The Vance County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session on Monday, September 26 at 3:00 p.m. in the County Commissioner’s Meeting Room. This was scheduled in open session during the September 12th meeting. The purpose is for the Board to review/discuss the proposed zoning ordinance.
Note that this is a Work Session, so no action will be taken. Public comment is not allowed, but the public can attend just to watch.
Zoning
Some points I expect the one commissioner who knows more about zoning than anyone in their district will clarify at today’s work session.
1. Why is a 6 foot fence surrounding a mine or quarry consider sufficient in the interest of protecting children, when a 4 foot fence is sufficient for your pool, and you need a 8 foot buffer of evergreens to hid our outbuildings?
2. Only zone L-I Light Industrial must be located in an area that has good access to transportation facilities. Apparently good access to transportation facilities are not needed in the other industrial zones or by default the zoning commission will use eminent domain to take land for building of the needed access.
3. Based on the names of the industrial zones only one zone is intended for employment?
4. What residential, retail commercial, and service land uses will the zoning commission prohibit or discourage from zone L-I?
6. In the July 2011 copy of the ordinance two sins businesses were zoned. In the September 2011 version only one remains. Does the State limit ‘electronic gaming’ to city limits only?
Plan to attend today’s commissioners’ working session to listen and learn the thinking and reasoning of the five who are pushing the ordinance.
Zoning after the work session
The public meeting has been held, the work session completed, the next step is a vote for approval by the five commissioners. Chairman Wright instructed Mr. Asycue to place the zoning ordinance on the agenda for the October 3, 2011, board meeting.
After 130 years without zoning five commissioners apparently know more than the county property owners and will vote to impose zoning on the property owners.
Micheal, don’t you think that home owner concerned about people living in RV’s has a right to be concerned? I know I would. C’mon now; people living in RV’s????? Don’t you think people in Vance county deserve something better than this? And by the way, the 4′ fence around a swimming pool is a STATE BUILDING CODE requirement, has nothing to do with zoning.
When Brummitt was interviewed about zoning, he was for all kinds of restrictions and limits, anything but “zoning”. He just doesn’t like that word so maybe we should come up with some other term that he likes better that will encourage some new businesses and growth to come to our county.
And remember, those 5 other commissioners that support zoning were elected into office by voters, so they speak for and will decide on this important issue, for the voters that put them in office. Zoning coming to Vance County is the will of the people, long over due after 130 years.
One Voice, (post 3) thank you for your input to this discussion. I agree that a land owner (you said home owner) should be concerned about people living in RV’s. I agree that the land owners of Vance County deserve something better; do you agree that the land owners of Vance County should be allowed to speak their mind about the establishment of county zoning at the ballot box.
Also, thank you for the information of the 4’ foot fence around a pool. I was only noting what is contained in the ordinance, which does not reference a state building code.
Dangy (post 4) I am unfamiliar with Mr. Brummitt’s interview about zoning. I have been present and made notes of Mr. Brummitt’s views and comments stated in both board meetings and yesterday’s work session. He is consistent is his views and offered alternative solutions to concerns expressed by the other commissioners and the public.
You are correct to say that the five commissioners who support zoning were elected. Two of the five commissioners were elected last November. My cursory review of their public campaign statements did not indicate a desire to change 130 years of land ownership privileges. The transparency of government requires the citizens to rely on the public statements, public meetings, public comments and be suspicious of any private statements or meetings. This is a rephrasing of a former president’s comment trust but verify.
Regardless of the number of commissioners who support zoning, I believe that the decision to establish a county zoning ordinance should the decision of the county land owners in a referendum at the ballot box. Then you we able to say it is the will of the people; otherwise it is the will of five elected officials.
I think if you put zoning to a vote of Vance Countians it would pass. Most people in the city of Henderson would vote for it. I believe a majority, maybe only a slight one, in the county, outside of the City, would also vote in favor.
Anyway, five county commissioners, who were elected to represent all the county’s voters, seem to think it is time for zoning; so it would seem that the majority of people have/will have a say so in the outcome through their elected representatives.
