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Commissioners tackle UDO changes, water supply


 

At its meetings on Oct. 5, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners:

  • Continued to refine the proposed Unified Development Ordinance before its adoption, likely in mid-November. Specifically, Commissioners favored flexibility in the required buffer that developers would have to create between their subdivisions and neighboring farms. In community drop-in sessions on the draft UDO, Johnston residents have predominantly favored buffers of anywhere from 35 to 75 feet, prompting Commissioners to suggest that one size might not fit all. Earlier, the board had settled on a 35-foot buffer. Separately, Commissioners are rethinking so-called “paper districts.” They’re in the proposed UDO, in part, to allow developers to create a better transition between farms and more densely developed subdivisions. The proposed “Agricultural Estate” zoning, for example, would require housing lots to be at least two acres. But the paper districts have created confusion among property owners, and already, nothing in the County’s current zoning rules would bar homes on two-acre lots. Also, Commissioners are leaning toward tying subdivision approval to adequate water supply, and they’re inclined to make most subdivision requests subject to both Planning Board and County Commissioner approval. Finally, they’re likely to require developers to leave a percentage of their subdivisions in open space or pay a fee that would support parks and recreation in the County.
  • Took steps toward construction of a new water supply intake on the Neuse River and a new water treatment plant near Princeton. Commissioners said they would use the design-build delivery method for the water intake and the design-bid-build method for the treatment plant itself. Public Utilities Director Chandra Farmer said those approaches would allow the County to have the intake and treatment plant online in 2031, when it expects to need new capacity to meet peak daily demand. On a related matter, Commissioners adopted a budget for the first phase of the treatment plant project, including site planning, permit coordination and preliminary engineering. Staff puts the phase one cost at $5 million. Farmer said the total project — intake, treatment plant and transmission lines — would cost about $736 million. Commissioners adopted a resolution that would allow Public Utilities to use revenue bonds to reimburse itself for money spent upfront on the project.
  • Heard from CAMPO, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which laid out a path for steering federal public transit dollars to the Clayton area. Fast-growing Clayton now qualifies for federal funding for urban transit, but the Johnston County Area Transit System is not currently set up to receive such dollars. CAMPO senior transit planner Taylor Cooleen suggested channeling those dollars first to Raleigh, which would then funnel them to JCATS for transit planning and operations. To begin spending those dollars, she suggested two studies. One would determine how likely Clayton area residents would be to use public transit. The second would determine how to bring QuickRide, the County’s public ride-hailing service, to the Clayton area. County Manager Rick Hester said he would bring a proposed agreement to Commissioners at their Oct. 19 meeting. The agreement would require cooperation among the County, the City of Raleigh, the Town of Clayton, JCATS and CAMPO.
  • Cleared the way for the construction of a 199-foot-tall monopole cellphone tower on 31.03 acres at 435 Taylor Road in Cleveland Township. Neighbors argued that the tower company, Anthemnet, had failed to show that 435 Taylor Road was the best spot for the tower. But Commissioners said the company’s application met all of the County's cell tower requirements.
  • Heard from Emergency Services Director Ryan Parker, who said the towns of Kenly and Micro have expressed their desire to join the County’s Fire Protection Service District. The two towns currently have their own municipal service districts, devoting some of their property tax dollars to fire protection. Next up in the process is for the Kenly Town Council and Micro Board of Commissioners to vote on whether to formally petition to join the County district.
  • Pulled from the agenda a request from North Side Fire & Rescue to begin construction of a station at 4370 N.C. 42 East in the Flowers Plantation community. The request must first go before the County’s Fire Protection Commission. The station would be North Side’s third.
  • OK’d a funding request from the Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District. The agency is seeking $21,342 to support the purchase of conservation easements in the Princeton and Selma areas.
  • Agreed to partner with the Clayton Farm & Community Market to pilot Double Bucks. The program would allow food stamp beneficiaries to double the money they spend on fresh meats, fruits and vegetables from the market. Commissioners committed a maximum of $2,500 to the pilot program in its first year. Supporters say Double Bucks would benefit local farmers while helping food stamp recipients better afford nutritious foods.
  • Adopted a resolution in support of Operation Green Light for Veterans. The annual resolution calls on Johnstonians to display one or more green lights in their homes and businesses in support of Johnston County veterans. Operation Green Light runs from October through Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
  • Recognized the Johnston County 12U team that won the Tar Heel League State Baseball Championship. The team is made up of players from the Benson, Four Oaks and Meadow communities.
  • OK’d a nonbinding memorandum of understanding that would allow the County to eventually turn over some existing sewer mains to the Town of Smithfield. With completion of a new wastewater treatment plant on N.C. 210, the County no longer needs to pump sewage from other bulk customers through Smithfield. That means sewer mains there handle only Smithfield flow. Possession of the mains would give Smithfield decision-making power over sewer service requests, but the town would also be responsible for maintaining the lines. As part of the agreement, the County will determine the condition of the sewer mains, and Smithfield could decide then whether to take them over.
  • Made the following appointments: John Beasley, Chris Ellington, Alan Johnson and Barry Stanley to the Fire Protection Service District Commission; Bryan Bryant and Chad Massengill as the County’s animal cruelty officers; Lee Jackson to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board; Charles E. Wood, Adam Stanley, David Brewer, Timmy W. Stanley, Andy Mack Penny, Joey Creech, Allan Daughtry, William F. Jordan III and Dennis Max Johnson to the Firefighter’s Relief Fund Board of Trustees; Pam Lipscomb, Dr. John Booker, Suzanne Cook, Matt Dean, Warren Grimes, Nathaniel L. Sanders Jr. and Vann F. Stancil to the Johnston County Heritage Commission; Nakunda Everett to the Library Board of Trustees; Rodney Cabe, John T. Stallings and Gray Sasser to the Moccasin Creek Service District Board; and James A. Lassiter, Kimberly T. Pickett and Nicole Youngblood to the Johnston County Tourism Authority.
  • Proclaimed Employee Appreciation Week, Oct. 19-23; National 4-H Week, Oct. 4-10; and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
  • Declared the following vehicles surplus and agreed to sell them at public auction: a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with 179,724 miles and a 2020 Silverado with 211,415 miles.
  • Made two budget revisions: $306,307 for JCATS from the N.C. Department of Transportation and $21,776 in additional Sheriff’s Office Revenue.
  • Took no action after a closed session on legal and real estate matters.



Page last updated on:  October 16, 2026