Fort v. Cnty. of Cumberland , 235 N.C. App. 541 ( 2014 )


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  •                                     NO. COA14-93
    NORTH CAROLINA COURT OF APPEALS
    Filed:    19 August 2014
    SAMUEL and DORIS FORT, JULIA
    KATHERINE FAIRCLOTH, RAEFORD B.
    LOCKAMY, II, OK FARMS OF CEDAR
    CREEK, LLC, and ARNOLD DREW SMITH,
    Petitioners,
    v.                                     Cumberland County
    No. 12 CVS 8440
    COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND, North
    Carolina, and TIGERSWAN, INC.,
    Respondents.
    Appeal by respondents from order entered 23 October 2013 by
    Judge C. Winston Gilchrist in Cumberland County Superior Court.
    Heard in the Court of Appeals 4 June 2014.
    Currin & Currin, by Robin T. Currin and George B. Currin,
    for petitioners.
    Cumberland County Attorney’s Office, by Robert A. Hasty,
    Jr., for respondent-appellant County of Cumberland.
    Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, by Charles C. Meeker, for
    respondent-appellant TigerSwan, Inc.
    McCULLOUGH, Judge.
    Respondents TigerSwan, Inc., and Cumberland County appeal
    an   order   of   the    trial   court,   reversing    a   decision    made   by
    Cumberland    County’s      Board    of   Adjustment   that   the     TigerSwan
    facility is permitted in the A1 Zoning District and remanding
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    with instructions to revoke the site plan approval and zoning
    permit for the TigerSwan facility.               Based on the reasons stated
    herein, we reverse the order of the trial court.
    I.   Background
    The Cumberland County zoning ordinance at issue in this
    appeal was originally adopted on 3 July 1972, revised 20 June
    2005, and amended on 18 April 2011 (“the zoning ordinance”).
    Article IV, Section 402, entitled “Uses by Right” provides as
    follows:
    All uses of property are allowed as a use by
    right except where this ordinance specifies
    otherwise    or    where    this    ordinance
    specifically prohibits the use.       In the
    event, a use of property is proposed that is
    not   addressed   by  the   terms   of   this
    ordinance, the minimum ordinance standards
    for the use addressed by this ordinance that
    is most closely related to the land use
    impacts of the proposed use shall apply.
    Article IV, Section 403 of the zoning ordinance includes a
    “Use Matrix” which enumerates permitted and special land uses,
    as well as some land uses allowed only in a conditional zoning
    district.      The following land uses are enumerated in the “Use
    Matrix”       and    are   pertinent        to      the   case    before   us:
    “RECREATION/AMUS[E]MENT          OUTDOOR         (with    mechanized   vehicle
    operations) conducted outside building for profit, not otherwise
    listed    &   not   regulated   by   Sec.   924”     (“recreation/amusement”)
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    which is a permitted use in the A1 zoning district; “SCHOOLS,
    public, private, elementary or secondary” (“public or private
    school”) which is a permitted use in the A1 zoning district; and
    a “SCHOOL, business and commercial for nurses or other medically
    oriented      professions,     trade,       vocational     &       fine    arts”
    (“vocational school”) which is not a permitted use in the A1
    zoning district.
    TigerSwan,      Inc.     (“TigerSwan”)     submitted       a    site    plan
    application to the County of Cumberland (“County”) requesting
    approval for a “Training Collaboration Center” (“the TigerSwan
    facility”).     The TigerSwan facility leases a 978 acre site which
    sits on a 1,521 acre parcel.          The entire site is located in the
    A1 Agricultural District of the County.           Evidence in the record
    established that the TigerSwan facility would be designed to
    provide weapons training and firearm safety primarily to the
    government,      military,      law     enforcement,       and        corporate
    organizations. One day a week, the TigerSwan facility would be
    open to the public.        Ninety-five (95%) percent of the activity
    at the TigerSwan facility would occur on the outdoor gun ranges.
    TigerSwan intends to have a pro-shop, buildings for instruction,
    administrative offices, and restrooms.
