The Moore County Planning Board voted to adopt a land-use plan consistency statement and to recommend that the Moore County Board of Commissioners approve a conditional rezoning of property at 985 NC 211 Highway from Rural Agricultural (RA) to Rural Agricultural Conditional Zoning (RACZ) for a sand and clay mining and quarry operation.

Danielle (Planning Department staff) told the board the request covers three parcels that were once a single 660-acre tract and are now being presented together; she said the applicant proposes to mine about 341.96 acres in phased operations while leaving the remainder in its existing state and providing vegetative buffers and berms. “The mining area is only 341.96 acres,” Danielle said during her presentation.

The rezoning request and the staff’s consistency statement were considered together. Board member David Garrison moved to adopt the Moore County Planning Board Land Use Plan Consistency Statement and to reference recommendation 1.7 (support and promote local businesses) and cited North Carolina General Statute 160D-604. The board approved the consistency statement by voice vote; no roll-call counts were provided. Garrison then moved to recommend approval of the conditional rezoning of approximately 618 acres (the motion text described “approximately 6 118 acres” in the transcript) on parcel IDs listed in deed book references, owned by William Sand and Clay LLC and William Arthur Williams and wife Jan Harmon Williams. A second was raised (not named in the record) and the board approved the recommendation by voice vote; no roll-call counts were recorded.

Applicant representatives described existing operations and mitigation measures. Ben Williams, identified as “one of the owners and supervisors,” said the operation has been active since 2016 and that the request does not change current operations beyond expanding the minable area: “We have been in operation for over 8 years, with no complaints so far,” Williams said. He and other applicant representatives—attorney Tom Terrell and Michael Blakely (technical advisor)—were present to answer questions. Former and current landowner Arthur “Art” Williams described the family’s long history on the property and framed mining as a way to supplement agricultural income.

Staff reviewed relevant Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) standards the applicant must meet, including a minimum 50-foot vegetative buffer along affected boundaries (with an option for a county-approved berm), parking and truck-route requirements, and restoration obligations tied to the state mining permit. Danielle noted that the property falls mostly outside of the highway corridor overlay and that mining activity requires state permits and compliance with North Carolina DEQ land-quality and vibration policies. She said the applicant has existing mining permit number 6343 and has applied for or will apply for modifications as needed before starting new phases.

Members of the public asked questions about depth, blasting, groundwater and visibility. Orlando Comer, who said his family property lies north of the site and contains an old graveyard, asked whether mining would reach 50 feet and whether bedrock blasting would be necessary. A company representative explained their experience on-site: they had excavated to about 50 feet with no bedrock encountered and said there was no plan to blast. The applicant described typical layering at the site—topsoil, a clay layer (about 10–20 feet), then sand and coarser material—and said mined areas would be restored and reforested or left as lakes where applicable.

The board approved both the land-use consistency statement and the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners. The Planning Board’s action is a recommendation; the Board of Commissioners has final decision-making authority.

The record shows required UDO provisions were discussed (buffers, setbacks, truck routes, parking, restoration, and state mining permits) and the applicant committed to phased mining, buffer planting, berms and restoration. The Planning Board’s written recommendation and the consistency statement, which staff said are required by North Carolina General Statute 160D-604, will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for final action.