By Miles Layton

HERTFORD — Before we get into the meat of the meeting, I’m going to write the intro to the story like a “real person,” not some journalist, politician or bureaucrat – folks who say a lot, but sometimes say absolutely nothing.

As many folks who attended Tuesday’s meeting know, the Perquimans County Planning and Zoning Board approved a rezoning request that’s the first step in a lengthy and expensive approval process for Briarwood Estates, a large subdivision planned for Woodville Road.

There were a lot of familiar faces from Perquimans County in the huge crowd, with many expressing strong opposition to the proposed subdivision. They made very good points — a future story will include more of their eye-opening comments as well as other aspects from last night’s meeting.

Questions about rezoning hinged on whether the proposed development conformed with county land-use policy and other vague policies that bureaucrats and politicians formulate, which usually only make things more confusing. Put simply, the vote turned on consistency with the county’s land use plan. Depends on who you ask, but the board’s motions found the rezoning “consistent and in harmony” with the plan, but also perhaps “straddles the fence” because it fits local development but not the plan’s language.

Long and short of it — the people who attended the meeting voiced their opinions about land use policy, what future is the county headed toward: One of suburban sprawl so that the countryside looks like suburban Hampton Roads or Suffolk — Google this scene from the movie Edward Scissorhands; or one of country roads’ places inspired by a John Denver song; or a practical approach to measured growth that’s sustainable, hopefully a place that’s not a drain on taxpayers who have to pay higher and higher taxes to support infrastructure in the name of progress.

Moreover, regarding this proposed subdivision, there are a lot of unanswered questions and studies that need to be conducted, but it is very early in the process – much like when a family sets its sights on buying a house, so dad and mom are trying to figure out where they want to build, how big of a house, how much they want to spend, city water or well water, etc. etc. Too early to tell, but who knows — maybe an environmental study will reveal a Native American burial ground or a rare endangered species of bullfrogs that can talk, so the subdivision may be put on the back burner, but that’s not always how it works out.

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First step cleared for Briarwood Estates despite strong public opposition

The Perquimans County Planning and Zoning Board voted 2-1 Tuesday night to recommend approval of a rezoning request that would clear the way for Briarwood Estates, a proposed 133-lot subdivision on Woodville Road, after nearly two hours of pointed public comment from residents who packed the Perquimans County Library.

Board members Teressa Blanchard and John Skinner voted in favor. Vice Chairman Lewis Smith voted no. The rezoning request, REZ-26-02, now goes to the Board of County Commissioners, which will make the final decision.

The board’s action is a recommendation, not a final approval. It is also the first of many steps the project would have to clear.

The request, filed by Patrick Whitehurst and 2G Investment Group LLC, asks the county to change about 214 acres in the 300 to 400 block of Woodville Road from Rural Agriculture (RA) to Residential and Agricultural (RA-32). Minimum lot sizes are the same in both districts, 32,500 square feet. The difference is that RA-32 allows a major subdivision, which RA does not.

Without the zoning change, Briarwood Estates cannot move forward. Developers would not be able to submit the detailed plans that follow, including the preliminary plat, construction drawings and reviews by the state and by agencies such as the health department and the N.C. Department of Transportation. The sketch plat for the subdivision was also on Tuesday’s agenda. Even after the board’s recommendation, the commissioners must act on the rezoning, and they would weigh in again on later stages of the project. Several speakers estimated the full process could take two years or more.

“The first step of this is the rezoning,” Whitehurst told the crowd, adding that engineering, state and review fees could run “upwards of 150 to 200 thousand dollars.” He said the company cannot justify that spending without knowing whether the land can be rezoned. “We can’t get to that point without this step,” he said.

County Planner Rhonda Repanshek told the board that about 116 acres of the tract are in row crops and the rest is forest that borders the river. Much of the woodland is wetland, and part of it lies in a flood zone. Roughly 100 to 115 acres are developable. The sketch plan shows about 12,600 linear feet of new roadway and some eight acres of open space.

She said the county health department has indicated the soils are typically classified as unsuitable for conventional septic systems, though they can be made suitable with major modifications and enrollment in a public management program that includes yearly inspections. Perc testing will not be done until the preliminary plat stage.

Jason Mizelle, a surveyor and project manager with Timmons Group, which is working for Whitehurst, said the main difference between the two zoning districts is “the allowance of a major subdivision.” He said the sketch plan works out to about 0.6 lots per acre across the whole tract and falls between the land use plan’s long-range goal of one home per five acres and its description of low density as less than one per acre.

‘Is it just a big rubber stamp?’

The library was full well before the meeting began, and spectators spilled into the hallway. Residents who spoke were overwhelmingly opposed.

Tony Drago, a retired Navy veteran who has lived in the county for 22 years, was the first resident to speak. He asked how many homes would be built per acre, then turned to infrastructure.

“New Hope Road and Woodville Road are country roads. They’re not made for a lot of traffic,” Drago said. He noted that residents of Boat Ramp Road still lack public water. “We can’t even get city water or county water down Boat Ramp Road,” he said, “and we’re about ready to have you know 133 homes with more water.”

