Johnston County Releases Third Draft of Proposed UDO

 

 

The third and latest draft of Johnston County’s proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is now available to view online.  The latest draft was completed following direction from the Johnston County Board of Commissioners on several key issues, including minimum buffer requirements, subdivision approval authority, subdivision density calculations, and the definition of a rural crossroads.

A UDO supports efficient and environmentally responsible growth and helps determine how development occurs and in what form. Since the first draft was published late last year, County residents have engaged in important conversations and provided necessary and valuable input to continue moving the process forward.

Commissioners have made some notable changes since that point in mid-December. Most notably, they have removed limits on farm animals in subdivisions. Also, Commissioners have said developers must create a minimum 35-foot landscaped buffer between their subdivisions and neighboring farms, and they have rejected a provision that would have given staff the authority to approve many subdivisions in rural Johnston.

There are still several ways residents can voice their thoughts and concerns on the UDO, with the next opportunity taking place on Wednesday, September 9, at the Johnston County Agricultural Center. The County’s Planning and Zoning staff will be on hand to answer questions and obtain feedback on the updated draft. Stations set up around the Ag Center auditorium will highlight key aspects of the proposed UDO, including subdivision standards and required buffers between new development and its farm neighbors. Johnston County residents can drop in any time between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. A second drop-in session will be held Wednesday, September 23, in the lobby of the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium at Johnston Community College. 

For more information about the UDO and future public events, visit JohnstonNC.gov/planning/.