Home building rules will be studied

For the past several years, residents around the county have demanded protection from trailer parks.

Now, some residents want protection from doublewide mobile homes, modular homes and other subdivisions.

Tuesday evening, a newly appointed subdivision forum committee will meet for the first time to consider possible ways to control subdivision development.

A group of developers and others have been invited to the meeting to participate in the discussion.

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners agreed during its retreat at Pinehurst last month to appoint a committee to develop potential regulations.

The committee appointments were apparently made by the board in one-on-one meetings between commissioners, with no public discussion or announcement.

Members of the committee include: David Cherry, Paul Fisher, Judy Haire, Mary Taylor, Bobby Kemp, Jeff Moore, David Wood, Danny Fisher, Butch Lewis, Leo Wallace, Spencer Lane, Bob McLaughlin, Diane Greene, Greg Scarborough and Daryl Smith.

Commissioners have been under heavy pressure from residents of the Crane Cove and Anchor Downs communities, who are irate that a nearby tract of land is being developed for doublewide mobile homes and modular homes. They contend the development will harm their property values.

Commissioner Arnold Chamberlain called for the county to take action during the retreat. “The time has come we have to take a look at major subdivisions. Do we keep letting Crane Cove happen?”

Earlier this month, commissioners agreed to look at rezoning areas around stick-built subdivisions on High Rock Lake. The Rowan County Planning Board will hear recommendations and conduct a public hearing on proposed rezoning of the area adjacent to Anchor Downs and Crane Cove at its March 25 meeting.

The scope of the subdivision committee work will go far beyond the lake area, dealing with new subdivisions throughout the county.

At the retreat last month, Chairman Steve Blount noted that for years the cry was “Don’t let mobile home parks next door.”

“Now it’s mobile home subdivisions, modular homes,” Blount said.

At the retreat, commissioners Vice Chairman Gus Andrews expressed skepticism about major changes “just because somebody doesn’t like the way something looks.”

Andrews agreed to the committee study, but said the committee recommendations would “depend on who is coming to the table.”

Blount urged action on some new procedures, saying the county can’t wait until a complete land use plan is in place. “Land use is a big, big, complex 800-pound gorilla.”

The new committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Meeting Room of the Administrative Office Building, 130 W. Innes St.

Contact Jessie Burchette at jburchette@salisburypost.com  or call 704-797-4254.