PROJECT BLUEPRINT REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY | UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Overview
• Analyze current regulations
• Identify changes necessary to update regulations and implement County plans
• Annotated outline of proposed revisions
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PlanNHC Overview
PlanNHC Goals• Promote environmentally responsible growth
• Promote fiscally responsible growth
• Increase recycling and reduction of solid waste
• Increase public safety by reducing crime through the built environment
• Conserve open space for long term agricultural and rural uses
• Conserve environmentally critical areas
• Integrate multi-modal transportation into mixed land uses that encourage safe, walkable communities
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PlanNHC Overview
PlanNHC Goals (con’t)• Promote place-based economic development in
the region that is tied to natural resources
• Actively promote high quality educational and diverse cultural opportunities for residents and visitors
• Preserve and protect water quality and supply
• Increase physical activity and promote healthy, active lifestyles
• Ensure NHC remains in attainment for air quality, in support of clean air and improved public health outcomes to support continued growth
• Increase access to affordable and convenient healthy foods
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PlanNHC Overview
PlanNHC Goals (con’t)• Provide for a range of housing types, opportunities and choices
• Revitalize commercial corridors and blighted areas through infill and redevelopment
• Link major natural habitats
• Conserve and enhance unique sense of place to attract individuals, companies, and organizations
• Use public infrastructure improvements to leverage private investments
• Support business success
• Support health promotion and disease prevention while minimizing debilitating effects of mental and physical disabilities
• Support workforce development and economic prosperity for all
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Plans & Policies Link
Link Regulatory Process to existing NHC Plans and Policies
Wilmington-New Hanover County Comprehensive Greenways Master Plan
Establish vision and strategy for creating a regional network of active transportation corridors throughout City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, and the local beach communities.
Pathways to Prosperity – The Garner Study
Road map for NHC to see realistic economic vision to strengthen area’s business climate, increase economic competitiveness, strengthen existing industries, and identify emerging industries to increase private investment, job creation and retention.
Cape Fear Transportation Plan 2040Metropolitan transportation plan (MTP) to guide regional transportation priorities and actions. Evaluates projects and strategies to promote mobility and access for people and goods within the plan boundaries.
Parks and Gardens Master PlanRecently updated plan to address parks and recreation facilities future growth and provision of services.
Hazard Mitigation PlanGuide to hazard mitigation activities. Protect life and property from future damages and economic losses that result from natural hazards.
Small Area Plans Identify near-term strategies to address safety, mobility, and access.
