Planning board eyes boundaries
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on August 10, 2006 1:48 PM
Officials with Wayne County, Case Farms and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base developed a possible solution Tuesday night that would allow Case Farms to expand its operations while not encroaching on the base's Accident Potential Zone.
Case Farms recently purchased more land to expand its chicken processing plant on Pecan Road south of the base. The company couldn't expand its operations on its existing land because it was located in the floodplain, Wayne Planning Director Connie Price said.
But expanding operations on its new land would cause a problem with Seymour officials because rezoning the purchased land, which is located within the base's accident potential zone, to heavy industry would be considered an increase in encroachment around the base as defined in the base's Air Installation Compatible Use Zone study.
The Accident Potential Zone extends out from the ends of the base runway and is considered too dangerous for intense development because of the chance of plane crashes.
Price, Mike Haney of the county Development Alliance and representatives of the Air Force and Case Farms met earlier this week to discuss how to allow the business to expand its operations without interfering in the base's mission.
The proposed plan calls for the rezoning of a section of Case Farm's purchased land, which is currently zoned for light industry and airport use, to heavy industry. That would permit the business expansion. In turn, Case Farms' existing floodplain land would be removed from development to reduce the amount of encroachment.
If the city of Goldsboro turns over its land located west of Case Farms' existing land, then the encroachment issue would be solved and Case Farms could begin its expansion, Price said.
The Wayne Planning Board unanimously approved the proposed plan and will send it to the county commissioners for final approval. Planning Board Chairman George Aycock said he hopes the solution works out for everyone involved.
In other business, the planning board approved a final plat for a subdivision to be constructed near Spring Creek High School. The land, developed by Art Patelos Enterprises, is located on the south side of Indian Springs Road and would contain about 24 lots.
Also, the board approved a consideration to rezone the Raintree subdivision, which is near Buck Swamp Road, and some land surrounding it. The subdivision and its adjoining properties would be rezoned for single-family houses. Other tracts near the subdivision would be rezoned to allow manufactured or site-built homes, two mobile home parks andagricultural use.