The Stanly County Planning Board voted 5-2 to deny a rezoning request for a landowner in the Porter area.

Martha Ingold, owner of a 4.2-acre tract on Harmony Road just off Swaringen Road in southern Stanly, asked for a rezoning request for the tract from residential/agricultural (R/A) to R-40. The R-40 zone has a minimum lot size of 40,000 acres and would have allowed Ingold to divide the land into three lots.

Harmony Road is a private, 30-foot wide right-of-way, which on the northern side is divided into eight lots. Ingold’s land, according to County Planning Director Bob Remsburg, is in the county’s Rural Preservation Area. Recently, county commissioners passed a minimum of three acres for lots zoned R/A which are in the preservation area.

“Nobody’s ever complained about water, the ditch or anything until this happened to me,” Ingold said before the planning board. “I’d be thankful if you all would let me do what I want to do with the time I have left, and what I want to do with what property I have.”

Gina Smith, Ingold’s sister-in-law, spoke in favor of the request, saying she could attest to Ingold’s recent illness which prevented her from submitting a request earlier.

Charlotte Barringer and Tommy Curlee, who both own property near the tract, spoke against the request.

Board member David Underwood moved to deny the request based on the land being in the Rural Preservation Area; the motion was seconded by Michael Williams. Underwood, Michael Williams, Dr. John Eckman, Tim Fesperman and T.J. Smith voted for the motion, with Kevin Brickman and Joel Mauldin voting against.