Moore: Leadership change, school-zone, and UDO forced mandate dominate meeting

Moore Commissioners reorganized leadership, recommended a school zone speed limit and discussed a land-use forced mandate at the at the Dec. 1 agenda meeting.

The board elected Nick Picerno as chairman and Jim Von Canon as vice chairman.

General Statute 153A‑39 directs the board of county commissioners to choose a chairman and vice-chairman at its first regular meeting in Dec. of each odd-numbered year, and at the first Monday in Dec. of each even-numbered year.

In new business, the board approved a resolution to support the North Carolina Department of Transportation enacting a 45 MPH speed limit for S.T.A.R.S Charter School on U.S. Highway 1 when the lights are flashing.

A disgruntled crowd reacted to the rescheduling of the quasi-judicial hearing for a special use permit for a subdivision, Holly Grove Pines, to the next meeting, Jan. 6 at 5:30. The applicant could not attend and notified the county at the last minute.

Public Hearings on UDO Amendments

1. Under General Development Standards in Section 7.8.C.1 on the Highway Corridor Overlay District (HCOD) exemptions, prohibited uses and urban transition-subdistrict, Planning Director Ruth Pedersen said manufactured homes and accessory manufactured homes listed in prohibited uses needed to be removed to permit them in the HCOD and the board agreed unanimously.

During the public hearing, a citizen asked if tiny houses or RVs applied, and Pedersen they were not allowed as permanent homes.

Sarah Casey from Seven Lakes North asked if manufactured homes were permitted near million-dollar homes and since they were allowed when 400 feet away from major corridors like North Carolina Highway 211, did they require plastic skirting or permanent foundations and were both single wides and doublewides allowed and what types of roofs were required.

“Are there any laws that make sure skirting stays in good repair?” Casey said about trying not to sound like a “not in my backyard” person. She said mobile homes on 211 West were in “great disrepair,” were eyesores and may have looked fine when first installed.

“I can tell you the lifespan of skirting staying intact is not more than two years,” Casey said about her experiences and said brick foundations lasted and would look good even ten years from now.

Pedersen showed a map and said skirting was acceptable, and the UDO was for single-family residences only. “The county has code enforcement,” Pedersen said about safety measures, like roof types.

Adams asked if there was any urgency and asked if the planning board needed to review the amendment recommendation.

Pedersen said a request for a mobile home in the HCOD was recently denied and the owner had already purchased the home but did not confer with planning.

Urgency was ruled out.

Von Canon said people who owned land prior to the forced mandate restricting land use with the highway corridor overlay district wanted affordable housing, that the system was trying to push them into apartments they could not afford and driving them to welfare.

“Some of these people have owned this land for years and years and years…The people that did not come down here and didn’t bring a million dollars with them…The thing is we gotta take care of everybody,” Von Canon said and added the 400-foot setback was forced on the people without a choice and canceled the use and enjoyment of one’s land.

Commissioner Kurt Cook said it sounded like a “bait and switch” tactic from realtors when people selling manufactured homes did not reveal restrictions such as the 400-foot setback.

Casey, with EXP Realty, said revealing restrictions was a material fact required by law. She said the same was true with living next to a flood zone and the realtor not informing the buyer an additional expensive insurance policy was needed and if not informed; the buyer has a lawsuit.

• Pedersen reviewed the proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) concerning wireless communication facilities and towers in Section 8.116.B during a public hearing.

No public speakers shared ideas about the change.

Commissioner Tom Adams recommended Fort Bragg Regional Land Use Advisory Commission review tower placements prior to approval to ensure they would not interfere with their operations, and the board approved the amendment change for state-owned property only. Samarcand Training Academy’s request for a tower prompted the change.

• Pedersen said the change from “shall” to “may” in the UDO on nonconforming lots in Section 9.9.C allows adjoining property owners the choice to purchase the nonconforming lots. The board accepted the amendment.

A citizen asked if the change to “may” would impact Homeowner Association fees, and Pedersen said the choice to purchase nonconforming lots meant people could choose not to buy them, reducing their fees.

The board recognized the Opioid Task Force and the Review and Recommendation Committee.

The next meeting is Jan. 6 at 5:30.

Dec. 2, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.