RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners met Monday, August 7, with an agenda filled with public hearings related to various property matters.
The board started the meeting by holding eight separate public hearings.
The first hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 2.21 acres of property located at 4991 Rockfish Road from RA-20 to Neighborhood Business for the development of a potential retail space.
Following the hearing, the board approved the rezoning request.
The second hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 4 acres of property located at 3066 and 3050 Rockfish Road from R-8 to Residential Multi-Family.
However, Commissioner Tony Hunt raised concerns over the fact that the property had not been surveyed yet before coming before the board.
In addition, a potential multi-family development would require a special use permit.”
“[The property] is currently in R-8,” said Hoke County Attorney Grady Hunt. “In R-8, just like in a Residential Multi-Family, multi-family development is allowed as a special use permit. So it doesn’t serve any purpose for us to move from R-8 to RMF because you’re going to have to get a special use permit either way.”
As such, the board voted to set aside the public hearing.
The third hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 4 acres of property located at RL Smith Lane and Rockfish Road from RA-20 to Residential Multi-Family for the development of affordable housing.
Following the hearing, the board approved the rezoning request.
The fourth hearing was for a request for a special use permit for the use of multi-family homes on the previously rezoned property.
“We recognize that some people take the wording of ‘affordable housing’ as a negative thing,” said Chairman Allen Thomas. “I can’t speak for the board, but I can say that I appreciate the fact that there are people who are looking to build things that the average everyday person that lives in Hoke County can afford. People like my sister, who’s a teacher. She wants to buy a home, but she can’t buy the $400,000 homes.”
Following the hearing, the board approves the special use permit.
The fifth hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for a 345-lot major subdivision named Turnberry South Subdivision Phase II located at the 125.297-acre property located south of the Turnberry Subdivision.
Following the hearing, the board approved the preliminary plat.
“I just want to speak to the public because what can happen is that folks can feel like we’re not listening whenever we have folks who come and speak against something, and then it potentially gets approved anyway,” Thomas said. “A preliminary plat, what we’re listening for specifically and only, does this plan coincide with our ordinance for subdivisions? Administrative approval means we must approve the plan unless it does not coincide with our ordinance.”
The sixth hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for an 8-lot major subdivision named Windsor Trace Subdivision Phase II located at the 78.62-acre property located on Doc Brown Road.
Because of the additional lots, the subdivision transitioned from a minor subdivision to a major subdivision, thereby requiring board approval.
Following the hearing, the board approved the preliminary plat.
The seventh hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for a 16-lot major subdivision named Lancaster Subdivision located at the 10.85-acre property located at 471 and 167 N. Parker Church Road.
Following the public hearing, the board approved the preliminary plat.
The eighth request was for a rezoning request to rezone 146.157 acres of property located at 192 Wedgewood Drive from RA-20 to R-8.
However, following the hearing, the board denied the request 4-1 – Commissioner Bobby Wright was the lone dissent – following strong public opposition that was mostly against the potential higher-intensity development in the area.
“There’s a reason we have ordinances that allow our citizens to come up and voice their opinions,” Commissioner Hunt said. “A lot of references were made about other RAs that we approved, but when the community was given an opportunity to speak on those, they did not. This community has come up and spoken, and they’ve told us what kind of community they want to have, and that’s what our ordinance allows. For the community to come up and have a voice in what goes on in their community.”
Finally, the board also approved the acceptance of two grants, the HATS FY24 Rural Operating Grant, which is a $199,236 grant for the undertaking of non-urbanized and small urban public transportation projects, and the Mountaire Farms Grant, a $2,500 grant for a Cooperative Extension gardening program.
The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet August 21.
