Also changes zoning to allow new industry
By Tom Woerner
Dunn Daily Record
The town of Angier grew again Tuesday night with town commissioners voting to add two noncontiguous areas to the town, continuing a trend of recent years.
A divided board voted to annex three tracts of land totaling approximately 4.8 acres located on N.C. Highway 210 just east of the current town limits.
Commissioners Mike Hill and Alan Coats voted for the annexation while Commissioners Loru Hawley and Junior Price voted against the measure.
Mayor Bob Smith broke the tie, allowing the measure to be approved.
Price said he mistakenly voted against the annexation, thinking it was an item later on the agenda.
“I am in favor of this annexation,” Price said Wednesday morning.
The board was unanimous on bringing 2.109 acres of land located at 1192 Rawls Church Road into the town limits. The board then changed zoning on the property to R-10, allowing residential lots up to 10,000 square feet.
Residents asked what the property will be used for, but due to state law, commissioners are not allowed to ask petitioners what they intend to do with property when they request rezoning. Price questioned town attorney Dan Hartzog Jr. about the measure.
Hartzog explained asking about property uses would be against laws enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly.
Price said he just wants more transparency.
“This is good for the town of Angier but people should be able to know what is going there,” Price said.
In other action, the board changed the zoning of a piece of property located on N.C. Highway 210 south of the town limits, which clears the way for a new industry.
Dunn attorney Tilghman Pope spoke on behalf of the owners and told board members a new asphalt plant will be built on the site.
Price said the planning board was told the project will bring approximately 30 jobs to the area.
The property is located outside the Angier town limits, but within the town’s extra territorial jurisdiction, which gives the town control over zoning at the site. The site was rezoned commercial, clearing the way for the new industry.
The site has 400 feet of road frontage on N.C. Highway 210 and is located near the intersection with James Norris Road.
In yet another zoning issue, the board denied a request to change the zoning on a downtown building that most recently operated as a thrift store. The owners were asking for a zoning change from commercial to office and industrial.
Commissioner Alan Coats made the motion to deny the change and the board unanimously agreed.
Coats said he was concerned about the lack of businesses in the downtown district.
“This has always been commercial and I would hate to see us lose that,” he said. “We need businesses in the downtown area and (when) we start changing uses we are going to restrict what future businesses can do.”
More tickets coming
Police Chief Arthur Yarbrough told board members his officers will be more active in enforcing speeding regulations in town. He said because of the COVID-19 pandemic officers gave fewer tickets.
“We wore masks but we didn’t want to approach vehicles and have people putting germs on us,” he said.
Officers were also concerned about a driver’s ability to pay tickets because of economic hardships caused by the pandemic, Yarbrough added.
“Now a lot of people are being vaccinated we are going to start stepping it up,” he said. “Tell your friends and neighbors we are going to start vigorously enforcing speeding laws.”
The re-zoning of the piece of land on 210 is a tragedy. Angier wants to bring in industry, stores, and grow, but they opted to allow a Charlotte based company to come in with “30” jobs, pollute the entire town with an asphalt plant and ruin the quaint town! Sad. Hopefully this gets overturned at the special hearing. Please come out and support the 2000+ residents who oppose this pollution plant from being built.