♥ Eldorado property rezoned

As published in the Courier-Tribune on August 25, 2012

By Hugh Martin

biscoewriter@yahoo.com

TROY — A request to rezone a 26.46 acre tract of land in the Eldorado community of Montgomery County to allow the operation of an off-road vehicle training facility was approved by the county board of commissioners at the regular meeting on Aug. 21.

Scott Fields of Thomasville had requested that the zoning be changed from residential to commercial. Fields has been conducting occasional training on the property for safe operations of off-road vehicles for the past year and plans to operate the Uwharrie Off Road Training School on the site as a full-time venture.

John Olmstead, planning board chair, addressed the board during a public hearing on the matter. Olmstead said that the planning board approved Field’s request for rezoning, but he had some concern that there was not a cell phone signal at the property and felt that some type of communication was needed to summon help in the event of an accident.

Fields said he carries a satellite communicator that will call the 911 center and pinpoint the location for emergency responders and plans to test the system with the 911 operators in the near future.

Fields indicated that future phases of the school could include lodging, RV hookups and an auto repair and towing business on the site. All of those ventures would be open to the general public. At present, only the school itself would be permitted under the commercial zoning. Lodging, towing and auto repair would require a conditional use permit.

Olmstead also said that RV parks are not permitted under the present zoning ordinance.

“If the applicant wants to set up an RV park in the near future, it may be beneficial to amend the zoning ordinance to include RV parks as a permitted or conditional use,” he advised the board.

The area that Fields plans to utilize is not visible from N.C. 109. All vehicles involved in the training would be muffled and alcohol would be prohibited. Fields said that he hopes to enter into an agreement with the U.S. military to conduct night-vision goggle training.

“The night training would take place for only a short time on the property, then relocate to the Uwharrie National Forest,” Fields told the board.

Marla Coulthard told the board that she lives less than a mile from the site.

“This business fits the bill for the visions of STARworks and the Montgomery County Tourism Development Authority,” she said. “The Uwharrie National Forest hosts over one million visitors per year and many of them are four-wheel drive enthusiasts. Several years ago, the Land Use Planning Committee determined this area suitable for this type of business.”

The main concern from other speakers was the potential for noise in the area. Commissioner Dolon Corbett said that there were more houses in the vicinity than were being discussed. “Without the mufflers, I’m not for it,” he said.

Commissioner Jim Matheny said that the off-road vehicles would make no more noise than log trucks traveling on the highway.

Tamera Morris disagreed.

“Log trucks go by and they’re gone,” she said.

Morris said that she had lived next to the Eldorado Outpost for 20 years and she has been awakened numerous times by four-wheel drive vehicles at the store after it has closed for the night. The Outpost is across N.C. 109 from the proposed training center property.

Sunnie Hissim lives adjacent to the property and runs a small business there with her husband. She said they had chosen the Eldorado community because it was quiet.

“People are moving in from out of state wanting to build,” she said. “If people want the city, then they should move to the city.”

Matheny told Hissim that if she was running a small business on her property, then it should also be rezoned commercial. Hissim replied that their business is actually just a hobby and the fees they charge are just to cover expenses.

Both Hissim and Morris said that they hope Fields’ school would be successful, but they have issues with the future plans for the auto repair and RV park.

A motion by Matheny to rezone the property passed 4-1 with Corbett voting no.