Hope Alive receives its third denial; commissioners Campbell, Dial, Edge, Herndon sworn in

Tomeka Sinclair, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.
Updated ·4 min read

Dec. 6—LUMBERTON — Hope Alive Inc. took another loss Monday this time with the rejection of a request for a special-use permit.

The Robeson County Board of Commissioners voted 6-2 to deny a request made by the nonprofit Hope Alive for the permit that would allow for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation facility at 1165 W. Parkton Tobermory Road in Parkton, which is on a 9-acre tract of land zoned as a Residential-Agricultural District in District 8.

Voting to deny the request were commissioners Lance Herndon, Wixie Stephens, Pauline Campbell, John Cummings, Tom Taylor and Judy Sampson. Voting against the permit denial were commissioners David Edge and Faline Dial.

Prior to the vote, commissioners listened to several testimonies from neighboring property owners who oppose the rehabilitation center.

The commissioners also heard testimonies from Ken Miller, of US ISS Agency, a security consulting firm, and Nick Kirkland, a certified general appraiser, who each provided evidence based on studies they conducted that ultimately determined the rehab facility would not cause a significant danger to the community or a decrease in property value to neighboring properties.

Despite the evidence presented, Herndon, who represents District 8, questioned the methodology used to conduct the studies, stating the consultants did not provide a proper parallel to the proposed facilities' size and rural location.

Herndon also expressed worry that it would not be possible to provide adequate security due to the law enforcement shortage within the Robeson County Sheriff's Office.

"As far as safety for the community, he (Sheriff Burnis Wilkins) is having difficulty hiring deputies," Herndon said.

"I do feel that there could be an opportunity for endangerment of the public. I do think it has the possibility of decreasing the property value. We have opposition from the community. I have not spoken to anyone who has been in favor of it within the community. I do not think that represents harmony and more importantly, it does not fall within the county's comprehensive use plan," Herndon said while offering his motion for the denial of the property.

This is the third request from Hope Alive denied by commissioners. In August commissioners first denied a request from Hope Alive to rezone the Parkton tract from a Residential Agricultural R-A District to a Neighborhood Commercial C-1 District for the establishment of a rehabilitation facility. In the same month, the nonprofit again requested the rezoning of a 3.34-acre tract of land on Lonnie Farm Road from a Residential Agricultural R-A District to a Neighborhood Commercial C-1 District and was again denied.

Swearing in

In other business, commissioners Campbell, Dial, Edge and Herndon were each sworn into another four-year term on the board after each incumbent was reelected to the office during the Nov. 8 General Elections.

"I consider it really an honor and a privilege to serve on this board and serve the citizens of this county," Dial said during the commissioner's comments. "People think it's fancy and this and that but it's a service. It's a service to the people ... I'm just thankful to do it for another year."

"I would like to thank the citizens of District 2 for electing me another four years. I am grateful and appreciative," Campbell said.

"It is an honor and a privilege to serve and I'm also grateful for being reelected and having an opportunity service the people of District 8, but more importantly serve the entire county as a whole," Herndon added.

Following the swearing-in proceedings, commissioners unanimously elected Taylor as the board's new chairman, taking the place of Stephens. Commissioner Cummings was elected vice chairman.

Solar Farm and other matters

Also Monday, commissioners also approved a special-use permit request from Lumber River Solar, LLC to establish a 1,143-acre solar farm on Alford Farms and Elrod Road near Maxton.

Robeson County Director of Community Development Dixon Ivey Jr. told commissioners the solar far, which will sit within two districts, would be the largest in Robeson County.

The Lumber River Solar Project intends to convert sunlight into electricity and provide bulk power to North Carolina's electricity grid.

Development for the project began in 2020 and construction and implementation is scheduled to begin in 2026.

The commissioners approved a request for a special-use permit to allow for the establishment of a family cemetery on a 0.50-acre tract of land on O'Quinn Road in the Alfordsville Township. The applicants Carson and Deloris Locklear seek to add 120 cemetery plots to the area.

Commissioners also heard from Robeson County Public Library director Katie Fountain, who gave an update on programs and projects throughout each of the system's libraries.

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at tsinclair@robesonian.com or 910-416-5865.