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    On   9    April       2012,    the    County’s         Planning    and    Inspections
    Department           (“the     Planning      Department”)         issued    a     site     plan
    approval for the TigerSwan facility.                            The Planning Department
    held    that          the      TigerSwan         facility        was    permitted        as     a
    recreation/amusement             land      use.        The    Planning    Department       also
    issued a zoning permit to TigerSwan on 17 April 2012.
    Petitioners           Samuel        and        Doris     Fort,    Julia     Katherine
    Faircloth, Raeford B. Lockamy, II, OK Farms of Cedar Creek, LLC,
    and Arnold Drew Smith appealed the issuance of the permit to the
    Cumberland            County      Board          of     Adjustment       (“the      Board”).
    Specifically,           petitioners         challenged          the     approval    of        the
    TigerSwan        facility        by     arguing          that     the    County’s        zoning
    administrator’s classification of the TigerSwan facility as a
    recreation/amusement land use was erroneous.                            Petitioners argued
    that the County had never taken the position that the TigerSwan
    facility        be    permitted       as    recreation/amusement            and    that       the
    Planning Department’s determination was in direct conflict with
    the County’s previous position, as set forth in Fort v. County
    of Cumberland, __ N.C. App. __, 
    721 S.E.2d 350
     (2012) (“Fort”),
    that the TigerSwan facility be classified as a “private school.”
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    Petitioners relied on our Court’s holding in Fort. In Fort,
    TigerSwan   sought     approval    of    a    “firearms     training   facility.”
    
    Id.
     at __, 721 S.E.2d at 352.           Our Court found that TigerSwan
    [i]ntends   to    provide    instruction    to
    military, law enforcement, and security
    personnel   in   topics   such    as   weapons
    training, urban warfare, convoy security
    operations, and “[w]arrior [c]ombatives” in
    order   to   “teach,    coach,    and   mentor
    tomorrow’s   soldiers.”       TigerSwan   also
    intends to provide courses on topics such as
    first aid, firearm and hunting safety, and
    foreign languages for adults and children.
    Id.   The site plan included multiple firing ranges in addition
    to classroom facilities.           Id.        The Cumberland County zoning
    administrator approved TigerSwan’s site plan by classifying the
    business as a “private school.”                Id.    Petitioners Samuel and
    Doris Fort, Julia Katherine Faircloth, and Raeford B. Lockamy,
    II,   appealed   the    approval    of       the   site   plan   and   the    Board
    affirmed the decision of the zoning administrator.                     Id. at __,
    721 S.E.2d at 352-53.        After the Fort petitioners appealed to
    the   superior   court,   the     trial      court   held    that   the   training
    facility was a permitted use in the A1 zoning district.                      Id. at
    __, 721 S.E.2d at 353.            The Fort petitioners appealed to our
    Court.   Under section 402 of the then-existing zoning ordinance1,
    1
    This case was decided under the version of the ordinance prior
    to the 18 April 2011 amendment: Section 402 entitled, “Uses by
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    our Court held that the TigerSwan facility was not a “private
    school” and that the TigerSwan facility was not a permitted use
    in the A1 zoning district.             Id. at __, 
    721 S.E.2d 354
    .                 Using
    rules of statutory construction, our Court reasoned that the
    “schools, public, private, elementary or secondary” category in
    the zoning ordinance limited permissible schools, private and
    public, to elementary and secondary education.                    “[T]he inclusion
    of ‘elementary or secondary’ in the description of permissible
    schools      was   intended    to     exclude      other     types    of   ‘SCHOOLS,’
    whether they be private or public.”                  
    Id.
     at __, 721 S.E.2d at
    355.      Our Court stated that “[w]ithout deciding whether the
    Training     Facility    qualifies      as   either      a   trade    or   vocational
    school,      we    conclude    that    the     Training      Facility      is    not     a
    permitted use as it is not a public or private, elementary or
    secondary school.”       Id.
    On 10 July 2012, the Board held a hearing on the issue of
    whether “the staff of the Cumberland County Planning Department
    erred   by    failing    to    classify      the   use     of   the   site      for    the
    [TigerSwan facility] as a vocational school within one of the
    Right” provided that “[a]ll uses of property are prohibited
    except those that are permitted or otherwise allowed under the
    terms of this ordinance.”
