Watching the give and take, back and forth, and attack and counter-attack between opponents of a proposed biodiesel plant, opponents of the opponents, and the Iredell County government, which approved a request to rezone farmland for the controversial plant, is starting to get interesting, boring or exciting, depending on your viewpoint.
It’s interesting to those of us who love local politics.It’s boring to those who don’t have a dog in the fight and those who have no plans on living anywhere McLain Farms, although it shouldn’t be. (Your neighborhood could be next.)
And it’s exciting, we suppose, to the lawyers who will benefit financially as the lawsuit filed by Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life and 23 other plaintiffs against the county, county commissioners and the McLain family winds its way through Iredell Superior Court.
Based on their response to the lawsuit, county officials have made it clear that they will not be intimidated by the accusations and demands of the plaintiffs. While the county may have made some procedural missteps in actions leading up to the rezoning approval, the county’s position is that the rezoning was lawful and proper.
The county’s legal fees will mount and, if county attorney Bill Pope is successful in his effort to have the lawsuit dismissed, the plaintiffs should be prepared to pay the county’s legal expenses.
Based on his assertion that the Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life exists in name only, Pope won’t be asking the Neighbors to pay up. He’ll be asking the other plaintiffs to pick up the tab.
While it might not be as exciting or entertaining, now would be a good time for all of the parties involved to take another stab at resolving this matter with a compromise that everyone can live with.
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1 comment:
It is refreshing to hear a public forum on important issues in our community. Unfortunately, it takes an attorney to get anyone to listen.
Both sides are in fact looking at the preservation and planned growth of their neighborhood. Rapid growth and lucrative profits changed South Iredell and they eventually sold their land. Every corner looks as congested and canned as the next corner with lucrative gains on both sides.
McClain's tract of land could sell for a lucrative price and you could have 100 houses on the 7 acres. The point is that your neighborhood will change.
The common theme,the unifying element, is that everyone has a heartfelt interest in preserving the rights of each individual, farming, rural lifestyle and everyone wants a clean, safe environment. Are there other solutions other than this lawsuit that addresses the zoning issue?
Has anyone examined a lucrative co-operatove ownership of the plant and market opportunities for everyone? I think your money would be better spent investing in the project. The State of North Carolina has mandated Biodiesel Fuel growth in NC Rural Communities. What are the projected earnings? Is a potential for investment being overlooked? It would be great for North Iredell to create wealth, jobs, and preservation of rural living.
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