The Wilson County Planning Board will hold a public hearing Monday to consider a rezoning request for a potential retail establishment at N.C. 42 West and Sadie Road. The board will also consider proposed amendments to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance regarding regulations for vape and hemp shops and multi-unit assisted housing services. The regular monthly meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at the Wilson County Government Center at 2201 Miller Road.
RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT
Planning Board members will look at rezoning a 2-acre portion of a 64.95-acre tract from agricultural residential to highway business on the corner of N.C. 42 West and Sadie Road. The request was submitted by Herring-Sutton & Associates P.A. on behalf of property owner Diane Sharp Boston, according to documents. The application does not say what type of retail establishment would be proposed. However, part of the application request by the property owner stated that there has been growth in recent years in the west and northwest areas of Wilson and the trend will continue.
The application request cited growth that has included new residential subdivisions including Victoria Ridge, Neal Estates, Stonegate and The Village at Buckhorn that have developed along the corridor. There are currently 29 acres of highway business zoning that exists within a 3-mile radius of the site, “but new retail sales establishments will be needed to serve the existing and newly expected growth,” according to the application. Notices were mailed to adjoining property owners.
If the Planning Board adopts the rezoning request, it would then go to county commissioners, who would vote on it. But another public hearing would be held first.
VAPE/SMOKE AND HEMP/CANNABIS SHOPS
The county’s planning staff is also recommending amendments to the county’s UDO to regulate the location and operation of smoke/vape shops and hemp/cannabis dispensary shops within unincorporated areas of the county.
“This amendment aims to control the distribution and operation of smoke/vape shops and hemp/cannabis dispensary shops by imposing location and operational constraints to protect sensitive areas and ensure community health and safety,” according to county documents.
Proposed county UDO restrictions for hemp/cannabis dispensaries and smoke/vape shops include the following:
• Location can’t be within 2,000 feet of the property line of any school, daycare or educational facility, public park or recreational facility, residentially zoned property or place of worship.
• No more than one hemp/cannabis dispensary can be permitted within 1 mile of another.
• Shops must comply with all local, state and federal laws regarding the sale of hemp/cannabis and other related products.
• Business can’t front an arterial road.
• Business must limit wall signage to 5% of the front facade.
• Shop signage, if lighted, shall be internally lighted.
• No neon colors and lights are allowed on the outside of the building, on the “monument” and all exterior doors and windows
In September 2023, Wilson City Council voted to establish regulations on smoke and vape shops, imposing limits on signs and the businesses’ proximity to one another.
MULTI-UNIT HOUSING ASSISTED SERVICES (MUAHS)
The Planning Board will also review a suggested change to the county UDO in which multi-unit assisted housing with services, or MUHAS, would fall under regulations for boarding houses. The proposed change will amend the definition of boarding house to include MUAHS for unincorporated areas of the county. If passed, the changes would then go to county commissioners next.
MUAHS are intended to provide solutions for individuals who are semi-independent but need some support, including adults with physical and mental health issues, officials have previously said. MUAHS are typically run out of residential homes in neighborhoods, local officials have said.
Those who own MUAHS have legal and financial relationships with their patients. These homes are not regulated by the state.
“MUAHS are not licensed adult care homes or licensed assisted living facilities and are not inspected or monitored by the Division of Health Service Regulation or county departments of social services,” according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services website description of MUAHS.
There are 14 MUAHs registered online in Wilson County, which is more than Wake County, according to a list on the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services website. But local officials believe the number of MUAHS in Wilson is much higher.
Officials have said that once MUAHS register online with the state, it’s in the system, but the information never has to be updated in the North Carolina database unless operators intentionally re-register, meaning those multi-unit assisted housing services can move from Wilson County to Nash County or vice versa without having to re-register online.
Of the 14 MUAHS registered in Wilson County, nine have Wilson addresses, two have an Elm City addresses and three have Kenly addresses, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services website.
Nash County has 17 registered MUAHS, according to the state website.
Last summer, former Wilson Medical Center CEO Chris Munton, spoke to Wilson City Council about the need for zoning rules to better regulate residential homes that provide multi-unit assisted housing services. He told City Council they had the ability to create zoning restrictions. There are currently no zoning restrictions in the city or amended language in the city of Wilson’s UDO.
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