Yet another delay is being sought in the Haw River-Bluegreen Development rezoning case, which is scheduled to go before Guilford County commissioners on Dec. 13.

This time, owners of the disputed 600 -odd acres are seeking the delay:

….the request for delay came from Chuck Winfree, a Greensboro lawyer who represents Greensboro property owner Annie B. Cox. The other property owners involved in the rezoning are Forrest Campbell, former chairman of the county commissioners, and Greensboro resident Thaxton Richardson.

Winfree said he is seeking the delay to allow time for Bluegreen and state officials to finish negotiations over the land.

“Mrs. Cox and the other property owners are concerned that if this matter is heard before (Bluegreen and the state) have fully explored the possibilities of settlement that the value of their property would be unnecessarily impaired,” Winfree said.

In other words, the property owners are worried they’re going get lowballed by the state if the rezoning is denied, which is a legitimate concern. That said, commission chairman Paul Gibson is right not to remove the case from the agenda, which would force commissioners to take some sort of action, even if it’s voting on another delay. Haw River advocate David Craft says “it’s time to decide and move on,” while those of us keeping an eye on the situation can’t stand the drama much longer.

By the same token, what’s the big deal if the case extends into next year if a solution that pleases everyone can be reached? Though Gibson said his sense was that Bluegreen’s plan would not be looked upon favorably by the board, pushing the issue before landowners’ concerns are addressed might be the one thing that would sway commissioners toward Bluegreen’s side. Besides, the extra time would only allow opponents to further state their case.