Chatham ponders zoning

'If you do this, you open yourselves up to lawsuits'

PITTSBORO -- Most of the 100 or so people gathered Tuesday night for the public hearing in the Chatham County Superior Courtroom were against a proposal to zone the unzoned portions along six major corridors in Chatham County.

"This is tantamount to unconstitutionally taking private property," said Marti Hipple, a Chatham County resident. "If you do this, you open yourselves up to lawsuits."

Large parts of Chatham have never been zoned. The Chatham County Commissioners are considering zoning approximately 32.2 square miles of land along some major roads to residential-agricultural, which would require lot sizes of at least one acre. It also would prevent commercial development in those areas.

The proposed areas to be zoned include 1,500 feet on either side of U.S. 421, U.S. 64 and U.S. 15-501-N.C. 87 south of Pittsboro.

If the commissioners establish zoning along these major roads, they will then consider designating economic development centers in specific locations for business development to create commercial centers, Commissioner George Lucier told those at the hearing Tuesday night.

In February, the commissioners created a Major Corridor Ordinance Task Force to look at how the county can guide commercial development while keeping its rural character.

According to John Graybeal, the task force's chairman, the majority of the 18 members voted to recommend zoning residential-agricultural along some major highways to prevent uncontrolled strip commercial development. He said they based their recommendation on the policies articulated in the county's Land Conservation and Development Plan.

Those in favor of the proposal told the commissioners that keeping commercial development together would prevent the strip mall sprawl that other counties have experienced.

"We need to do everything to protect the natural environment," said Sonny Keisler, a former real estate developer who is now president of the Friends of the Rocky River, a group that wants to keep the river that crosses most of the county unpolluted.

But people who own land in the areas proposed for zoning did not support the plan, saying it violates their property rights and denies the county much needed economic development.

"Every day, more government regulations and roadblocks send more jobs overseas, or in the case of Chatham County, over the line into neighboring counties," said Anthony Bright, who owns land on U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 87 South toward Sanford. "In 1975, Joni Mitchell sang a song with the lyrics, 'They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.' Chatham has a lot of paradise, but maybe we need a few more parking lots."

Roy Hipple, Marti Hipple's husband, told the commissioners that "rural character is not all it's cracked up to be."

What if he wants to put a vegetable stand along the zoned part of the highway? he asked.

"Do you know how hard it is to see a pumpkin from 1,500 feet?" he said, to which the crowd clapped loudly.

The proposal now goes to the county planning board, which will vote to recommend or not support the plan at its November meeting.