11/22/04 — Commissioners to resume base zoning talks

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Commissioners to resume base zoning talks

By Matt Shaw
Published in News on November 22, 2004 2:17 PM

After a three-month hiatus, the Wayne County commissioners will resume talks Tuesday about increased zoning and tougher building standards in high-noise areas.

The commissioners have called a work session on the proposal to zone or rezone around 26 square miles around Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and its flight lines.

The zoning changes would be intended to limit construction in areas where there is high noise from planes and a high potential for accidents. In some areas, the board is also likely to require construction methods that limit outside noise from filtering inside.

The county's ordinance would only affect land outside the city of Goldsboro. The City Council has also discussed tightening its development rules near Seymour Johnson.

The commissioners have been working on the changes since December. Meanwhile, the county has temporarily prohibited new neighborhoods from being started around the base. The moratorium is scheduled to expire in January.

The commissioners plan Tuesday to schedule a third and final public hearing. The first two hearings each drew more than 100 people. The proposed changes affect about 3,000 properties.

Public hearing

The commissioners have a hearing set for 9:15 a.m. Tuesday for any comments on the 2004-2005 Community Development Block Grant program.

The county anticipates receiving up to $700,000 from the state through the CDBG concentrated needs program. The money may be used to improve homes along Cobb-Coley Lane in Dudley; the possible project will be explained during the hearing.

Other business

Also Tuesday, the commissioners plan to do the following:

*Ask the N.C. Department of Transportation to take over maintenance of Bonnie Place and Brady Place, both of which are near the intersection of Ditchbank and Dollard Town roads.

*Establish a public hearing for possible changes to the county's junk-car ordinance.

*Consider whether to require all due property taxes be paid before deeds can be transferred.

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, fourth floor, Wayne County Courthouse Annex, 224 E. Walnut St.