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    School land uses.”    The Board entered an order that made the
    following pertinent findings:
    3.   The training offered at the TigerSwan
    facility is in the nature of skill level
    improvement.
    4.   Approximately 80-90% of the activities
    conducted at the TigerSwan facility occur
    outside on the firing ranges, and the
    training conducted in the meeting rooms
    is incidental to the firing of pistols
    and rifles. Twenty percent (20%) of the
    activity at the TigerSwan facility is
    recreational   in  nature   and  involves
    sportsmen and families.
    . . . .
    7.   There is no classification of firing
    ranges in the Cumberland County Zoning
    Ordinance.
    . . . .
    10. Before the submission of the request for
    a permit for the TigerSwan facility,
    Planning Director Tom Lloyd issued a
    directive to staff that any outdoor
    firing range would be considered as the
    classified use [recreation/amusement] for
    the reason that he believed this was the
    classified use under the ordinance which
    created   the  most   similar  land   use
    impacts.
    11. The Planning Department classified the
    TigerSwan facility in accordance with the
    Planning Director’s directive and issued
    the subject permit. . . .
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    The Board concluded that the TigerSwan facility did not fall
    within the classification of a vocational school.                                   The Board
    also concluded that the decision of the Planning Department “to
    consider the TigerSwan facility to be an outdoor firing range
    most     similar             to      the      classified             use      for         outdoor
    recreation[/amusement]                was     reasonable          and        was        made     in
    conformance with the provision” of the zoning ordinance.                                        The
    Board dismissed petitioners’ appeal and affirmed the issuance of
    the permit for the TigerSwan facility.
    Petitioners then appealed the order of the Board to the
    Cumberland County Superior Court by filing a petition for writ
    of certiorari on 25 September 2012.
    Following a hearing held at the 26 August 2013 session of
    Cumberland          County        Superior    Court        on   petitioners’            writ    of
    certiorari, the trial court entered an order on 23 October 2013.
    The    trial    court        found     that    the    Board’s         decision      “must       be
    reversed       and    the     case     remanded       to    the      Board    .     .    .     with
    instructions to revoke the Site Plan and Zoning Permit for the
    TigerSwan Facility issued on April 9, 2012 and April 17, 2012.”
    The    trial    court’s           decision    was    based      on    the     following,         in
    pertinent part:
    4.    In its Table of Permitted Uses, the
    Zoning Ordinance sets forth the uses that
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    are allowed in the A1 District and those
    which are not. [Vocational schools] are
    not permitted in the A1 District.    The
    term vocational school is not defined in
    the Zoning Ordinance.
    5.   [Recreation/Amusement] is a permitted use
    in the A1 District. . . .
    6.   The Zoning Ordinance in effect at the
    time of the approvals by the Zoning
    Administrator (the “Zoning Ordinance”)
    does not reference a use called a “firing
    range” or “shooting range,” and neither
    of those terms are defined in the Zoning
    Ordinance.
    . . . .
    8.   The decisions to approve the Site Plan
    and Zoning Permit were based upon the
    Zoning Administrator’s determination that
    the TigerSwan Facility was an outdoor
    firing range, which is not addressed by
    the   Zoning  Ordinance.      The  Zoning
    Administrator then determined, pursuant
    to Zoning Ordinance Section 402, that the
    TigerSwan Facility should be regulated as
    [recreation/amusement] because the land
    use impacts of the TigerSwan Facility
    were most closely related to that use.
    . . . .
    13. Based on the Court’s de novo review of
    the whole record . . . this Court
    concludes that the TigerSwan Facility is
    a [vocational school], as set out in the
    Zoning   Ordinance  and   is,  therefore,
    prohibited in the A1 District.        The
    evidence in the Record established that
    the TigerSwan Facility fits within the
    definition of a vocational school and its
    purposes and activities are consistent
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    with those of a vocational school as set
    out in the Zoning Ordinance.    The Board
    of Adjustment, thus, erred in affirming
    the decision of the Zoning Administrator
    which determined the TigerSwan Facility
    was an outdoor firing range, because it
    is not.    The TigerSwan Facility is a
    vocational   school   under  the   Zoning
    Ordinance.     The fact that TigerSwan
    operates a recreational firing range one
    day a week and uses a firing range for
    its courses does not change the nature of
    the use, which the Record establishes is
    to provide instruction to military, law
    enforcement and security personnel for
    use in their occupations.    See Fort v.
