Flea Market moving to the area brings environmental and societal concerns for residents

WADESBORO — The recent purchase of an abandoned poultry farm on Faulkner Rd. in Peachland has caused much consternation and concern among area residents.

It was purchased with the hopes of remodeling the facility into a flea market that would bring in vendors from the former Sweet Union Flea Market in Monroe.

Joan Shay, of Bowers Rd., came before the board of commissioners to address a myriad of concerns shared by herself and her neighbors. “No one knew that this was coming. We didn’t find out until we saw the trucks and other things driving down our road at all hours of the day and night,” she said.

“The tax office had to know that this was coming because they had to go and apply for different permits. What has Anson County done to proactively protect the interests of its current residents in that area (Burnsville)? What have we done? Have we hired more Sheriff’s [Office] deputies, because I have heard that this particular flea market was kicked out of Union County because of crime. That is a huge red flag,” Shay warned.

Crime being of great concern to Shay and her neighbors, led them to peruse crime listings for the Monroe area, where the former Sweet Union Flea Market was located on Hwy. 74. Shay uncovered a disturbing pattern of rapes, assaults, thefts, burglaries, and drugs plaguing the area. It is unclear from information that was shared at the meeting who exactly committed these crimes and whether they were clientele of the flea market.

“How many Sheriff’s deputies have been hired to handle the influx of people, traffic, crime, and drugs?” Shay wondered. “What are the County Commissioners doing to maintain the property values of the homes located nearby? Echoing the words many before her have uttered, Shay pointed out that the people affected have lived in the area ”for generations, hundreds of years and that is a legacy they don’t want to lose.”

For resident Art Taylor, his concern stems from the hours of business operation and the possibility that vendors might choose to live on site of the flea market.

“From what we understand the people are from out of town so they will not be bringing in any tax revenue,” Taylor stated. “Any money that is spent will go back. If these vendors are going to be coming from out of town or they going to be allowed to camp, live on this property? Was there a traffic study done to bring a business of this magnitude into the neighborhood? Are there going to be any hard surface parking? If so, what happens to the storm water, has there been a storm water study done?”

“I believe for good reason that there is concern over the location of this facility,” responded Chairman Jamie Caudle. “After hearing about it, we reached out to our County Tax Administrator, Mr. Larry Newton, who also serves as our Planning Director. Mr. Newton was already aware of this project; the owners had already contacted him requesting the information on what they needed to proceed forward with a project. When I heard that, I was somewhat relieved because that meant they were going about it the right way. The owner has filed all the necessary paperwork that s required.”

Caudle pointed out that many of the concerns voiced, like storm water runoff and if vendors can live on the property, is dictated by the current building code in the county. “Whether it is a flea market or a Dollar General, all of that is covered by your building code. Our Fire Marshal is also aware of this project; there are some fire codes they are going to have to meet with this facility. Just because it is an old poultry farm, does not mean they are exempt from any of that.”

Caudle shared that commissioners themselves had only found out about the project ten days prior, before taking the opportunity to segue from the flea market to the cause of the dilemma as he sees it — the lack of a countywide zoning plan.

“Currently we do not have a county-wide zoning plan,” Caudle continued. “I know that has been a hot topic in the past, but I do want to stress the importance of adopting a zoning plan. By doing this, we as a county, along with the input from citizens just like you, can determine where businesses such as this when they want to locate in our county, where the best location for that is. I can agree that is probably not on Faulkner Rd. The zoning plan would allow us to determine that before that happens. We have been working on (countywide zoning) for the past two years, with several meetings scattered across the county that were poorly attended. There was a lot of pushback where citizens did not want a zoning plan… you don’t want to be told what you can do with your land, but you want to be able to tell your neighbor what they can do with theirs. I want to remind you that with county-wide zoning we cannot zone by exclusion, meaning that we cannot say no Dollar General or no flea market. A lot of people think that zoning can say no to one and approve another.”

If a countywide zoning plan were adopted by the county, it would not be a permanent plan and changes could be made accordingly. If a change or amendment were required, a formal process would begin resulting in a public hearing, giving citizens a chance to provide input. Zoning plans can limit the amount and size of structures allowed on a property, how close buildings can be to each other, as well as protect property values by maintaining compatibility of businesses. For example, under a countywide zoning plan, a nightclub would not go in next to a school.

“I know that it is going to be a big change for our county when that zoning plan gets adopted, but I believe it is one that is going to be beneficial to all citizens and hopefully to potential businesses looking to locate in this great county,” Caudle said.