PENDER COUNTY — Despite protests from nearby residents, commissioners believe the economic benefits of a new industrial site justify its entry to Pender County.
READ MORE: Pender industrial site rezoning advances despite environmental concerns
In a contentious meeting Tuesday, commissioners unanimously approved the rezoning of approximately 59 acres on the southside of the intersection of Malpass Corner Road and Porter Road. Conditions attached to the approval include disallowing textile and waste uses, as well as meeting all federal, state, and local environmental regulations.
“The tension here is if you had a piece of land and you wanted to do something with it, what right would we have to tell you you couldn’t use your land — within the allowed uses and within the law which regulates environmental issues,” Vice Chair Jackie Newton said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Applicant and owner TW & AG Timber LLC requested the conditional rezoning to allow industrial businesses for the site. Uses supported by staff include manufacturing, warehousing, construction, real estate rental, and waste management.
The property was previously used for lumber manufacturing for nearly 30 years. Tarboro-based metal manufacturer Nash Building is a proposed tenant to occupy 75,000 square feet of the area, but other potential tenants are unknown at this stage.
Newton claimed the 421 Highway corridor is “where our economic futures lie,” arguing the board was responsible for promoting industry in the fast-growing western part of the county. Pender is experiencing a roughly 1.3% annual population increase; the population grew from 60,208 in April 2020 to 65,737, according to the most recent census in July 2022.
Chair Brad George said the applicant anticipates the tenant occupying the former lumber mill will initially create 25 jobs and plans to increase upward of 50. Though he did not have an estimate, George said the total number of new jobs will grow as other tenants join the site.
Residents raised concerns about the environmental impact of the industrial site, which dominated the public comment portion of the commissioners’ meeting, also expressed at the planning board meeting last month.
The applicant agreed to eliminate several proposed uses in consideration of environmental degradation at the planning board meeting, including solid waste landfill, hazardous waste collection, combustors and incinerators. Other conditions included a 100 foot setback surrounding all cement production and a 25 foot buffer surrounding new areas of the site.
The planning board recommended approval 4-2. Members Margaret Mosca and Delva Jordan cited uncertainty about the site’s future tenants in their dissent.
“Pender County government is not responsible for maintaining or reviewing records or ensuring employers comply with environmental laws and regulations,” Newton said Tuesday. “That’s DEQ’s job.”
Newton noted it is the board’s role to “protect our people as best we can,” to which an audience member yelled: “You’re not!’
On Tuesday, Porter Road resident Roben Jarrett argued the rezoning still allowed an excessive number of uses, including some waste businesses, utilities, and concrete. PCD reached out to Pender County spokesperson Brandi Cobb to ask how many types of industry in total would be allowed but did not receive a response by press.
“I’m alarmed at the extreme broadness of the rezoning request,” Jarrett said.
She claimed residents counted 48 homes within a quarter mile of the site and argued they would be exposed to pollutants and dangerously close in the event of an accident.
Jarrett requested commissioners include conditions, such as prohibiting all waste industries, limited hours of operation, and close consideration of any activities posing a risk of pollution and runoff. The applicant’s attorney, Sam Franck, argued limited hours would be inconsistent with light industrial zoning. The commissioners’ amended conditions included the waste request only.
Spencer Road resident Meri Battles cited a 2017 study by Andrew Whitmore, University of North Carolina assistant professor of land use planning and environmental planning, in her argument against the rezoning. The study surveyed industrial rezonings in Durham from 1945 to 2014 and found “cities that zone land for industry too close to residential areas degrade residential property values and risk exposing households to health hazards.”
Alternatively, Burgaw resident Rhett Pollock argued the importance of creating local jobs justified the rezoning.
“For almost 19 years I’ve talked to just regular people from all walks of life and one common thread — I don’t care what neighborhood you’re in or how much money you make — is jobs and money in Pender County,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting.
According to the Bureau of Labor, 13,940 workers are employed within Pender County. George told Port City Daily the county’s most recent statistics show 58.6% of Pender’s workers commute outside the county; he did not know the percentage commuting to Wilmington.
“To have a good, regular job in Pender County, where you don’t have to figure out a way to get to Wilmington, pay for gas and a reliable vehicle — that’s a very real thing,” Pollock said.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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