    County of Cumberland, __ N.C. App. __,
    __, 
    721 S.E.2d 350
    , 356 (2012) (while
    some uses offered by TigerSwan may be
    permitted, “the inclusion of permitted
    uses cannot offset the uses prohibited by
    the [Zoning] Ordinance.”).
    14. Because the TigerSwan Facility is a
    vocational school, which is a use that is
    specifically   prohibited   in    the  A1
    District, the Zoning Administrator had no
    authority under the Zoning Ordinance
    Section   402  to   determine   that  the
    TigerSwan Facility should be regulated
    according to the minimum standards for
    the use with the most closely related
    land use impacts.    Regardless, however,
    and in the alternative, there was no
    competent evidence in the Record that
    could support the determination that the
    TigerSwan Facility’s impacts were most
    similar to [Recreation/Amusement].
    Respondents County of Cumberland and TigerSwan filed notice
    of appeal on 15 November 2013 from the 23 October 2013 order of
    the trial court.
    -11-
    II.   Standard of Review
    It    is   well   established   that   “[j]udicial   review   of   the
    decisions of a municipal board of adjustment is authorized by
    N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-388(e2), which provides, in pertinent
    part, that ‘[e]very decision of the board shall be subject to
    review by the superior court by proceedings in the nature of
    certiorari.’”    Four Seasons Mgmt. Servs. v. Town of Wrightsville
    Beach, 
    205 N.C. App. 65
    , 75, 
    695 S.E.2d 456
    , 462 (2010).               Upon
    review of a decision from a Board of Adjustment, the trial court
    should:
    (1) review the record for errors of law, (2)
    ensure that procedures specified by law in
    both statute and ordinance are followed, (3)
    ensure that appropriate due process rights
    of the petitioner are protected, including
    the right to offer evidence, cross-examine
    witnesses, and inspect documents, (4) ensure
    that the decision is supported by competent,
    material, and substantial evidence in the
    whole record, and (5) ensure that the
    decision is not arbitrary and capricious.
    CRLP Durham, LP v. Durham City/County Bd. of Adjustment, 
    210 N.C. App. 203
    , 207, 
    706 S.E.2d 317
    , 319-320 (2011) (citations
    and quotation marks omitted).
    “If a petitioner contends the Board’s decision was based on
    an error of law, de novo review is proper.”          Four Seasons, 205
    N.C. App. at 75, 
    695 S.E.2d at 462
     (citations and quotation
    -12-
    marks    omitted).            “Under       de    novo    review       a    reviewing      court
    considers      the     case       anew    and    may    freely    substitute            its   own
    interpretation         of    an    ordinance       for    a    board       of     adjustment’s
    conclusions of law.”               Morris Communs. Corp v. City of Bessemer,
    
    365 N.C. 152
    ,       156,    
    712 S.E.2d 868
    ,    871       (2011)     (citation
    omitted).           “However,      if     the    petitioner      contends         the    Board’s
    decision was not supported by the evidence or was arbitrary and
    capricious,         then    the    reviewing       court       must       apply    the   ‘whole
    record’ test.”         Four Seasons, 205 N.C. App. at 75, 
    695 S.E.2d at 462
     (citations omitted).                 “When utilizing the whole record test,
    . . . the reviewing court must examine all competent evidence
    (the whole record) in order to determine whether the agency
    decision       is    supported       by    substantial         evidence.”            Templeton
    Properties v. Town of Boone, __ N.C. App. __, __, __ S.E.2d __,
    __ (June 3, 2014) (No. COA13-1274).
    “When this Court reviews a superior court’s order which
    reviewed a zoning board’s decision, we examine the order to:
    (1)   determin[e]           whether      the     [superior]      court       exercised        the
    appropriate scope of review and, if appropriate, (2) decid[e]
    whether the court did so properly.”                      CRLP Durham, 210 N.C. App.
    at 207, 
    706 S.E.2d at 320
     (citation omitted).
