Peletier schedules public hearings on rezoning requests for park model homes, tiny houses

Dec 10, 2023

PELETIER — Park model homes, and to a lesser degree, tiny homes, are catching on fast in western Carteret County, with major projects in planning stages.

Monday night, Peletier commissioners scheduled public hearings next month on two smaller ones.

The board met in the town hall off Highway 58.

Jonathan Wrightson, who owns property along Bucks Corner Road, which runs between Highway 58 and Whitehouse Fork Road, has submitted rezoning requests for five separate lots along the street.

He wants to rezone 187, 191 and 199 Bucks Corner Road from B-1 (business) and rezone 175 and 169 Bucks Corner from residential to mobile campers.

All of the lots, plus others around them, have long been occupied by mobile homes, some of which have become dilapidated and are considered eyesores or even hazardous.

Wrightson told commissioners his plan is not to force out existing residents, some of whom are elderly and live in nicer mobile homes that have been maintained.

"I just want to get those nasty trailers out and replace them as soon as possible," he said. Some of them are already gone.

Some lots could be used for park model homes, and some could be for tiny homes on wheels. Park model homes are generally used as vacation homes or short-term residency.

Wrightson also told the board he is working on the property to make it more attractive and plans to continue to do so, including removal of a brick building.

"I also own a landscaping company," he said.

The board Monday night also discussed, but returned to the planning board, a request by C.T. Williams to rezone 1428 Highway 58, lot 20 to a mobile home park.

Board members said they need to see a drawing of what Williams plans to do with the property, at least in a general way. Once the planning board reviews the plan, the rezoning will come to commissioners to schedule a public hearing.

Also during the meeting Monday, part-time Code Enforcement Officer Lt. Kris Jensen, a full-time Carteret County sheriff's deputy, briefed the board on his progress over the last month.

He said that using a new ordinance adopted by commissioners and a system developed by Town Attorney Brett DeSelms, he has sent out seven 30-day warnings, telling owners to clean up their properties or face a citation and has issued one citation.

Under the new ordinance, if a property owner ignores a citation, fines begin, and the town can hire someone to clean up the property and charge the cost to the owner as a tax lien.

In his monthly report, Kevin Hunter, chief of the Western Carteret Fire and EMS Department, said calls in May were down a bit, in large part because the department is not covering calls in Onslow County, which has equipment issues, but Chief Hunter said it was important to limit calls into Onslow because his department has had equipment issues, too.

But, the chief added, he's expecting two long-ordered new ambulances to finally arrive soon, one in August and the other in September or October.

Contact Brad Rich at 252-864-1532; email [email protected]; or follow on Twitter @brichccnt.

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