Information from public record requests reveal land owned by Patrick McCullough and manager, then Aldermen Jeffrey Odham, was rezoned to increase its value to sell to the NC Department of Transportation for the NC 43 Connector highway in Craeberne Forest, not to build 600 affordable homes.
New Bern Now made the connection between McCullough and now Mayor Odham when McCullough Farms, LLC requested seven parcels of land off Trent Creek Road totaling 413 acres to be rezoned from AF, R-10, R-10A to R6 in August 2022. Odham’s home address was listed as the Principal Office address on the NC Secretary of State website, property tax records and Craven GIS’s website.
The Board of Aldermen approved the rezoning on Sept. 13, 2022.
NBN has spent the last eight months requesting public records and investigating, sourcing, and vetting the information we received. Our findings will be reported in a series of articles in the weeks to come.
Patrick McCullough was asked but declined to comment. The New Bern Board of Alderman, City Manager, and City Attorney were asked for comment.
Stay tuned for the first article.
By Wendy Card, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.