ZEBULON - Mayor Bob Matheny found it difficult to answer many of the questions fired his way last Thursday night during a public meeting to take comments on the town's plans for expanding its land-use jurisdiction.

But it wasn't for lack of trying.

Matheny was regularly shouted down by some members of the audience who were opposed to the town's request that Wake County allow the town to expand its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The town's request, if approved, would extend the town's planning jurisdiction by 1,436 acres. Most of that land is west of North Arendell Avenue and north of U.S. 64 Bypass.

There are 174 pieces of property owned by 134 different owners.

Dave Condon, who lives on Village of Wakefield Drive, asked Matheny why the town wanted to extend its planning area.

"We don't want this. You have a fight on your hands. You will have a fight on your hands," Condon said.

Matheny said the city of Raleigh has plans to extend a sewer line through the area, which will open the region up to continued development. The town, Matheny said, wants to be able to control the quality of development in the area that will be served by the line.

Sarah Tant argued that the city shouldn't even extend those services into the area because of rock formations that will make it expensive to install the lines.

She accused the town of failing to monitor previous efforts to extend water and service into parts of the area. The blasting by work crews caused damage to the foundation of her home on Pearces Road.

"Why do you want it? Money? That's the only reason you're doing this," Tant said.

Ray Robbins of Wakefield Oak Groves Drive, agreed.

"This doesn't come free to Zebulon. You're not doing this for nothing. We are going to be taxed somewhere down the road," Robbins said.

Matheny said it was likely that the area in the new ETJ would be annexed into the town limits one day, but he said the town has no immediate plans to annex the region.

"We couldn't do it right now if we wanted to," Matheny said.

The town's request is far from a done deal.

Although all the land included in the request is in an area designated by the county as part of Zebulon's future growth area, the county's planning board and county commissioners must first sign off on the request.