    III. Discussion
    -13-
    On appeal, respondents argue that the trial court erred by
    (A) concluding, in paragraphs 13 and 14 of the 23 October 2013
    order, that TigerSwan’s facility is a vocational school as set
    out in the zoning ordinance and by (B) concluding in paragraph
    14 that there was no competent evidence in the record that could
    support the determination that the TigerSwan facility’s impacts
    were most similar to the category of recreation/amusement.
    A.     Classification of the TigerSwan Facility as a Vocational
    School
    First, respondents argue that the trial court erred as a
    matter of law by concluding that the TigerSwan facility was a
    vocational school pursuant to the zoning ordinance.            Respondents
    also contend that the trial court erred by failing to affirm the
    determination of the Board that the TigerSwan facility was an
    outdoor firing range, allowed as a use by right.
    “The    superior   court   reviews   a   board    of    adjustment’s
    interpretation of a municipal ordinance de novo.”            MNC Holdings,
    LLC v. Town of Matthews, __ N.C. App. __, __, 
    735 S.E.2d 364
    ,
    367 (2012).     Reviewing the trial court’s 23 October 2013 order,
    we initially note that the trial court, while reviewing issues
    involving the interpretation of the zoning ordinance, employed
    the appropriate de novo standard of review.            The issue in this
    -14-
    appeal is whether the trial court’s legal interpretation of the
    zoning ordinance was correct.      Accordingly, we also employ de
    novo review and “consider [the] question[s] anew.”          JWL Invs.,
    Inc. v. Guilford County Bd. of Adjustment, 
    133 N.C. App. 426
    ,
    429, 
    515 S.E.2d 715
    , 718 (1999).        See MNC Holdings, __ N.C. App.
    at __, 735 S.E.2d at 367 (stating that because the issue on
    appeal is whether the trial court’s legal interpretation of a
    municipal ordinance is correct, our Court also employs a de novo
    review).
    In determining the meaning of a zoning ordinance, we apply
    the same principles of construction used to interpret statutes.
    See Morris, 365 N.C. at 157, 
    712 S.E.2d at 872
    .       In addition,
    we attempt to ascertain and effectuate the
    intent of the legislative body.     Unless a
    term is defined specifically within the
    ordinance in which it is referenced, it
    should be assigned its plain and ordinary
    meaning.        In    addition,  we     avoid
    interpretations    that   create absurd    or
    illogical results.
    Ayers v. Bd. of Adjustment, 
    113 N.C. App. 528
    , 531, 
    439 S.E.2d 199
    , 201 (1994) (citations omitted).          “[R]eviewing courts may
    make independent assessments of the underlying merits of board
    of   adjustment   ordinance   interpretations.       This   proposition
    emphasizes the obvious corollary that courts consider, but are
    not bound by, the interpretations of administrative agencies and
    -15-
    boards.”     Morris, 365 N.C. at 156, 
    712 S.E.2d at 871
     (citations
    and quotation marks omitted).
    We first examine the intent of the zoning ordinance.                             Prior
    to the 18 April 2011 amendment, the zoning ordinance provided
    that “[a]ll uses of property are prohibited except those that
    are   permitted      or    otherwise         allowed     under   the    terms    of    this
    ordinance.”        Notably, following the 18 April 2011 amendment, the
    zoning ordinance provided in Section 402 that “[a]ll uses of
    property     are    allowed    as       a    use    by   right     except     where    this
    ordinance         specifies    otherwise            or     where       this     ordinance
    specifically prohibits the use.”                    In determining the intent of
    the 18 April 2011 amendment, it is evident that the legislative
    body intended to broaden the spectrum of permissible uses and
    thereby, freely allowed the use of property except where it was
    specifically prohibited.
    We    now    consider    the          term    “vocational     school”      and    the
    Board’s     interpretation         of       that   term.     The    term      “vocational
    school” is not defined in the zoning ordinance.                        “In the absence
    of a contextual definition, courts may look to dictionaries to
    determine the ordinary meaning of words within a[n ordinance.]”
