We the undersigned,OPPOSE the rezoning application for Highway 24 to include a Starling boat sales and maintenance facility and 95-unit Ridge Care senior community for reasons that include highway and local resident’s safety, spot zoning, commercial creep, disruption of the existing zoning and risks to the waters/wetlands and adjacent areas of Spooners Creek.

Reasons for Opposition – Proposed Rezoning Highway 24

Opposition to the rezoning proposed at 301 Hwy 24 is wholly based on the appropriateness of the location selected for the Starling Sales/Boat Maintenance Facility and Ridge Care senior community, not on the utility of the businesses within the Morehead City limits.

1.  Traffic and public safety. How many people need to die or be hospitalized?

• Hwy 24 has a 55 mph speed limit at this location and is one of the deadliest sections of roadway in the county.
• Resident of Woodridge Rd. was killed along this stretch on February 16, 2021.
• Two-car accident sent one person to the hospital on February 12, 2021.
• Local resident was medivacked to Vidant on December 5, 2020, following an accident and remains wheelchair bound and in recovery.  
• From 2015-2019 the Harbor Dr. and Hwy 24 intersection had 30 accidents including a fatality and nine moderate injuries (Note the dates, this is prior to those described above).
• Expanding the area modestly to include Bryant and Hodges Roads adds 21 accidents with nine moderate injuries and another fatality from 2015 – 2019.
• Starling projects they will add at least 132 new daily trips for boat storage, sales and maintenance.  These are long, heavy, slow moving vehicles and trailers.
• Starling proposes at least 100 senior drivers from a senior retirement community, plus visitors and staff, will be introduced to the traffic without a stoplight.
 

2. Environmental Hazards

• Spooners Creek is already classified as an “Area of Environmental Concern.”  
• Wetlands on the south side (downhill side) of the property feed into the headwaters Spooners Creek and ultimately the Sound.  They are nutrient sensitive and home to key species such as fly larvae, crayfish, and small minnows that support shore bird populations, shellfish, and recreational fishing.
• Tidal flooding and storm water runoff is a significant issue in Spooners Creek.  Increases in impermeable surface area will create more runoff.  The state guidelines applied to the rezoning help to manage new sources of pollution, but they do not eliminate them.
• The proposed development includes a boat storage and maintenance yard that will leak gas, diesel, fiberglass, and oil-based products into the environment.  Some of this material will inevitably end up in Spooners Creek and Bogue Sound.
• Reduction of the tree barrier on the property will promote light and noise pollution from Walmart, Hwy 24, and the new business into the surrounding area.
 

3.  Residential Confidence in Property Investments and Values

• The Morehead City Land Use Plan is a critical document.  By designating the appropriate use of property it gives homeowners and business owners confidence about the future of their neighborhoods and investments.  
• The proposed zoning change is in direct conflict with the Land Use Plan that clearly states the  “primarily residential” status of Spooners Creek.
• The proposed change in zoning challenges trust in public officials and the security of our homes.
 

Commercially zoned areas are designed to address these problems.  We are all Morehead City residents who care about our community.  We need to keep commercial properties in commercially zoned areas to protect our citizens and wildlife.