ROCKINGHAM — At its June meeting, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning request for property on Airport Road.
According to Planning Director Tracy Parris, the request came from Everett Industrial Development to change the property’s zoning designation from rural residential to heavy industrial. The Planning Board considered the proposed amendment at its April 21, 2026, meeting.
“Mr. Everett would like to rezone that piece of property marked by that area to heavy industrial to expand his business and to coordinate with the heavy industrial that’s out there,” Parris said.
Parris then presented a case summary to the board.
“The area surrounding the parcel features a diverse mix of land use within a one-mile radius, including low density residential neighborhoods, a school, an airport, commercial establishments, and heavy industrial facilities,” Parris said.
Parris said water service is available to the property and that it does not contain flood hazard areas or wetlands. She also noted that “the topography of that land is pretty flat.”
According to Parris, notices were mailed to 41 adjacent property owners, and staff had not received any responses.
Parris also reviewed the reasonableness factors commissioners should consider when making a zoning decision.
“Size, physical conditions, and other attributes of the area; benefits and detriments to the landowners, neighbors, and surrounding community; relationship between current actual and permissible development on the tract and adjoining areas and the development that would be permittable under the proposed amendment; why the action taken is in the public interest and any changed conditions warranting the amendment.
This is conventional rezoning; you must consider the full range of uses permitted by right or by issuance of a special use permit within the zoning district requested. Consideration: Would this zoning district and the full range of allowable uses be appropriate in this location.”
Parris presented the staff’s statement of reasonableness and consistency.
“Staff finds the proposed zoning map amendment from Rural Residential (R-R) to Heavy Industrial (H-I) is consistent with the adopted Richmond County Strategic Land Use Plan 2022 pursuant to 160D-501: The proposed zoning map amendment from Rural Residential (R-R) to Heavy Industrial (H-I) is consistent with the Strategic Land Use Plan 2022; Goal 7 objective 1 to direct growth to the appropriate places and away from natural sensitive and/or agriculturally rich lands and goal 9 objective 2 strategy 1 to review and support land use policies to encourage sound industrial, commercial, and residential development (cluster development).”
“I recommend this. We’ve considered a full range of uses on that property, and heavy industrial is consistent with the Richmond County Land Use Plan. Of course, I went over the objectives, and the planning board unanimously approved,” Parris said. “ So they had to go through and do a review before you do, and they unanimously approved that they found it consistent with the Strategic Land Use Plan.”
Parris said Everett Industrial Development LLC submitted a proposal outlining the request for the Planning Board’s review. According to the application, the rezoning would place the parcel in the same zoning category as surrounding properties and allow for similar uses.
“And I can tell you when the planning board met, one of their questions was, ‘should we have rezoned, should the piece across the street actually be heavy industrial as well?’ And because it’s not a request at this point, we don’t change it, but it probably should have been a heavy industrial back in the day…,” Parris said. “So there is convincing demonstration that all use is permitted under the proposed district classification, would be in the general public interest, and not merely in the interest of an individual or a group.”
During the public hearing, Jim Henry of Superior Cranes told commissioners the company plans to expand by building a new facility to provide additional outdoor storage.
“If you’ve seen the cranes out there, they get kind of crowded inside the building. You got five in there, I believe, right now being wired,” Henry said. “So we’re hoping to restore some of them in the outside area… probably put a shed or something, make it look nice.”
In other business, commissioners made appointments to the Planning and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mingo Crowley was appointed from alternate member to full member to fill the vacancy left by Tim Hayden. Harvey Melton and Mark Savage were reappointed to terms that expire in June 2029.
Commissioners also approved interlocal agreements between Richmond County Building Inspections and the municipalities of Hamlet, Ellerbe, Dobbins Heights, Hoffman and Norman to provide building inspection services for permits issued within each municipality.