After a public hearing, the Pitt County Board of Commissioners rejected a request to rezone 40 acres on Pactolus Road to allow for a sand mine operation near Greenville.
It was recommended for approval by the planning commission, and County Senior Planner Eric Gooby told the board land nearby is being used for similar purposes.
“From the existing land uses on site in this area, primarily undeveloped agricultural type operations,” he said. “Just next door to the west is an area that's already been excavated for sand.”
However, there is an RV park in close proximity, and people there were concerned for several reasons.
East Carolina University’s Track and Field Coach Curt Kraft lives in nearby Whispering Oaks RV Resort in Greenville with his wife, and was concerning about increased traffic and noise levels.
“When we were looking for a place to live, we were looking for someplace peaceful, someplace quiet, someplace that you could enjoy that and we found Whispering Oaks to be that place,” he said.
Another man who lives in the area was concerned about damage that could be caused by heavy truck traffic, like that he said was caused by the other sand mine.
"Noise -- beep beep, bang, bang, tailgates slamming. The road got so destroyed you could run probably at 35 mile down the road and it would beat you to death,” he said. “Dump trucks cause serious problems. They're noisy.”
After citing environmental and quality of life concerns, the Pitt County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to reject the rezoning request while recognizing that it did fall within the guidelines of the county’s long-term land use plan.