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To the editor:

I recently read the article about Mr. Rye wanting to rezone three acres of land in Advance so that he can operate his HVAC business on the property.  We live in Mocksville (in the county but within the 1 mile radius so zoning is governed by the town).  I am surprised at the contrast between the County Board of Commissioners and the Town Commissioners.  In reading the article, I was glad to see that Commissioner Finney actually brought up good points and appeared to actually listen to neighbors that would be affected by the business.   

We went through a similar situation in February of 2023. Our neighbor asked to spot zone two acres of a 14-acre tract to run his grading/excavating company. We brought up spot zoning at the meeting but were ignored. We brought up environmental concerns because of the oil, gas and asphalt draining onto neighboring property and into a nearby creek but were ignored. Unfortunately, the Mocksville Town Commissioners unanimously approved our neighbor’s request allowing him to spot zone two acres of his property from Open Space Residential to Heavy Construction. While the county commissioners seem to recognize spot zoning, and the fact that such a business doesn’t belong in the middle of a neighborhood, the town commissioners completely ignored it.  Spot zoning is the same regardless of where you are in the state.  As Sandra Mooneyham pointed out, “this is spot zoning at its finest. If you approve this … you will be setting a precedent for every resident of Davie County.”  The same thing was mentioned at our meeting, but again we were ignored.

With that said, since the Mocksville Town Commissioners approved our neighbor’s spot zoning request changing the zoning from Open Space Residential to Heavy Construction, hasn’t the Mocksville Town Commissioners now set a precedent for other Davie County residents?  Wouldn’t the county commissioners now have to approve Mr. Rye’s request to spot zone for his business as well?

Michael DelliSanti, Mocksville