TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Jodi Phelps - Assistant City Manager
Dr. Gerald Newton, AICP - Development Services Director
Jennifer C Baptiste - Planning & Zoning Division Manager
FROM: Thomas Cohen - Planner I
Craig Harmon, CZO - Senior Planner
DATE: June 22, 2026
RE:Title
Approve P26-20 - Map Amendment (Straight Rezoning) Request from Kevin Carrol of Carroll Group Investments LLC to rezone ± 2.9 acres at 6438 Raeford Road (0407108106000) & 6440 Raeford Road (0407106373000) from Single Family 10 (SF-10) to Limited Commercial (LC).
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
District 7 - Brenda McNair
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal II: Responsive City Government Supporting a Diverse and Viable Economy
• 2.1 - To ensure a diverse city tax base
• 2.4 - To sustain a favorable development climate to encourage business growth
The location is along Raeford Road, an established commercial corridor. The land is an abandoned single-family property that generates little to no tax revenue. Rezoning to a commercial district will allow business development along the corridor while providing the residents of a large apartment complex with ease of access to the businesses. The business potential also serves as a better tax potential than single-family residential.
Goal III: City Invested in Today and Tomorrow
• 3.2 - To manage the City’s future growth and strategic land use
This represents classic commercial infill development of underutilized land. While the request is of lower intensity than the Future Land Use Plan designates, the proximity to residential areas renders the request highly appropriate. It allows development in a way that can stand to serve the adjacent community rather than nuisance them. The land is also completely unsuited for single-family residential development.
Goal IV: Desirable Place to Live, Work, and Recreate
• 4.2 - To enhance diverse recreation, leisure, and cultural opportunities
• 4.5 - To ensure a place for people to live in great neighborhoods
The abandoned building and unkempt wooded area represents a hazard to the adjacent apartment complex. While a serviceable barrier to the sights and sounds of Raeford Rd, the location currently acts as a beacon to wild animals, miscreants, and vagrants. The existing gates and fences will continue to serve the adjacent community even if future businesses continue to attract nuisance fauna and people.
Executive Summary:
Request
Rezoning from Single Family 10 (SF-10) to Limited Commercial (LC)
City Council Decision Point
The City Council must decide whether to
• Approve the request as proposed
• Approve the request, but to a different zoning district
• Deny of the request
Key Findings
Future Land Use: The Future Land Use Designation is for Highway Commercial (HC) which generally aligns with the Limited Commercial (LC) standards. While the sought district is of lower intensity than what the designation calls for, it aligns with the spirit of the designation while respecting the local context.
Local Context: The local context aligns with the sought district. Adjacent properties are all a mixture of moderate-to-high intensity commercial and residential properties. Residential that resides behind commercial fronting Raeford Road is a common sight in the area.
Zoning Commission
On May 12 of 2026 the request achieved a unanimous (3-0) recommendation of approval by the Zoning Commission. The motion was made by Roger Shah and seconded by Vice Chairman Justin Herbe.
Background:
Owner: Richard M Wilder III
Request: SF-10 to LC
Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 0407108106000 & 0407106373000
Parcel Size: ± 2.9 acres
Existing Site Conditions: One vacant and uninhabited single-family residence with a detached two-car garage unsuitable for occupancy.
Adjacent Zoning:
• North: CC/LC - High-intensity commercial use
• South: O&I, LC, and SF-6 - Mixture of commercial and multifamily
• East: CC/LC - Mixture of retail, office, restaurant, and service businesses
• West: CC/LC - Mixture of retail, office, restaurant, and service businesses
Utilities: Access to public water, sewer, and power
Public Notice: Notification letters were sent to property owners within 1,000 feet of the subject site equating to 80 notices sent.
Issues/Analysis:
Case P26-20 is a request to rezone two parcels located at 6438 & 6440 Raeford Road from Single Family 10 (SF-10) to Limited Commercial (LC). Pursuant to NCGS § 160D, a straight rezoning entitles the landowner to the full range of permitted uses constrained only by the Unified Development Ordinance and applicable licensures and jurisdictions.
