Home > Commissioners discuss UDO, mass gatherings

Commissioners discuss UDO, mass gatherings

Johnston County’s next Unified Development Ordinance is closer to a final draft. County Commissioners on Monday settled what had been sticking points in the proposed UDO. Specifically, Commissioners:

  • Settled on 35 feet as the minimum buffer developers must create between their developments and neighboring farms. Still, Commissioners suggested some flexibility in and further discussion of the buffer rules — for example, whether the buffer could be less if the neighboring farm said that was OK. Also, Commissioners said they wanted to provide options to create deeper buffers, perhaps in exchange for less stringent landscaping rules in the buffer.

  • Favored giving Planning Department staff the ability to approve subdivisions of 19 or fewer lots. The Planning Board would approve or deny subdivisions of 20-49 lots, while Commissioners would OK or reject subdivisions of 50 or more lots. The Planning Board would still review those subdivisions but make a recommendation to Commissioners. Currently, the Planning Board approves or denies most subdivision requests in Johnston. Commissioners weigh in only when the request includes a zoning change or, in very limited circumstances, when the developer is seeking to tap onto County sewer.

  • Favored gross density over net density when calculating the maximum number of lots in a residential subdivision. They did so partly because moving to net density might run afoul of state law. Johnston currently uses gross density, and state law largely bars making existing land-use rules more strict. Also, in rural Johnston, subdivision lots must be at least 30,000 square feet no matter how the County calculates density.

  • Confirmed they would make no rules governing agriculture operations in subdivisions. That means no limits on poultry and livestock and no curbs on retail sales of produce. It also includes no rules on electric or barbed-wire fencing.

  • Chose not to reduce the minimum residential lot size in environmentally sensitive areas and watersheds. It will remain 40,000 square feet.

At their evening meeting on Monday, Commissioners:

  • Made no changes to the existing Johnston County ordinance that governs mass gatherings. Under a staff recommendation, gatherings of 2,500 or more people would have required a permit and detailed event planning. The current threshold is 4,000 or more people. Staff had said the aim was to ensure the public’s safety at large events. But Commissioners decided to take the proposed changes under advisement. A public hearing on the matter had drawn only opponents of the proposed changes.

  • Called for a public hearing on the proposed dissolution of the Whitley Heights Sanitary District. Created in 1988, the sanitary district has paid off the last of its loans for water and sewer infrastructure and turned the operation of its utilities over to Johnston County Public Utilities. This hearing will help determine if there is a need for an elected board to govern the district or for the district to collect a separate tax to retire its debt. The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, in the Commissioners’ Boardroom at the courthouse in Smithfield.

  • Agreed to participate in North Carolina’s Capital Property Assessed Commercial Expenditure Program, or C-PACE for short. The program allows commercial properties to obtain long-term private financing for energy-efficient HVAC systems, solar panels and other renewable energy systems, water-conservation measures, and similar projects. The County’s decision to participate followed a public hearing that drew no comment.

  • Said yes to request from First Baptist Church in Smithfield to share in the cost of resurfacing a parking lot the church makes available to the public. County employees sometimes use the South Third Street lot, as do people doing business at the Courthouse. Commissioners agreed to contribute $3,815.62, or half the resurfacing cost.

  • Endorsed an N.C. Department of Transportation proposal to add the following streets to the roster of state-maintained roads: Walnut Hall Court, Batten Hill Lane, Turkey Creek Cove, Battery Circle and Winky Way in Walnut Hill subdivision, Wilders Township.

  • Proclaimed September as Smart Start Month in Johnston County. The proclamation asks Johnston residents to recognize Smart Start’s role in early childhood development. The 30-year-old program supports early child care and education, health services, and family support.

  • OK’d budget revisions for the Health Department, a $447,541 carryover from the prior fiscal year; the Sheriff’s Office, $1,698.45 in miscellaneous revenue and federal equitable sharing; and the Health Department again, $1,200 in revenue from South College of Tennessee for employee training.

  • Took no action after a closed session on personnel and economic development matters.

 




Page last updated on:  August 20, 2026