UPDATE: Commissioners approve cement plant in Waves with conditions By IRENE NOLAN
UPDATE: Commissioners approve cement
plant in Waves with conditions
By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN
The Dare County Board of Commissioners tonight approved Commercial Ready Mix Products’ request for a conditional use permit to build a concrete plant in Waves on the former Dare Building Supply site.
The plant will provide concrete to the contractor that is building a new bridge at Pea Island Inlet and may provide concrete also for whatever option that The Department of Transportation chooses to bridge the S-curves and north Rodanthe.
The plant has been strongly opposed by many, if not most, residents in the area.
In April, the Dare County Planning Board sent the request for the CUP to the commissioners with a negative recommendation.
However, the board was constrained on what actions it could take because Waves has S-1 zoning, the least restrictive form of zoning in the county. It allows all uses of property — residential, commercial, and industrial.
Commercial Ready Mix needed a conditional use permit only because it proposed adding another building — a construction office — to the site, where the Dare Building Supply structure is still standing. The S-1 zoning allows only one structure on a property.
The Board of Commissioners first took up the CUP application at its May 19 meeting, at which about 20 people spoke against locating the concrete plant on the site.
After a discussion which lasted several hours until about midnight, the board postponed further consideration until tonight’s meeting. The discussion before approval tonight lasted another three hours.
The commissioners questioned representatives for the concrete company and the contractor for about an hour before taking a short break.
When they returned, Commissioner Bob Woodard made a motion that the request for a CUP be denied. His motion was seconded by Virginia Tillett.
The motion to deny was defeated by a 4-3 vote of the board. Voting in favor of the motion were Woodard, Tillet, and Jack Shea. Voting against were Warren Judge, Allen Burrus, Max Dutton, and Wally Overman.
The commissioners then reviewed the 16 conditions that had been attached to the application. Changes were made in about eight of them.
The most significant change is in the hours of operation for the plant. They will be limited to Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
After discussion of the conditions, Commissioner Burrus made a motion to approve the application for the CUP with conditions as changed. It was seconded by Max Dutton.
The motion passed unanimously.
(A more complete article on the concrete plant issue will be published on Tuesday afternoon on The Island Free Press.)