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Zoning Code Audit
1. Code is not well-linked to County plans and policies and may inadvertently prohibit good development
2. Code can be very challenging to navigate for regular citizens
3. Many specific standards are nested deeply within zone district regulations
4. Code includes subjective standards and ambiguous submission requirements
5. Negotiated review and approval process hinders predictable outcomes
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Zoning Code Audit
1. Update definitions to remove regulations
2. Update non-conforming lot and use regulations (expansion, discontinuation, etc.)
3. Eliminate conditional use districts
4. Update table of permitted uses
5. Address performance residential standards
6. Update and create appropriate dimensional requirements (e.g. lot size, setbacks, height, FAR, etc.)
7. Update and clarify district regulations
8. Re-examine overlay districts functionality, uses, and standards
9. Clarify development plan process and submittal requirements
10. Update landscaping standards to modernize tree standards, buffering, fencing and screening, as well as applicability
11. Update parking lot landscaping
12. Clarify street yard landscaping and foundation plantings
13. Clarify temporary use standards
14. Update accessory/building use standards
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Zoning Code Audit
15. Update and add to existing permitted use standards
16. Address waste facilities and demolition landscape landfills use standards
17. Update utilities and wireless communication facilities use standards
18. Update special use standards as well as provisions and review procedures
19. Update off-street parking and loading requirements
20. Create/update design standards for architecture and lighting
21. Update design standards for signage (permanent and temporary)
22. Update procedures for building and zoning permit review
23. Clarify zoning administrator, board of adjustments, courts, and county commissioners duties regarding zoning appeals
24. Amend application submittal procedures
25. Update vesting rights and development agreements
26. Update procedures for ordinance and text amendments
27. Update appeal procedures
28. Clarify legal provisions includes enforcement of ordinance/regulations
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Subdivision Ord. Audit
1. Combine into single UDO article
2. Update definitions
3. Create update administrative procedures/consolidate sections
4. Clarify Sketch Plan process
5. Update Preliminary Plan procedures
6. Update Final Plat procedures
7. Create flexible general provisions
8. Address landscape preservation and provisions for open area/open space, parks and recreation.
9. Address blocks and alleys and conditions when they are warranted
10. Identify/clarify easement requirements
11. Analyze and update lot standards
12. Reference Master Street Plan
13. Implement traffic calming
14. Correlate street tree requirement with zoning landscaping requirements
15. Update provisions for sidewalks, trails, and bikeways
16. Combine enforcement of ordinance into UDO, include with zoning.
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Stormwater + Erosion Audit
Stormwater
1. Reformat section and consider how it relates to other sections of code
2. Update definitions
3. Update purpose of regulations and County’s role
4. Update regulations for new development and redevelopment
Erosion
Review for conformance with NC state requirements
EXAMPLE PLACE TYPE
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Focus on creating appropriate place types across the County
• Reinforce a sense of place in the county and help focus on multimodal development and walkability
• Overhaul mixed-use zoning
• Switch from emphasis on use to emphasis on structure
• Address design transitions between place types through development standards
EXAMPLE CODE PAGE WITH GRAPHICS
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Create a unified development ordinance and improve the document formatting, graphics, and illustrations• Group like-with-like for uses, development
standards, dimensions
• Use matrices and tables to make information easier to find
• Balance cross-referencing and useful redundancy
• Move some administrative material to administrative manual
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Modernize the zone district line-up and use allocations
District % Acres District % Acres
Airport Industrial (AI) 2.50 Planned Development (PD) 2.00
Airport Residential (AR) 1.18 Residential (R-7) 0.0
Business (B-1) .36 Residential (R-10) 3.69
Highway Business (B-2) 1.89 Residential (R-15) 37.43
Conditional Zoning District (CZD) .01 Residential (R-20) 13.75
Exceptional Design Zoning Dist. (EDZD) .01 Residential (R-20S) 4.45
Light Industry (I-1) 1.27 Residential Agriculture (RA) 8.52
Heavy Industry (I-2) 22.49 Riverfront Mixed Use (RFMU) .03
Office and Institutional (O&I) .41 Shopping Center (SC) .01
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Modernize the zone district line-up and use allocations• Review all current districts for County plan
implementation, ease of use, long-term applicability; establish new line-up
• Establish County-appropriate approach for regulating structures
• Collect uses, analyze, and update• Allocation across districts
• Level of review and discretionary approval
• Use-specific regulations/NC law
• Special, temporary, and accessory uses
• Coordinate as possible with Wilmington
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Create a standards-based regulatory process
• Include regulations that balance predictability and flexibility
• Articulate clear review and approval criteria
• Avoid “customized” code amendments for individual projects
• Unintended consequences
• Clarity/confusion
• Consistent treatment of all code users
EXAMPLE GRAPHIC SHOWING SITE DESIGN
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Raise the bar for basic site design
• Establish or update requirements for:
• Landscaping, buffering, and screening
• Parking
• Site layout
• Natural resources and environmentally sensitive areas
• Stormwater
• Mobility/connectivity
• Incorporate basic illustrations and graphics
ALLEY-LOADED GARAGES
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Clarify subdivision standards and infrastructure criteria
• Update the subdivision approval process
• Incorporate all applicable design standards
• Fill-in gaps for any missing standards, update any outdated standards
NEW HANOVER COUNTY/ WILMINGTON ZONING
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Major Themes
• Coordinate with Wilmington’s processes and standards (as possible)• Transitional zone districts at
interface
• Matching/compatible• Development standards
• Use standards
• Regulatory terminology
• Some similar review criteria
Keys to a Successful UDO
• Predictability
• Flexibility
• Community expectations
• Consistent and fair treatment
• Decision standards and criteria
• Clear, concise language
• Timely decisions
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Proposed Organization
• Consolidation of content
• Simplification of style
• Consistent organization
BLUEPRINT REPORT | General Provisions
Section 14 Relationship to County Plans
Include provisions connecting the land use regulations to the goals and policies of relevant County and regional planning documents
Section 16 Relationship to Other Regulations
State that land development regulations are intended to compliment other regulations (including state and federal law); more restrictive shall apply
Section 18 Transitional Regulations
Establish the method to resolve the status of properties with pending applications, recent approvals, and properties with outstanding violations at the time the UDO is adopted; also, note that violations prior to UDO adoption will remain violations
BLUEPRINT REPORT | General Provisions
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Zone Districts
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Proposed Revisions
Revise Zone District Line-Up
Identify districts and standards necessary to encourage preferred growth patterns
Purpose Statements
Include in each zone district to provide policy instructions about the use and interpretation of each zone district
Purpose statements provide a window for incorporating planning policy and description and provide guidance to staff and the code user to reasonably predict interpretation
Section 22 Dimensions
Consolidate dimensional standards (height, setback, etc.) for the various zone districts and supplemental regulations in one or more tables that are more compact and user-friendly
Table 94-30.1 NC Dimensional Standards
Building Types
Lot Setbacks (ft.) [1]
Development
Coverage
(max.)
