County commissioners plan busy week
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on May 17, 2004 2:00 PM
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners has a busy week planned, with a full agenda and two public hearings Tuesday.
But the headline event could be Thursday night's hearing on zoning in high-noise areas around Seymour Johnson's flightlines.
The county proposes to extend zoning to thousands of acres for the first time. The new area is about 6.8 square miles and is located in the Brogden, Indian Springs, New Hope and Saulston townships.
Most of the land would be initially zoned as "RA-20," which allows agricultural uses and residences on half-acre lots or bigger. But some property would be zoned more restrictively.
Others areas would have their zoning made more restrictive. For example, much of the land inside the 70-decibel noise contour would be rezoned as "airport," which only allows homes on lots one acre or bigger.
Regardless of zoning, the proposed rules include an "airport overlay district," which will prohibit homes, churches, schools and businesses with high customer traffic in many areas with high noise or potential for accidents. In other areas, noise-dampening materials would be required in construction.
Notices were sent last week to more than 3,000 property owners about the proposed changes. A map was published in Friday's News-Argus.
The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. It will be held in the large courtroom on the second floor of the Wayne County Courthouse.
The commissioners may vote on the zoning changes after the hearing. They have said they want to act before the moratorium on new subdivisions expires in early June.
Hearings Tuesday
The two hearings Tuesday should not attract as big a crowd.
At 9 a.m., the board will take comments on the N.C. Department of Transportation's 2004-05 secondary road construction program. DOT is planning improvements to Owens Farm, Barwick, Farmer, Beaver Dam and Atlantic roads.
DOT representatives will be at the meeting to discuss the projects.
The hearing at 9:30 a.m. concerns a request to rezone nearly 2 acres at the intersection of Airport Road and Aviation Drive, which is just outside Goldsboro-Wayne Airport.
A developer wants to build a small office building and ministorage units on the land. So far, no one has objected to the plan.
Also Tuesday, the commissioners are scheduled to do the following:
*Hearing a funding request from The lighthouse of Wayne County.
*Decide whether or not to waive landfill fees for the Salvation Army, which plans to tear down a house at 609 Daisy Street.
*Approve a new contract with County Manager Lee Smith.
*Ask the state to add Milwood Drive, Brebati Drive and Jacara Drive, all in the Mil's Manor subdivision near Saulston, to its list of maintained roads.
*Proclaim May as "Foster Parents Appreciation Month."
The commissioners will convene at 8 a.m. Tuesday for a briefing on the agenda. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room, third floor, Wayne County Courthouse Annex, 224 E. Walnut St.