Neighbors cite safety, traffic and crime as Hamlet council denies rezoning for 1416 Highland Avenue

The Hamlet City Council voted on Monday to deny a rezoning request for a 1.59-acre front parcel of 1416 Highland Avenue after several residents told the council the change would worsen traffic, nighttime activity and property-security problems in a neighborhood that has experienced recent shootings and vehicle break-ins.

Rhianna Smith, attorney for the applicant, told the council the request would convert the subdivided front parcel of the Farifab facility from I-1 (light industrial) to B-3 (neighborhood business) and that the applicantintended a retail/neighborhood-commercial use (food and household items) intended to serve nearby residents. Smith said DOT had provisionally approved access and no additional turn-lane improvements were required on the roadway.

Multiple residents spoke against the rezoning during public comment. Casey Cranford, who said she lives directly across the street, urged the council to reject the request because of what she described as a high local crime index and recent incidents in the area, including a drive-by shooting on July 4, break-ins and repeated vehicle thefts, and said introducing a retail storefront would increase late-night activity and calls for service.

"Rezoning this to a small business does increase the impact, not decrease it," Cranford said, adding that the parcel is set well back from the road and that a retail use would produce continuous customer traffic at hours when the neighborhood already sees elevated crime.

Attorney Smith said she had no tenant under contract and could not bind future operating hours; she said the neighborhood-business designation is intended to serve residents and that a retail use could bring consistent lighting and activity that might improve safety. City staff reminded the council that this was not a conditional rezoning, so the rezoning would change permitted uses on the parcel rather than limit a specific tenant's hours or security conditions.

After hearing public testimony and deliberating, a council member moved to deny the rezoning; the motion was seconded and taken to a voice vote. The chair announced the result following the vote.

Council members also discussed related traffic-safety steps including the possibility of seeking a speed-limit study from NCDOT for Highland Avenue and improving lighting and camera placement in the neighborhood. The manager said staff would follow up on those operational items.

The applicant may return with a different application or a conditional-zoning request if they seek to include conditions tied to hours, lighting or security.