Permit approved for botanical gardens, amphitheater, cafe in Pender Co.

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender County commissioners approved a special use permit for The Johnson Family Farm Holdings LLC to build “The Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina” in Pender County.

David Johnson, the owner, requested the Special Use Permit for “The Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina” which includes a garden, a cafe, and an amphitheater and will be located on the east side of Johnson Nursery Road, less than a mile west of the intersection of US HWY 117 and Interstate 40.

Pender County Commissioner David Williams said he along with Chairman George Brown, and Fred McCoy, all approved the special permit on Monday.

“I believe it’s a wonderful project by a wonderful family,” Williams said. “It is going to be a great economic development for Pender County.”

According to the minutes from the commission meeting, Johnson said the primary purpose of The Gardens will be to display and evaluate plant material for Southeastern North Carolina. Johnson Nursery, which is adjacent to The Gardens, grows over 1,500 varieties of ornamental shrubs, hedges, perennials, annuals, ornamental grasses, ground covers, tress, and tropicals. The Gardens will be used as a show case for this huge diversity. The Gardens will hire a horticulturalist/ground supervisor, six full time workers, and numerous seasonal workers.

The proposal said The Garden Café will be a full service restaurant that has a bar and lounge for guests. He also intends to have a wedding chapel. The Garden Café will be a 4,000 square foot facility will be a full-service restaurant.

The application said the event center will be approximately 7,500 sq. feet, and will seat approximately 250 guests for a meal. It will seat around 600 in auditorium style seating for lectures and performances. The Event Center will serve many purposes such as weddings, corporate events, horticultural classes and events, industry events, periodic
community praise and worship services, lectures, etc.

According to the application, the outdoor stage/amphitheater will be adjacent to Lake Marian. A small stage will be built with a sound system projecting away from The Garden Café. The audience will sit on the lawn surrounding the lake. This space should hold approximately 200 guests. These events will conclude by 11 PM with an hour for departure and cleanup.

The Gardens will have parking for approximately 150 cars on pervious material. They anticipate the capacity of The Gardens to be 750 guests and it will be years before this number is reached.

According to the application, 2020 has been set aside as the year for planning.

“In 2021, we will begin the process of obtaining architectural plans and permits.. If all goes well, 2022 could be the year that we begin construction. This will most likely get pushed out to 2023. It will take over one year to construct The Gardens. It is our hope that The Gardens will be open in 2024.”