    Perkins v. Arkansas Trucking Servs., 
    351 N.C. 634
    , 638, 
    528 S.E.2d 902
    ,    904    (2000)    (citation        omitted).         “Vocational”      is
    -16-
    defined as “of, relating to, or concerned with a vocation” or
    “of, relating to, or undergoing training in a skill or trade to
    be pursued as a career.”          Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.2
    Despite    the     lack   of   a   definition     within    the   zoning
    ordinance, the Board interpreted the term “vocational school” to
    mean the following:
    The commonly accepted concept or definition
    of a vocational school is an institution
    like    Fayetteville   Technical    Community
    College where students gain career training
    through extended courses in classrooms.
    Vocational schools can have hundreds or
    thousands of students coming by car to the
    school each day. The TigerSwan facility has
    just a limited number of cars each day.
    The Board also found that the training offered at the TigerSwan
    facility was in the nature of “skill level improvement” – eighty
    to ninety (80 – 90%) percent of the activities conducted at the
    TigerSwan facility occurred outside on the firing ranges and
    that     the    training    conducted      inside   the   meeting    rooms   was
    incidental to the firing of pistols and rifles.                    Based on the
    foregoing, the Board concluded that the TigerSwan facility did
    not fall within the “vocational school” classification of the
    zoning ordinance.
    2
    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
    -17-
    Considering    the    plain     and    ordinary    meaning   of    the    term
    “vocational” school within the zoning ordinance, in light of the
    intent of the ordinance, we hold that the Board’s determination
    that   the   TigerSwan      facility    did    not    constitute    a    vocational
    school was proper.          Uncontested evidence presented before the
    Board on 10 July 2012 included testimony from Brian Searcy, the
    Chief Operating Officer for TigerSwan, that ninety-five percent
    (95%) of “everything that occurs on this facility is range fire,
    outdoors.”       Searcy     testified        that    eighty   percent     (80%)      of
    training is provided to military personnel, law enforcement, and
    private security contractors “[t]o improve their current skills
    that they have[.]”          One day a week, the firing range is opened
    to the public for recreational shooters.                   Significantly, Searcy
    explained    that    “[TigerSwan]       do[es]      not   qualify   people      to   do
    jobs, [does not] give diplomas and [does not] give any degrees.
    We give a certificate of training to people who attend two or
    three day courses.          All we’re doing is helping improve skills
    that they already have.”             Searcy agreed that at the TigerSwan
    facility, people are “just practicing a skill which is firing a
    weapon[.]”       Steve    Swierkowski,        who    coordinates    the    training
    events    that   take     place   at     TigerSwan,       testified      that    “the
    -18-
    majority of the activities takes place on the range” and that
    “we can execute this range without the use of any classrooms.”
    Because the TigerSwan facility does not teach a skill or
    trade to be pursued as a career, but rather, provides training
    to existing members of a profession in order to practice and
    refine their already-existing skills, we agree with the Board’s
    conclusion that the training offered at the TigerSwan facility
    is in the nature of skill level improvement.                      The TigerSwan
    facility operates as a firing range, and not as a vocational
    school,   where    students    gain   career    training    through    extended
    courses in classrooms and receive diplomas or degrees so that
    they are able to pursue a career.                Furthermore, because the
    zoning ordinance fails to specifically prohibit the use of land
    as a firing range, it is allowed as a use by right pursuant to
    Section 402.       Based on the foregoing reasons, we hold that the
    trial court improperly applied de novo review of the Board’s
    decision and thus, erred by reversing the Board’s conclusion
    that    the    TigerSwan      facility   does     not      fall    within   the
    classification of a vocational school.
    B.   Evidence of the TigerSwan Facility as a
    Recreation/Amusement Land Use
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    Next, respondents           challenge the trial court’s conclusion
    that “in the alternative, there was no competent evidence in the
    Record that could support the determination that the TigerSwan
    Facility’s impacts were most similar to [recreation/amusement].”
    Respondents     argue    that     there   was   competent      evidence    in    the
    record to refute this conclusion.
    Because the trial court was reviewing whether the Board’s
    decision that the TigerSwan facility’s impacts were most similar
    to recreation/amusement, it should have applied the whole record
    test.    It is well established that “[w]hile the county board
    operates as the finder of fact, a reviewing superior court sits
    in the posture of an appellate court and does not review the
    sufficiency     of     evidence    presented     to   it    but    reviews      that
    evidence presented to the town board.”                 Mann Media, Inc. v.
