Title
Overview of 2025 Draft Legislation Impacting Local Land Use Planning
PURPOSE: To provide the Town Council with an overview of planning-related draft legislation from the 2025 legislative session for North Carolina.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning, Town Attorney
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity __X__ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan __X__Other
Council Direction Statement
Other marked for Land Use Ordinance; climate action as related to potential limitations on environmental protections is also applicable.
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Information
INFORMATION:
The draft legislation under consideration for the 2025 legislative session includes several bills with significant implications for land use planning and regulation in North Carolina. If enacted, these proposals could substantially affect how local governments plan, regulate, and manage development within their jurisdictions.
The purpose of this agenda item is to provide Town Council with a high-level overview of the most impactful draft legislation currently under review, with particular emphasis on House Bill 765 - Local Government Development Regulations Omnibus, and Senate Bill 688 - Local Government Land Use Reform.
CodeWright, the consultant firm assisting the Town with the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) rewrite, along with the Town Attorney, will be present to address questions and provide clarification as needed.
Attachments:
• 2025 Planning-Related Legislation - A summary of current draft legislation relevant to local planning, prepared by CodeWright for its clients, including links to the full text of each bill.
• HB 765 - Full text of the Local Government Development Regulations Omnibus bill.
• SB 688 - Full text of the Local Government Land Use Reform bill.
• SB 713 - Full text of the Limit Local Government Environmental Requirements.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact related to the discussion of this item.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: No formal action is requested. Staff recommends that the Council receive the information provided.
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