Commissioners vote to rezone land in Rockingham Co. for a new casino

HAVE BELTON'S FOR YOU IN THE

LIVE CENTER. ALL RIGHT, MARK,

THANK YOU. ALSO NEW AT 10

O'CLOCK IN THE LAST HOUR AND A

HALF. ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

TO REZONE A LARGE PIECE OF LAND

THAT COULD LEAD TO A CASINO.

HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS SHOWED UP

TONIGHT TO VOICE THEIR OPINION

ON THE PLAN. WRAL'S JULIAN

GRACE WAS THERE AND JOINS US

LIVE FROM ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

WITH MORE ON THE VOTE. JULIAN.

>> GERALD, THERE WERE SO MANY

PEOPLE OUT HERE THAT THERE WAS

SIGNS LIKE THIS FOR BUS

DROP-OFF. THE BUSLOADS OF

PEOPLE.

>> THEY CAME OFF THE BUS JUST

TO BE AT THIS MEETING TONIGHT

AND THEN THE DECISION CAME

DOWN. AND ONCE THE

COMMISSIONERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

TO REZONE THE PROPERTY, YOU

COULD HEAR PEOPLE IN THE CROWD

SAYING VOTE THEM OUT.

>> WE SHOWED UP TO THE ROCKY

HIM GOVERNMENTAL CENTER BY THE

BUSLOADS CARRYING SIGNS THAT

CLEARLY STATED THEIR POSITION.

I JUST DON'T THINK THIS

I THINK THAT REVENUES NEEDED

HERE IN ROCKINGHAM COUNTY,

SEVERAL 100 FIELD, THE 6

OVERFLOW ROOMS AND WAITED FOR

THE MEETING TO START WHILE THEY

WAITED THIS HAPPEN. YOU KNOW,

WE HAD FOR LACK OF WE DON'T.

THEY WILL ON RESIDENT OFFERED

UP A PRAYER. THE ROCKINGHAM

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL DENY

THE REZONING OF 192 ACRES ALONG

US 2.20, NEAR MADISON THAT

COULD LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL

DEVELOPMENT OF A CASINO.

ONCE THE PUBLIC HEARING STARTED

SPEAKER

AFTER ASKED THE BOARD TO DENY

THE RE-ZONING REQUEST, MANY OF

THE ATTENDEES OPPOSED THE

REQUEST TO REZONE THE PLOT

BECAUSE IT'S NEXT TO A CAMP FOR

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.

COLE CAMP CAREFREE THEN CAME

THE PRESENTATION BY THE OUTSIDE

DEVELOPERS, ATTORNEY WHO SAID

REZONING THE LAND COULD CREATE

THOUSANDS OF JOBS IN THE COUNTY

ATTORNEY, THOUGH, REMAIN COYLE

AND WHAT COULD GO IN THAT

SPACE. THE COMMISSIONERS THEN

SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS THAT OVER

THE YEARS TAXPAYERS BUILDING

INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ONE DAY

THE LAND IN QUESTION WOULD BE A

BUSINESS DISTRICT. THEN CAME

THE VOTE. ALL 5 COMMISSIONERS

VOTED TO REZONE THE PROPERTY,

UNANIMOUS AND ALL IN ALL OF

THAT. DESPITE THE DISAPPROVAL

FROM THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS

THAT SHOWED A IT'S DEFINITELY

NOT WHAT WE WANT. THERE WERE

HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS, IF NOT

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE,

DEPENDING ON THE COMING YOU

KNOW, IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS

A LOT OF A LOT OF COMMUNITY

CONCERNS, NOT ACTUALLY

ADDRESSED BY THE COMMISSIONERS.

>> JOAN, I DO WANT TO 0.1 THING

OUT AS YOU SAW IN THAT VIDEO,

THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE

INSIDE THE BUILDING HERE WHEN

THAT DECISION CAME DOWN, THEY

LEFT ORDERLY AND PEACEFULLY.

BUT ONE RESIDENT TELLS ME THIS

FIGHT IS NOT OVER AND THAT

CROWD WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT TO

MAKE SURE THAT PIECE OF

PROPERTY DOES NOT BECOME A

CASINO. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.