Harnett County farmland and forest under review for development

Applicant, Site Design Incorporated, proposed a minor subdivision with 5 lots on 30 acres off Daniels Road, which joins Turlington Road.

The Dunn, North Carolina acreage is composed of farmland and forest. The property is zoned RA30, which allows minor subdivisions when all lots face a state-maintained road, and Daneil Road, which has the waste facility, is under the state.

The site is not in a flood zone.

North Carolina ranks second in the nation for farmland threatened by development, behind only Texas, according to the American Farmland Trust.

Most converted farmland becomes low-density residential development, not commercial or industrial sites. This type of development fragments farms and often makes surrounding farmland less viable, and they build pathways for more subdivisions.

North Carolina is projected to lose approximately 1.16 to 1.2 million acres of farmland by 2040.

On June 22, North Carolina Governor Stein signed Senate Bill 401. It extends tax credits in North Carolina until 2031 for landowners conserving farmland and forests. This Farm Act 2025-26 amendment gives incentives that may preserve farms and natural land with tax credits, encouraging landowners to keep farms instead of selling for development as growth expands.

Dunn’s 30 acres under review for a subdivision are unlikely to benefit now from SB 401.

The owner, Nationwide Land Group, is in Denver, North Carolina.

June 26, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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