Fremont board OKs rezoning property
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on November 20, 2013 1:46 PM
FREMONT -- The Fremont Board of Aldermen approved the rezoning of a property on Wilson Street from residential use to a general business designation at its meeting Tuesday night.
The rezoning passed unanimously following a public hearing on the issue.
During the hearing, Edward Jones spoke for his church, which is located two doors down from the property, saying his understanding was that the owner of the property planned to open an Internet cafe.
"We were told there will be some kind of gambling events," Jones said. "The church felt it might be an interruption."
Mayor W. Darron Flowers explained to Jones that the city has an ordinance outlining where an Internet cafe can be opened as well as limiting how they could operate. The ordinance requires that the building not be within 300 feet of a school, church or residence.
The property in question would not meet those requirements, he said.
This was the second rezoning of the property owned by Helen Gillespie. In the past, it was rezoned from general business to residential.
"She hasn't told us an Internet cafe," Alderman W.T. Smith said. "She might put a grocery store in there. Or another service station. We could really use something like that."
In other business, the board was given a draft of the Small Town Economic Prosperity grant application to read in preparation for the application being brought before the board for approval in December. The board was asked to attend the Dec. 10 STEP meeting to voice any concerns about the plan before giving its approval.
The public is also encouraged to attend the meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall.
The board approved a resolution drafted by the Wayne County Commissioners supporting Wayne Memorial Hospital in its negotiations with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The two entities are negotiating an agreement that would keep the hospital in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network.
Also, interim Town Administrator Barbara Aycock was named as the town's ElectriCities and Council of Governments representatives, both positions which former Town Administrator Kerry McDuffie held.