County approves rezonings to allow for industrial expansion

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners this week voted unanimously to rezone two large properties to Heavy Industrial to in anticipation for new industries coming to the area in the coming years.

The first, RZM 2020-1, is the 650 acres of property south of Hamlet along Airport Road near U.S. 73/74 and Highway 38, which will become the Energy Way Industrial Park. The second, RZM 2020-2, is on either side of Lassiter Road adjacent to the Vulan Materials property. Both areas were previously zoned Rural Residential.

Richmond County Economic Developer Martie Butler requested the RZM 2020-1 rezoning, and Vulcan Materials requested the RZM 2020-2 rezoning.

RZM 2020-1 is made up of flatland, is directly across from Duke Energy and Pee Dee Electric, has access to gas and large transmission lines, as well as water, according to Richmond County Planning Director Tracy Parris. This property has passed the Duke Energy Site Readiness program and has been recommended by site selectors for an industrial park.

Parris stated that this land is needed because the Richmond County Industrial Park has maxed out on land.

“Our industrial area makes up 3% of the land in Richmond County and the other 97% is residential,” Parris said at the virtual monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners. “In order to have jobs and investments we must expand some of the industrial areas to promote industrial growth, while minimizing the impact of industry from adjacent property owners.”

The county mailed 59 letters to adjacent property owners notifying them of this coming change. Of those, there was one response from Lee O. Quick, of Ghio Road, which is the southern edge of the proposed rezoning. Quick’s house faces RZM 2020-1 he has lived there since 1974. He said in his letter that he is opposed to the rezoning.

“I have enjoyed the peace and quiet on this peaceful country road. I raised my children here and I would like to continue the peace and quiet in my retirement years. I am distressed to learn of the proposal to rezone the area across from my house as industrial,” Quick said. “It seems that this land can be developed into any kind of industry, anything from a landfill to a trucking company. I do not relish the idea of living next to a landfill or to have 18-wheelers coming and going all through the day and night.”

In the discussion on the vote, Commissioner Rick Watkins asked if they could make assurances to the residents that the land would not be used for a landfill, which was among the options for use. Chairman Ken Robinette said that a landfill was “not the intent” of the use of this land “by any means,” rather it would be for industry.

“This is flatland that sits on a transmission line and a gas line, and it’s very economically feasible to have more of manufacturing for jobs and investments than it would be for a landfill,” Parris explained to reassure the concerned residents. Parris added that she had spoken directly to the residents about their concerns.

Commissioner Tavares Bostic asked if the residents were comfortable with them making this vote, to which Parris affirmed that she was confident that they understood that the goal is for this to be an economic park, not a landfill.

Vulcan Materials requested RZM 2020-2 because it represents “an opportunity for Vulcan to continue our investment in hiring in Richmond County,” wrote Plant Manager Matthew Medlin in a letter to the county. Parris explained that this is only the first step for Vulcan, and that once they received approval for this rezoning it would take another 3 to 5 years for the company to obtain further approval if they wanted to expand their sand mine in the area.

A letter of opposition from Sandra and Ed Snyder took issue with the public hearing being held remotely, rather than in person, and requested that it be postponed until after the pandemic restrictions were lifted since it would be years before construction could begin anyway. Parris said that the county was “moving through” the rezoning requests because they are “piling up on the desks” and they don’t know when Governor Roy Cooper will lift the restrictions.

The Snyders were not notified officially, but found out because they live nearby. Their house faces Midway Road, and they already have many large trucks in the area because of Cascades. Their family has lived on this property since the 1700s, and they chose to build a house there in 1978 for “peace and quiet.”

“My question is, who is going to reimburse me for the decrease in my property values, damage to my home from blasting and my quality of life?” read the Snyders’ letter. “I am just sick about this.”