Time to get focus back on the county water system.
Vance County residents outside the city lines ought to take a hint from Mingo. He said most city residents will vote for county wide zoning. Look how well its worked out for Henderson. High unemployment, no manufacturing jobs, low wage retail and restaurant jobs, vast amounts of industrial space in the city and the ETJ that are unoccupied, large numbers of section 8 houses and apartments. Need I go on. This is the future for Vance County. Businesses will never locate in Henderson until the public schools are better and the crime rate is lower. That is why people are moving into the county. At least they can discharge a firearm when people attempt to steal from them without being investigated. You might ask residents in Harnett County how they narrowly escaped a for-profit landfill in a residential/agricultural area if zoning protects property values. A zoning ordinance might as well be written in pencil. It can be changed at the whim of the planning board and commissioners.
Tim interviewed him on TT about the zoning issue, maybe a month or 2 ago?, and I wondered then if they would be putting on a Commiss. that supported zoning to have both sides of the issue debated. I heard him support restrictions that sounded just like zoning.
How is county water different from zoning, how can someone be for one and not the other?
And what is the specific threat you fear from zoning? Brummitt is worried about small business and extra fees and time but not worried about the businesses that may not be opening because of a lack of zoning, makes sense?
D and O in Kittrell, I usually like your posts, but this one is just sleight of hand. The issues in Henderson have little to do with zoning, in fact you named the problems: schools and crime. Section 8 goes in areas zoned residential,as they should, which does not have any bearing on the real issue; leadership allowing too much.
Good examples would be the adult store that might have gone anywhere, but was relegated to Hwy 158 on the outskirts of town ( I zone). Or a strong zoning ordinance that made sure the appropriate roads were put in ( and appropriate signaled intersections) to accomodate the traffic to a new shopping center. Or zoning that made sure truck stops have large enough lots, ingress and egress, to not harm neighbors or local traffic. I could go on and on, but I’m thinking you don’t want to hear it. Or the opposite, where a potential use that wanted to go in a neighborhood, but without the apropriate zoning, was not allowed, because a viable planning board heard the public input i.e .outcry, zoning was not changed.
Zoning is not Henderson’s albatross.
Dagny (post 9) who is Tim and what is TT? When I asked one of the commissioners if they thought the land holders should vote on zoning to me their reply was condescending and almost arrogant. They said they had attended all the classes, read all the books, and knew more about zoning than anyone in their district, so the land owners need not speak at the ballot box on zoning. I will ask you what is the specific threat you fear if the county land owners are allowed to speak at the ballot box on zoning?
I’d have to agree that zoning is not Henderson’s albatross.
Michael…Tim McCallister hosts Town Talk (TT) on Thursdays.
He ran for mayor.
TT is Town Talk, a daily (weekdays) talk show on WIZS. If you don’t listen to the radio, you can listen online at http://www.wizs.com (Disclosure – WIZS website created by me)
I respect the work of Mr. Bobbitt, have so for a long time and still do. He has shed another prespective on the zoning issue and expressed it with well thought efforts. So much so I have decided to go take a look at the library this afternoon. However, I must say that I am for zoning our county. Throughout our state I have seen zoning do much more good for an area than harm. I welcome this ideal just like I welcome the opportunity for Henderson to occupy a stop on the high speed rail in the years to come.
You go Mojo, keep on Rison ! !
Bring it to a vote and obviously the result would be the same. Those same voters put the Commissioners in that support voting and the one(s) that don’t. I specifically was very worried when an adult store was possibly opening near our business. The firing range might have helped business but I respect the land owners that did not want it by their homes. But look at the time, money and expense involved when the county had to scramble to make some law to keep the range away. Still waiting for a specific reason from those opposed to zoning and not a scare tactic story from another county, and never get it.
Pink Floyd
Money, get back
I’m alright jack, keep your hands off my stack
Vance County is 130 years behind the times that might be why we have some of the probllems we have. We are not only behind in zonig but a lot of other things.