It took 736 days, that’s 105 weeks and a day, or almost exactly two years, from the date The Honey Hog applied for a zoning permit from the City of Morganton to build a new barbecue restaurant until it received permission to proceed with construction.
The Honey Hog is the name of the eatery to be located on 300 Carbon City Road, the site of the former Hursey’s Barbeque and, before that, Gene’s Drive In. The spot has been a go-to for the working crowd for more than 50 years.
It’s about to get an upgrade.
Here is the timeline from initial meeting, according to Morganton's Development and Design Department:
Feb 16, 2023 - 1st Pre-Application Meeting
Apr 4, 2023 - 2nd Pre-Application Meeting
May 19, 2023 - 1st Plans Lodged for Review
June 6, 2023 - 1st Comments Provided by City
Oct 3, 2023 - 2nd set of Plans Lodged for Review
Oct 31, 2023 - 2nd set of Comments Provided by City
Dec 7, 2023 - 3rd set of Plans Lodged for Review
Dec 22, 2023 - 3rd set of Comments Provided by City
Jan 11, 2024 - 4th set of Plans Lodged for Review
Jan 23, 2023 - Plans Approved, Zoning Permit Issued
Wendy Smith, director of the development and design department, said that the timeline included 180 days while the department waited on plans to review, and that the assessment time for each review was between two and three weeks.
In a social media post yesterday, Jones wrote: “I’ll save my opinion of that process for a later day. But change is needed if we value the blue collar business owners of this community. … G.E. M. General Contractors will now take over and begin to turn our dream into a reality.”
Allen VanNoppen is the publisher. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 orallen@thepaper.media.
Thank you so much for bringing this waste and incompetence to the forefront so the public will know how difficult it is for businesses and others to get anything done in Morganton.
It’s important that both sides of the story are heard. As a small business owner who manages a design engineering firm, I know firsthand how challenging plan permit approval can be. Most issues can usually be resolved through thoughtful revisions and a willingness to collaborate. It’s very common to go through several rounds of changes when trying to meet local codes and ordinances. The process naturally takes time - between resubmittals, department reviews,, and approvals. It can lead to a good outcome if there is mutual respect and openness to adapt.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(3) comments
Thank you so much for bringing this waste and incompetence to the forefront so the public will know how difficult it is for businesses and others to get anything done in Morganton.
1,100 days and people wonder why businesses are not coming to Morganton
It’s important that both sides of the story are heard. As a small business owner who manages a design engineering firm, I know firsthand how challenging plan permit approval can be. Most issues can usually be resolved through thoughtful revisions and a willingness to collaborate. It’s very common to go through several rounds of changes when trying to meet local codes and ordinances. The process naturally takes time - between resubmittals, department reviews,, and approvals. It can lead to a good outcome if there is mutual respect and openness to adapt.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.