Public Information Meeting on NC Legislative Changes to Development Rules set for Jan. 14

Residents, home builders, architects, and others who are interested to know more about how state regulatory changes impact the Town’s development rules are invited to attend a public information meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, in the Council Chamber of Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The NC General Assembly has passed legislation in the 2015 session that affects the Town’s rules and policies. A subset of this legislation has invalidated sections of the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) that conflict with the legislation. Changes are proposed to LUMO to remove unenforceable rules in order to provide clarity for residents, applicants, and staff.

The Town’s Office of Planning and Sustainability has organized the Jan. 14 meeting to help everyone understand the  changes to LUMO that are necessary now as a result of NC legislative changes which include the following:

• Prohibition of design and aesthetic controls for single and two family development. Session Law (SL) 2015-86 (S25)
• Neighborhood Conservation District impacts - This was discussed in detail on Aug. 26, 2015 Come learn with us, but will be briefly covered again.
• Various procedural changes in LUMO regarding design regulation of single and two family development
• Changes to duplex regulations, including CDC review of duplexes
• Elimination of protest petitions. SL 2015-160 (H201),
• Modification to definitions of dwelling, dwelling unit, sleeping unit.  SL 2015-246 (H44) section 18.b
• Allowance of signage on construction fencing. SL 2015-246 (H44) section 4.b

Public Input Opportunities coming up include:

The LUMO changes will also be considered by the Town of Chapel Hill Planning Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and the Town Council as a public hearing item on Feb. 15.

For more information:

For more information, contact Town Planner Jay Heikes at 919-969-5082 or jheikes@townofchapelhill.org

 This meeting will be recorded and will be available to view after the meeting. Presentation materials will also be posted here after the meeting.