NC 210 farmland rezoned commercial in Harnett County, altering future land use map

In a historic move that reshapes the future of North Carolina Highway 210 S., Harnett Commissioners voted Nov. 17 to rezone 6.26 of agricultural land to commercial after a brief public hearing.

B & B Land Holdings, LLC, with Ron Burgess and engineer Greg Bagley requested the zone change of 6.26 acres from RA 20R to commercial at the intersection of North Carolina Highway 210 S. and Shawtown Road. The rezoning required a land use map amendment from Medium Density Residential to Commercial Mixed Use.

A single member of the public and Bagley spoke during the public hearing, and there was little public discussion between board members and the applicants, altogether totaling 12 minutes of public discourse.

No one clarified the intended use of the newly zoned commercial property before approval for rezoning.

The county planning and development staff recommended the amendment. They said it was consistent with county plans and do not believe it will have an “unreasonable impact on the surrounding community.” The property is next to a major corridor, near county water and Town of Lillington sewer, and is compatible with the light industrial zoned property next to it inside the town limits.

However, according to the planning board’s notes in the agenda, commercial zoning was not consistent with the existing Land Use Plan, which is Medium Density Residential. And the approval to Commercial automatically amended the future land use classification to “Commercial Mixed Use,” altering the landscape permanently.

Approval for rezoning did not mandate connecting to Lillington’s sewer.

Vice Chairman William Morris said the sandy soil was perfect for a septic tank.

The farmland on North Carolina Highway 210 S. continues to lose its agricultural appeal as Lillington annexes more into the town limits. The acreage on the north side of the 6.26 acres was recently annexed and rezoned for light industrial use.

Commissioner Barbar McKoy asked why there had not been a discussion of the traffic.

“That is a dangerous highway,” McKoy said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is required to assess traffic safety, which will occur after the site plan review.

Bagley said they met with NCDOT and discussed two different connections onto Shawtown Road, not 210 S. He also said sewer should stay in Harnett’s jurisdiction instead of paying the expensive connection fees with the Town of Lillington.

“It will be an asset to the community,” Bagley said about it [an unknown commercial venture] supplying jobs, but he did not elaborate on how many jobs or if they were paying living wages or professional salaries.

“Our rural farmland is slowly degrading away,” Larry Mitchell said during the public hearing.

The Harnett Horizons 2040 LUP encourages rezoning land on intended growth corridors, including I-95, U.S. Highways 401 and 421, and North Carolina Highways 87, 210, and 55.

The 2040 LUP invites expansion with new businesses that do not impact neighboring properties, but the quandary is that once the peace of agricultural areas is broken, so is the appeal.

The next meeting is Nov. 25 at 9 a.m.

Nov. 18, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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