Hei
ght
(fee
t, m
ax.)
Lot
Are
a
(min
, ft.
)
Max
Lo
t
Co
vera
ge
(%)
Front
(max)
Side (min)
Rear
(min)
Den
sity
(min
/max
)
FAR
Inte
rio
r
Ab
utt
in
g St
reet
Attached House 2,200 70 15 0 15 10 8/20 -- 38
Multi-Unit
Dwelling4,000 70 15 0 15 10 8/20 -- 40
Live-Work [2] 5,000 70 15 0 15 10 -- 1.0 40
Commercial (up
to 7,000 sq. ft.
total)
[3] 70 0 0 15 10 -- 1.0 35
Mixed-Use [3] 70 0 0 15 10 -- 1.0 35
Office [3] 70 0 0 15 10 -- 1.0 35
Civic [3] 70 0 0 15 10 -- 1.0 35
Notes:
[1] NC abutting residential shall match the side yard setbacks of the
residential district and provide a 20-foot rear yard setback.
[2] Standards for new construction, the city may permit conversion of
existing structures that do not meet these dimensional standards.
[3] Must meet structure size and setbacks.
BLUEPRINT REPORT |Use + Structure
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Proposed Revisions
Section 30 Permitted Use Table
Include an updated use table – organized from broad categories to narrow uses – to make information easy to find
Use organization includes:
1. Overall categories of use
2. General use types
3. Specific use types (singled out for additional regulation)
EXAMPLE
BLUEPRINT REPORT |Use + Structure
Section 31 Structures
Identify and define types of structures permitted in districts to influence long-term placemaking, such as areas where the County wants to encourage compact, walkable, mixed-use development
Section 33 Special Uses
Analyze and comment on SUP process; incorporate into UDO
Section 35 Temporary Use Standards
Update to collect all current temporary use regulations – such as temporary farmer’s market –and add a more robust list of temporary uses
Comply with Reed v. Town of Gilbert
BLUEPRINT REPORT |Development Standards
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PROPOSED REVISIONS
Section 42 Connectivity and Mobility
Address connectivity and access management between lots and streets, streets and streets, and overall neighborhood development
Section 44 Landscaping, Screening, and Buffering
Update and expand options in all three categories to address the different types of landscaping, screening, and buffering required by different development types
Section 45 Building and Streetscapes
Include standards addressing building and site design related to form, massing, and site placement – not architectural design
Section 48 Signs
Update as necessary to conform to the requirements of Reed v. Town of Gilbert
BLUEPRINT REPORT |Design and Improvement
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PROPOSED REVISIONS
Section 53 Stormwater
Clarify, modernize, and built requirements to ensure regulations are capable of addressing continued growth and future weather and storm events in the region
Section 58 Construction and Acceptance of Improvements
Section 59 Improvement Guarantees
Ensure current subdivision design and improvement standards are applicable and up-to-date for both sections
Clarify the “paperwork” aspects of the subdivision process to ensure applicants and County staff are clear about requirements in both sections
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Procedures
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PROPOSED REVISIONS
Section 61 Common Procedures
Build on the information provided in Article 9 to create complete and consistent descriptions of the many processes applicable across multiple application types
E.g., pre-application meetings, submittal requirements, fees, staff review, public notices, lapsing and extension of approvals, appeals, etc.
Section 62 Specific Procedures
Provide a detailed list of steps required for each type of application or permit request along with a process flow chart to help applicants understand process and decisions
E.g., rezoning, amendments, planned development, subdivision applications, special use permits, floodplain development application, sign permit, tree removal permit, and others.
• Recommending and Decision-making Bodies Consolidate and clarify roles of the review and decision-making bodies in
review and approval procedures; establish clear lines of authority
• Violations and Enforcement Combine enforcement and penalty provisions from both zoning and
subdivision ordinances and update as necessary
• Measurements and Definitions Clear definitions of important words, phrases, and uses for easier
interpretation and administration of regulations
• Appendices Include information that is not necessary in the main body of the document
BLUEPRINT REPORT | PROPOSED REVISIONS
BLUEPRINT REPORT | Next Steps
• Start drafting updated zone districts, use standards, and definitions
• Coordinating meeting with City of Wilmington
• County/public review draft of zone districts, use standards, and definitions