He questioned whether schools, the new hospital and the county’s lone grocery store could absorb the growth, and he asked who the homes were meant for. “Has everyone really thought about this, or is it just a big rubber stamp?” he asked.

Nichole Hoggard, who lives on Godfrey Lane, read a prepared statement arguing the request conflicts with the county’s CAMA land use plan. She said the county has roughly 1,300 to 1,400 vacant housing units, a vacancy rate near 19 percent, though many are seasonal. She said Briarwood Estates and the proposed Belvedere Farms development together would put 243 lots on 407 acres, and that county housing permits are already up 36 percent this year.

“There is no supply emergency that justifies rezoning rural farmland for tract houses,” Hoggard said. She also cited full classrooms, double bus routes and a sheriff’s office that was denied funding for an additional deputy.

Lynn Mathis said the rezoning is inconsistent with the land use plan’s description of the area as scattered, low-density homes among farmland and open space.

“A 133 lot subdivision is not compatible with that particular part of the land use plan,” Mathis said. She said she opposed the request until the county addresses gaps in its planning documents. She later told the board that more than 3,000 residential and multifamily units have already been approved in the county, including a planned unit development tied to Albemarle Plantation. “If we’re going to talk strain on infrastructure, that’s a strain on infrastructure,” she said.

Crystal Adler of Belvedere said she owns seven acres of wetlands she cannot develop and wondered why the developer would be allowed to build up to wetlands. She warned of a domino effect.

“One turns to five, five turns to ten, ten turns to twenty, and all of a sudden you have Suffolk,” Adler said. She said she respects the Whitehurst family but could not support the request. “Yes, this is a baby step,” she said, but she urged the board not to take it.

Judy Drago said she has lived on Boat Ramp Road, which she described as wetland, for 22 years and has watched her home settle. “It’s slowly sinking,” she said, describing cracks in her ceilings. “Be very, very careful of wetland.” She told the board people moved to the county for its rural character. “Please, please, do not rezone and start this,” she said.

Frank Norman, who lived in the county for 35 years and grew up in Detroit, said he agreed with most of what had been said. He recalled a childhood visit to the country with his father, who told him that wanting sidewalks there would bring his cousins and friends to move in too.

“Leave it alone, and we can always visit the beauty of it,” Norman said his father told him. Norman said he agreed growth was coming, but that managing it has to include “the people that’s already been here all of their lives.”

Rebecca Ward, who owns a hair salon about a mile from the site, said she attended to learn how the process works and said she would benefit from the growth.

“I don’t want to become Elizabeth City,” she said. “People I know — they’re scared to death that the crime is going to come like Elizabeth City.” She said the county’s land use plan is too vague and that Briarwood Estates doesn’t match the rural homes she sees elsewhere. “This looks like a trailer park full of houses. It does not look rural,” Ward said.

Say again — there will be a follow-up story featuring more of the public’s comments.

Calls for restraint, and a few for patience

Not everyone who spoke was against the project. Roy Murray told the board growth is coming whether Briarwood Estates is approved or not. “The growth is coming down that highway from Virginia right now,” he said, adding that the rezoning is one step that can still be stopped later. Chris Murray, a sheriff’s office employee, said he doesn’t like subdivisions but would rather see a local family such as the Whitehursts build one than an out-of-town builder.

Others asked the board to slow down. Former county commissioner Matt Peeler questioned where the jobs to support new homes would come from and urged the commissioners to adopt a plan for where large developments should go.

Whitehurst said rezoning carries no financial obligation for the county, that his company would pay for all the studies, and that 133 lots is the most the land could hold.

“You always shoot for the stars, and you go down from there,” he said. He said new construction supports local plumbers, electricians and carpenters. He also pointed to two nearby developments, the 64-lot Windmill at Coastal Farms, which has preliminary plat approval, and the Cedarwood and Woodville Village subdivisions.

The board’s decision

Last note — Vice Chair Smith said the request was a close call.

“This is one of those that straddles the fence,” Smith said. He said the project is consistent with what is happening nearby but that the land use plan doesn’t fully support it.

Skinner disagreed. “I just don’t see how it’s not consistent with the land use plan,” he said. He argued that cluster development, which the plan encourages, fits an area already dotted with subdivisions.

The board first voted 2-1 to find the request consistent with the county’s land use plan and existing development pattern, citing the plan’s support for clustered development to preserve farmland, the site’s location two miles from U.S. 17, its proximity to Woodville Village, Cedarwood Village and the Windmill at Coastal Farms, and the Longview Estates manufactured home park along its northern line. The board also found the request reasonable because the area has county water and individual septic systems, residential use is already allowed there, and the project would give homeowners more options. The board then voted to recommend approval to the commissioners.

Board members told residents their role is advisory and that the commissioners can accept or ignore the recommendation. The commissioners are expected to take up the request at a later public hearing.