, and it will be in the public interest. That's my motion. Thank you

Second, 2nd Having a motion in a second, um, any discussion? All those in favor, let it be known by raising your right hand . Thank you. Thank you all Thanks, Ben Now, uh Jonas you. you got the rest of the agenda Sorry. Good evening, Mr. Chair. Thank you and, uh, members of the board tonight. Um couple of informational items for you. Um you'll see in the back of your packet on page 36, um, the correspondence regarding the zoning tax amendment that you, uh, heard, uh, believe back in October, um, and that was to amend the zoning ordinance to allow for, uh, rezoning requests that were denied to not have to wait that one-year waiting period. If you'll remember, that was due to state law changes, uh , that went before the commissioners and they did, uh, vote in favor of changing that. So we've amended our ordinance now, any rezoning requests that are denied, they could theoretically submit it, uh, the next day for reconsideration. Hopefully, they will make some changes, um, before they resubmit it. Um, next item on your agenda on page 38 is the North Carolina Transportation, uh, Department of Transportation requests for additions to the secondary road system. Our office is in charge of that, uh, Coordinating that effort, uh, anytime a state road is accepted by NCDOT, our commissioners have to adopt a resolution, uh, showing that. So , uh, you'll see that correspondence in your uh packet there. Excuse me, um also on page 39, there's a resolution supporting, uh,

improvements to the intersection of US 264 and Ramshorn Road. Um, again, these are state-maintained roads. However, they come before the commissioners anytime they're looking at making improvements to an intersection, just to get local support. Uh, in this case, they are putting in RCIs, the reduce conflict intersections. That's the bulbelts for the turnarounds. So you might see some construction uh, in the near future on 264 East at Ramthorn Road, uh, making improvements to reduce, uh, crashes that that intersection. Next up is my favorite item on the agenda, wanted to recognize Mr. Sonny McLawhorn for his, um, receiving the prestigious Lonely Pine Award, which is the highest honor, um, bestowed upon the, uh , recipient by the governor of North Carolina. Uh, it recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service to the state through outstanding accomplishments, leadership, and dedication to their communities. So congratulations, Mr. McLawhhorn on that honor of receiving that. And then last, uh, there's your departmental reports included, uh, for October, November, and December, as well as some articles, uh, from the news, uh regarding Pitt County and development. So that's all I have for you, Mr . Chairman, unless you have something, uh, else. Any questions for Jonas Thank you, Jonas. I will say, um I, I've talked with Jonas and on the next meeting agenda Some of you might remember a few years ago we changed where the, uh, subdivision Platts did not no longer come to this board for review and vote I had a few community members

asking me about certain subdivision developments and because we changed that, I didn't really have anything to speak to. So Jonas and I talked about maybe just for anybody new on the board reviewing why we made that change, kind of what the process for that is. And also, is there a way that at least in our packet, maybe in the update items, there's a way just to keep the, the board informed about what's going through there. So if it we can at least be knowledgeable . That'd be next, Mr. Chairman, if I may, what I proposed, um, to that point, and I thought it was a great point that, uh, Mr. Forbes, uh, brought up, um, what I'm proposing is I'll bring back at your next planning board meeting, some options on how we convey, uh, that information. Um , we're not necessarily looking at changing that process, uh, still having it approved in-house by staff. However, I'll give you some examples of how we can relay that information back to you in your packet. Um, so we'll have that as an item at, at your next, uh, meeting and get your input and feedback on how you want to receive that information . What will be most beneficial to you and we'll carry that forward, uh, after the next meeting. OK That's all I got for the agenda Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. If I may , I'd just like to check with Jonas and just ask a question Is there any update or of the progress or lack of progress. on the mega site that we talked about last year. So it's my understanding that they are moving forward with the environmental assessment. Uh, I think there's an RFQ out, um, to acquire a firm to look at the environmental, uh, assessment for that site. Um, I don't think anyone, I don't think the RFU is closed yet. So we're waiting, uh

, for that to close. And, uh, we'll know more once we select the contractor. And one of the main reasons I asked too is just to see where the progress is and I think you know how I stood and voted on that one, but I do notice that in Edgecombe County they've had some negatives to pop up and not making very good progress there, so. I'd hate to see that kind of thing down the road. Pit County, OK Right. Thank you, sir. Um-hum Thank you. Anything else See you in none. I'll take a motion to adjourn. So moved. All those in favor. Say ah. ah. Thank you