Land Use Analysis
The Future Land Use Plan 2040 (FLUP) designations are central to policy analysis affixed by reasonableness to local contexts and service of the public good. According to the FLUP the subject properties are designated as Highway Commercial (HC) which is defined as “High intensity nonresidential uses often near major intersections and highway interchanges (hotels, gas stations, big box retail, and fast food). Redevelopment is not likely to include residential. Buffers for adjacent uses.”
The LC district is intended to accommodate moderate-intensity general retail, businesses, or services that serve groups of neighborhoods rather than a single neighborhood or larger region.
One can readily recognize the intensity mismatch. While both designation and request are for commercial development the request represents a lower intensity request than would normally be considered. However, the Future Land Use Map is aspirational and flexible as the array of uses present in Limited Commercial are not antithetical to the designation, the intensity potential is simply lower than what could otherwise be requested under a district such as Community Commercial. The distinction between high and moderate in this case is of non-issue and does not offend the spirit of the Future Land Use designation - to bring commercial enterprises to a commercial corridor along a major arterial. There can only be so much of one type of commercial before strip development and repetition begin. Variety is good for overall business and the local community.
Local Context
The lower intensity request represents consideration to the situation on the ground. These two parcels rest at the entrance of a large apartment complex and are currently accessible via the same entry road. Commercial development is appropriate, but within reason as the land is unsuitable to the existing zoning district. Limited Commercial represents the lowest intensity potential while aligning with the Highway Commercial designation and respecting the proximity and position relative to the apartment complex.
The situation is not uncommon to the overall area - Raeford Road is a major arterial as well as a major commercial corridor for the city. Moderate-to-high intensity commercial fronts the road while residential is tucked behind with appropriate buffering and traffic patterning to limit the nuisance potential of said commercial enterprises.
The only major concern is that while the two properties front Raeford Road they can only be accessed by Oak Forest Drive, which is a short street that connects The Summit apartment complex to Raeford Road. Oak Forest Drive has a central median to buffer traffic flow - that higher speed entrants cannot collide with lower speed exiting vehicles.
The primary concern regarding this is traffic as commercial development can attract many people to the primary entrance area of the apartment complex. However, few commercial enterprises would benefit from using Oak Forest Drive as primary access. The property has significant frontage on Raeford Road with grading that is not aggressive enough to prevent direct property-to-Raeford access. Thus, the concern is only one of potentiality and not of probability.
The subject site itself is a mostly wooded area with a large and unoccupied house marked as unsuitable for human habitation. Even absent the condemned property, the previously made statements emphasize the lack of suitability towards SF-10 style development. It’s a holdover from a much earlier era of the Raeford Road development that is now catching up to current reality. An interesting relic of a bygone era best subject to correction.
Conclusion
Taken as a whole, the request aligns with the Future Land Use Map designations and within the local context of Raeford Road while being considerate of The Summit apartments. This request presents infill development on land that is unsuitable to the existing designation - that will positively contribute to the commercial corridor nature of Raeford Road while not being of considerable nuisance concern.
Budget Impact:
Immediate (Legislative): No additional costs, collection of a $1000 application fee
Longterm (Construction): Onsite improvements are funded by the developer. City Council evaluates any potential public capital projects via budget adoption and capital investment processes.
Options:
• Approval (Recommended Action):
Approve the zoning map amendment as requested - finding that the request is consistent with the Future Land Use Plan and reasonable to local context as outlined by the Consistency and Reasonableness Statements.
• Approval, but to a more restrictive district:
Approve the zoning map amendment from LC to one that is more restrictive, but consistent with the Future Land Use Plan and Reasonable to the local contexts with amended Consistency and Reasonableness Statements.
• Denial:
Deny the proposed map amendment - find that the request is inconsistent with the Future Land Use Plan and unreasonable to the local context.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
The Professional Planning Staff and Zoning Commission recommend that the City Council move to APPROVE the request as presented - from Single Family 10 (SF-10) to Limited Commercial (LC) for the approximately 2.9 acres located at 6438 and 6440 Raeford Road.
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Attachments:
1. Application
2. Aerial Notification Map
3. Current Zoning Map
4. Future Land Use Map
5. Site Pictures (Subject Site)
6. Site Pictures (Surrounding Properties)
7. Signed Consistency and Reasonableness Statements
8. PowerPoint