And speaking of chicken...didn't the City of Wilson's elected officials also deny a chicken based business to open a restaurant in Wilson off "Restaurant Row" near Wolfe Trapp subdivision? Zaxby's wanted to come and bring employment and a revenue base to the community and was also denied. So...What's the real deal when it comes to Wilson, NC and chickens?
Wilson sues Nash County, Property owners join lawsuit over chicken plant
The city of Wilson and 34 property owners in Wilson and Nash counties launched a lawsuit Friday against Nash County alleging officials failed to follow state rezoning laws in an effort to lure Sanderson Farms to southern Nash County.
The majority of the property owners live or own property near the proposed site where Sanderson Farms is interested in opening a chicken processing facility on N.C. 97 near Interstate 95 and within 3,000 feet of the Wilson County line. Residents are concerned about the impact of the plant, a hatchery, wastewater spray field and farmers who will contract to raise chickens for the plant.
The lawsuit states property values will be adversely affected and areas near the plant and associated facilities will negatively affect residents. Concerns include increased traffic, noise, odor and environmental impacts on the land and Tar River.
Wilson, which is closer to the proposed site than Rocky Mount or Nashville, was not notified by Nash County about the interest of government officials and economic developers to lure Sanderson Farms near Wilson County and its watershed and the city was denied time to evaluate the effects of the plant on the watershed and public water systems, according to the lawsuit.
"We believe this lawsuit will demonstrate that Nash County's actions in contracting with a chicken processing slaughterhouse to rezone property specifically to accommodate its operations are in violation of state law," Wilson Mayor Bruce Rose said.
The plaintiffs allege there were many occasions when state laws were not followed in the application process for a rezoning of the land on N.C. 97 and there was a failure of the Nash County Planning Board and Nash County commissioners to correctly follow state law when the boards approved rezoning a 150-acre tract on N.C. 97 from single-family residential and rural commercial to general industrial.
The rezoning application, presented by Coastal Plain Land, which has an option to purchase the property, requested that a zoning change be approved from single-family residential to general industrial. When Nash County commissioners approved the zoning change Nov. 1, it was changed from rural commercial and single-family residential to general industrial, an inconsistency noted in the lawsuit. Also, the application was incomplete and did not include a required map of the property. The suit also states that there is an extreme difference in changing the property from a rural commercial and residential district to general industrial, which would affect the quality of life for residents and lead to a decline in property values.
The planning board voted to recommend the zoning change to the commissioners in October but did not provide its recommendation in a written statement that addresses the plan's consistency with the zoning change, also required by law. The lawsuit also alleges the commissioners did not adopt a statement explaining how the rezoning was consistent with the county's comprehensive plan. Other procedures are alleged to not have been followed, leading the plaintiff's to ask the zoning change be rejected.
The lawsuit asks the case be reviewed by a trial by jury, that the rezoning approval by the Nash County commissioners become void and that the costs of the lawsuit be charged to Nash County.
The property owners involved in the case are part of a larger group of hundreds of residents who are concerned and in opposition to the plant's location in southern Nash County. Wilson officials are concerned about negative effects on the city's public water supply and watershed, which is located in the area near the proposed plant site. City officials are also concerned about the overall quality of life for Wilson-area residents and the Wilson City Council has committed an initial $1 million to legally address their concerns.
Sanderson Farms has not formally announced its decision to locate in Nash County but company officials are considering the N.C. 97 site as its 10th processing facility in the United States.
An announcement could be released sometime in December, said Bob Billingsley, director of development and engineering for Laurel-based Sanderson Farms. Company officials have said the project would be a $95 million investment and could eventually lead to 1,100 new jobs to a region suffering from double-digit unemployment. Nash County leaders also say that the jobs and processing facility would provide a needed economic boost for the area and region.
* Article written by Rochelle Moore, staff reporter, Wilson Times
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