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NC Highway 57 Speedway Area Small Area Plan <br />BACKGROUND SECTION 111. <br />STUDY AREA <br />The various existing non- residential operations in the Study Area were established prior to the <br />adoption of comprehensive zoning regulations in 1994. As a result, they were allowed to <br />continue operation as nonconforming land uses per Article 11 of the Zoning Ordinance. The two <br />racing facilities and the concrete plant are not consistent with the current zoning of the area and <br />would not be allowed to develop under current County regulations. The rock quarry is <br />potentially consistent with existing zoning regulations, but only with the submission, and BOCC <br />approval, of a Class "A" Special Use Permit. Other issues of significance are discussed below. <br />A. ENVIRONMENTAL <br />The topography of the Study Area is gently rolling to hilly, with slopes falling away from the <br />major drainage divide of the Little River to the south and the Flat River to the north. Both rivers <br />are tributaries of the Neuse River. <br />Under -lying geology has a profound influence on the settlement pattern and land use. NC <br />Highway 57 generally divides the Study Area with granite bedrock to the east of the road and <br />metamorphic rocks to the west. Surface soils formed from weathered granite have severe <br />limitations for on -site septic disposal drain fields. The few residences found east of the highway <br />are on lots larger than ten acres. The Hanson Aggregate rock quarry is at its present location <br />primarily due to the quality of granite rock found relatively close to the surface. Bedrock is <br />crushed and used as concrete and asphalt aggregate. <br />To the west, soils have moderate septic field limitations, except where slopes exceed ten - percent. <br />Figure 2 illustrates the pattern of soils with septic limitations. The soils colored red have severe <br />limitations. The different soils colored green have moderate limitations. The variations in the <br />red, severe limitations for septic fields, and green, moderate limitations for septic fields, help <br />denote the different soil types. <br />Ground water yields across the Study Area are not sufficient to support extensive new residential <br />or high water use non - residential growth, particularly east of NC Highway 57. Seams and <br />fissures in the rock will yield water of low to acceptable quality, but the quantity of the yields <br />has generally limited new housing starts. <br />13 <br />