By Elena Marsh
Staff Writer
Over the next few weeks, the Moore County Board of Commissioners is set to dig further into its development ordinances to discuss potential amendments to key sections, including subdivisions, developments along the highway and new planning models.
Beginning Tuesday morning, county commissioners started their development conversations with the details of subdivisions. The county’s planning department has seen a steady interest in subdivision development in the unincorporated areas as the population grows and higher density becomes more favored closer to towns.
The county works independently of the towns and villages, some of which have their own planning departments and review processes.
For a subdivision to be heard, it must first satisfy the requirements of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which acts as the legal framework for how development can and should take place in the county. It is a detailed set of rules and regulations that govern the process of development in unincorporated Moore County. The ordinance details everything from the timing of how plans get submitted to various permits and permissions required.
Chapter 19 of the UDO details in 35 pages the definitions, criteria and document requirements for a subdivision.
There are two main kinds of subdivisions that often come before the county commissioners: major and minor.
A major subdivision is broadly defined in the county’s unified development ordinance as “a division of land into five or more lots … or a subdivision of two or more lots involving the creation, change or expansion of a new or existing private or public streets.”
Minor subdivisions are defined as creating a maximum of four lots that do not require any new public or private street right of way to be constructed, expanded or dedicated to the area. Minor subdivisions are also approved at the staff level and, as long as they conform to all requirements, do not have to come before any county board for approval.
Under the UDO, all subdivisions are considered major subdivisions except those meeting the requirements for another kind of subdivision, including minor subdivisions.
Within the past year the county has approved one subdivision in West End and denied another in the Seven Lakes community.
A new subdivision on Holly Grove School Road in West End was approved in February after going through some modifications outside of the public process. The original plan for the subdivision consisted of 68 lots on 111 acres, but saw a significant drop, to 25 lots on about 50 acres, after discussions between adjacent land owners and the developer.
The property is located west of the Seven Lakes North subdivision, east of the McLendon Hills subdivision and north of N.C. 211. The back half of the property farthest from Holly Grove School Road was originally designed to have homes built on it. It instead is being sold by the developer.
A few months earlier, the Moore County Board of Commissioners decided unanimously to reject an amendment that would allow the development of major subdivisions within the Seven Lakes and Woodlake gated communities.
While both of the gated communities were included in the proposed development ordinance update, it was the residents of Seven Lakes who felt the change in the ordinance would affect them the most.
There are parcels in Seven Lakes that could have been eligible for subdivision. A local builder and resident of Seven Lakes made the request to the county to update the ordinance, with the goal of developing some parcels to fit with the character of the area. No actual subdivision was created, nor was there an application made for the county.
Ultimately, commissioners decided that updating the ordinance as proposed was counterintuitive to the communities as they exist today.
However, comments of note point to the commissioners realizing the benefits of keeping development confined and not branching out into the rural lands around the county.
Moore County’s Land Use Plan, completed at the end of last year, outlines goal statements directed at protecting the rural countryside, preserving natural resources and planning around existing infrastructure. Just shy of 200 pages, the plan is designed to serve as a blueprint for future growth, and usher the county through the next decade of planning and development.
Chapters seven and eight contain the planning goals, recommendations and actions for growth and development along with key recommendations with implementation actions.
While some of the wording is nearly identical to the 2013 plan, some actions mark a decidedly toothier statement of preservation than previous iterations.
In addition, another recommendation calls to “emulate and support the Small-Town Development Model,” providing a clear and concise way that commissioners can develop around existing infrastructure, a longstanding goal that has been challenging to maintain in reality.
But a Small-Town Development Model is voluntary and would entail the request of a property owner or property owners. The option is to be included in the county’s Unified Development Ordinance and would encourage future growth patterns that reflect the traditional characteristics of small towns — density chiefly among them.
Last year’s housing study identified a median home value in Moore County of $345,609. That’s 31 percent higher than the state’s. The county’s median gross rent, including tenant-paid rent and utilities, is $1,084 per month.
Based on a median household income of $71,125, approximately 37 percent of renters and 20 percent of owners are considered “housing cost burdened,” which means that more than 30 percent of income goes toward housing costs.
According to builders, density is one of the only ways to get the housing costs down. Commissioners are set to discuss how the small-town model can be applied to the UDO in early May.
Contact Elena Marsh at (910) 693-2484 or elena@thepilot.com.
