By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
Plans to rezone the Eno Economic Development District left both area residents and the Orange County Board of Commissioners confused and concerned on Monday, prompting commissioners to defer a public hearing on the plans until May.
“I found it very confusing,†Commissioner Barry Jacobs told Craig Benedict, the county’s planning director. “If I can’t understand the maps you distributed, then how is a resident supposed to?â€

Benedict presented the commissioners with a plan at Monday night’s quarterly public hearing that would modify land use classifications of 493.5 acres in the eastern part of Orange County located near the I-85/U.S. 70 interchange, known as the Eno Economic Development District
Residents from the area packed the meeting room and expressed their discontent with the proposed changes, voicing concerns over the area losing its rural character and possibly being annexed by the City of Durham.
One resident asked commissioners if rumors of a proposed development for the area were influencing zoning changes, but Benedict assured him that was not the case.
Instead, Benedict said, the rezoning is being proposed so that Orange County can align its land-use plan and zoning classifications with the City of Durham’s Urban Growth Boundary, which the land in question falls into. By aligning the plans, Durham would be able to extend utility services to the area, allowing the City of Durham to potentially annex the area in the future.
In the plan, approximately 280 acres currently zoned rural residential (R-1) would be rezoned to either Economic Development Eno Lower Intensity (EDE-1) or Economic Development Eno Higher Intensity (EDE-2).
Zoning an area EDE-1 allows smaller businesses like banks to be built, while an EDE-2 zoning allows bigger industries like retail and wholesale trade and manufacturing to be built.
Resident Chris Kelsey told commissioners he is worried that rezoning the area will ruin the rural feel and compromise the area’s natural environment.
“I moved out in Orange County to live in a rural environment,†Kelsey said. “A potential for light industry, I think, will totally take away from the rural character.â€
“This has negative impacts both for the environment and for the residents that currently live there,†he added.
Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Kelsey, saying he was worried the planning department didn’t adequately look into the environmental impacts.
“I have said it before when we do economic development, which I do support – to rush to do something without doing it fully is a mistake,†Jacobs said.
The commissioners voted 5-1 to defer the public hearing regarding the zoning changes to the Eno Economic Development District until May.
Commissioner Steve Yuhasz cast the dissenting vote, stating, “I think it would be short-sited for us to not move forward at this point.â€