Title
New Carrboro Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Project Update Work Session
PURPOSE: This agenda item is designed to provide an opportunity for the Town Council to receive an update on the status of the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) with CodeWright, the project consultant. Information will focus on key findings from the completion of the code diagnosis and recent legislative decisions at the state level that affect land use planning.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate _X___ Comprehensive Plan __X__Other
Council Direction Statement
The preparation of a new development code is an important step toward the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, Carrboro Connects and associated small area plans. Strategy 4.1 of the Implementation section of the Land Use Chapter speaks to the need to update the Land Use Ordinance to be consistent with the goals of the comprehensive plan. Pocket questions have also been completed by staff (Attachments D & E).
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Information
INFORMATION: One of a series of regular updates to the Town Council on the preparation of the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), this item is intended to provide the opportunity to review the findings from the code diagnosis with the consultant team in a more informal setting. The diagnosis table will inform the development of the new code, which is anticipated to follow a standard outline that CodeWright has found to be successful in other North Carolina jurisdictions (Attachment B). A sample table of contents from the Town of Clayton is provided for information (Attachment C). Recommendations from the diagnosis have been loosely categorized under seven or eight topics: simplifying format/language, safeguarding equity, addressing climate change, addressing housing choice, integrating policy guidance (Carrboro Connects), increasing predictability, ensuring legal sufficiency, and incorporating incentives (Attachment A).
Information will also include recent changes to state legislation that may affect local regulations including Session Law 204-57 which includes SB 382 relating to downzoning and the Regulatory Act of 2025, HB 926 and will be addressed as part of the legal sufficiency discussion.
Work to date can be reviewed at www.engage.carrboronc.gov/udo. Specific links to summaries by CodeWright and McAdams are provided below. The summary diagnostic table has been attached to this agenda item as well (Attachment A).
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: There are no fiscal impacts associated with the discussion of the UDO project.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Town Council receive the update, ask questions and provide input as desired.
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