INC NEWS - Update on Unified Development Ordinance

[pat carstensen]

For the last couple years, Durham has been in the process of updating its 
development and subdivision ordinances, the rules about how new buildings 
happen.  In general, we are going from world-class 1970's ordinances to 
rules that give us more choices and smarter options for handling projected 
growth in Durham County.

City Council and the Board of County Commissioners will be voting on the 
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) probably some time this fall.  By 
mid-July, the final draft version will be available from the Planning 
Department website

http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/planning/udo/

In mid-August, the Planning Department will have a series of open houses, 
where citizens can learn more about the UDO.  Durham City Council and the 
Board of County Commissioners will have a joint hearing on August 29.

A group representing urban neighborhoods has been meeting on Sunday nights 
to analyze the current draft.  While there is much to applaud in the current 
draft of the UDO, we have identified some concerns.  For example, the draft 
proposes to shrink the number of days between notification of neighbors and 
re-zoning hearings from 14 to 10 days.  Issues of notice and timing of 
public hearings in the re-zoning process were among the very first matters 
taken up by the newly formed InterNeighborhood Council back in the late 
1980s.  The notice and timing standards we employ today are still 
essentially those agreed to by the stakeholders then.  If the interval is 
open to change, we would rather have MORE time to prepare for hearings.

Regards, pat