Planning Board searches for place to meet, discuss plats
By Steve Herring
Published in News on April 14, 2010 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Locked out of its usual room Tuesday, the Wayne County Planning Board had to find another place to meet. From left are board members Chris Cox, Chairman Jo Ann Summerlin, Vice Chairman Mike Aycock, Charlie Holloway and David Quick.
Like the boll weevil, the Wayne County Planning Board and people on hand for Tuesday night's meeting were just alooking for a home.
The board normally convenes in the old commissioners' meeting room in the County Administration Building at 209 S. William St. But when they arrived Tuesday night the doors were locked and no one had a key.
Board members tried their keys to see if any were close enough to work -- none did -- nor did an improvised key made from a large paper clip.
"We had it (room) set up for one-stop voting and with the amount of equipment in there we just locked it up," said Elections Director Vickie Reed.
After several minutes it was decided to move the meeting to the Planning Department offices on the third floor of the Jeffreys Building at 134 N. John Street. County attorney Borden Parker made a note of the change and attached it to the door.
Minutes later, the group ran into another locked door, this one at the third-floor conference room.
They finally settled into an office area complete with a drafting table full of maps.
Chairs were rounded up from nearby cubicles and offices and the meeting got under way. As Chairman Jo Ann Summerlin took her place on a stool behind the drafting table, board member Mike Aycock said she was the teacher.
The board recommended approval of four final subdivision plats and one preliminary plat and acted on two zoning requests and one site plan.
The final plats now go to county commissioners for approval. Commissioners will have to schedule public hearings on the rezoning requests.
The final plats, all unanimously approved, were:
* Ethel Baldwin, two lots on Millers Chapel Road. Surveyor Bobby Rex Kornegay told the board that the land was not suitable for septic tanks and that there were no plans to build on the property. He said it is a family subdivision and that the land probably would be used for gardens.
* Gerald R. McCall, one lot on Veil Road near Hinnant Road.
* Ed Radford Auto Auction, two lots on Nahunta Road.
* Mary Uzzell Felzer, one lot, Lake Wackena Road.
The board gave conditional approval to a preliminary plat for Tony Jones for a proposed subdivision on Kelly Springs Road near the Mount Olive Airport.
Planing Board staff member and county GIS coordinator Chip Crumpler told the board that Price had received verbal assurance from the Mount Olive Airport Commission that the project would not interfere with the airport operation or future development.
Quick said he wanted to have that assurance in writing before giving final approval. His motion to grant conditional approval was approved 5-0. Board members Steve Keen and Hattie Frederick were not at the meeting.
Two rezoning requests were recommended for approval:
* Kevin Wilson is asking that 1.27 acres at 225 Genoa Rd. be rezoned from Light Industry to Village District. He and his wife plan to use an existing building for a retail business selling Christmas items. They also plan to use an existing residence on the property.
* Cecil Bryan petitioned to have a half-acre lot rezoned from Residential-30 to Residential-10. The lot is located just off U.S. 117 South near Wayne Memorial Park.
Bryan plans to build a tri-plex apartment on the site.
In final action, the board approved site plans by Bobby A. Smith to build an auto salvage yard at 376 Richard Smith Road, Four Oaks (in the Grantham community).