    Randolph County Planning Bd., 
    356 N.C. 1
    , 12-13, 
    565 S.E.2d 9
    ,
    17 (2002) (citation and quotation marks omitted).                         “[I]f in
    applying the whole record test, reasonable but conflicted views
    emerge   from    the    evidence,    this    court    cannot      substitute     its
    judgment for the administrative body’s decision.                  Ultimately, we
    must decide whether the decision has a rational basis in the
    evidence.”      Appalachian Outdoor Adver. Co. v. Town of Boone Bd.
    -20-
    of    Adjustment,   
    128 N.C. App. 137
    ,   141,     
    493 S.E.2d 789
    ,   792
    (1997) (citations and quotation marks omitted).
    After thoughtful review, we hold that although the trial
    court’s 23 October 2013 order indicates that it conducted review
    under the whole record test, it failed to do so properly.
    A   recreation/amusement       land   use     is    defined   within     the
    zoning ordinance as follows:
    An area or establishment, which requires the
    use of motors or engines for the operation
    of   equipment   or  participation  in   the
    activity.   This definition includes but is
    not limited to go-cart tracks, bicycle
    motorcross (BMX) courses and the like. This
    definition does not include golf courses
    (golf carts) or other low impact motorized
    activities or vehicles.
    At the 10 July 2012 hearing before the Board, testimony was
    offered by Thomas J. Lloyd, director of the Planning Department.
    Mr. Lloyd testified that he had issued a memorandum dated 21
    February    2012    wherein   he    had   made   a   determination       that   the
    TigerSwan facility was a firing range, with the most similar
    land use impacts of recreation/amusement.                 Mr. Lloyd, explaining
    the    analysis     behind    his    determination,         testified     to    the
    following:
    MR. LLOYD:   We looked at the affects [sic]
    of a firing range and noted what would be
    the biggest objection or the biggest problem
    with respect to health, safety and welfare
    -21-
    to neighboring properties and of course that
    would be any projectile leaving the firing
    range site.     Of course there are other
    aspects too including noise, lighting and
    traffic volume.   But most of all we had to
    look at the safety of the surrounding
    property.     When   you   look   at   outdoor
    recreation it addresses safety specifically
    Section 920F which talks about fencing,
    netting and other control measures and many
    times with firing ranges, the use permit,
    shall be provided around the perimeter of
    any areas used for hitting, flying, or
    throwing of objects to prevent the object
    from leaving the designated area.     The only
    thing we had in the ordinance that addressed
    objects of any kind leaving the site or
    leaving the area was outdoor recreation.
    With respect to that and that measure of any
    projectile on a firing range leaving the
    area as well as the less impact of lighting
    and   noise,   they   were   also    similarly
    addressed in outdoor recreation.
    MR. FLOWERS: Just so we are clear on this,
    when you issued that memo on February 21,
    2012, you were not saying that a firing
    range is outdoor recreation but that the
    impact is similar to outdoor recreation, is
    that right?
    MR. LLOYD:   Yes sir, which is exactly the
    way the ordinance amendment in Section 402
    read.
    Based on the foregoing evidence presented to the Board, we
    hold that the trial court erred by concluding that there was “no
    competent evidence” that could support the determination that
    the TigerSwan facility’s land use impacts were most similar to
    the   recreation/amusement   classification.   “It   is   neither   the
    -22-
    superior    court’s      nor    this     Court’s    duty    to   second      guess    the
    decision of [the Board] where there is a rational basis in the
    evidence.”        Myers    Park       Homeowners    Ass’n.,      Inc.    v.    City   of
    Charlotte, __ N.C. App __,              __, 
    747 S.E.2d 338
    , 344 (2013).
    IV.     Conclusion
    We     hold   that    the     Board    properly      approved      the    TigerSwan
    facility    as    a   firing    range     with     the    land   use    impacts      most
    similar      to        the           recreation/amusement           classification.
    Accordingly,      because      the    trial   court      improperly     reversed      the
    decision of the Board, we reverse the order of the trial court.
    Reversed.
    Judges STEPHENS and STROUD concur.