Members of the Scotland County planning board unanimously approved a rezoning application and agreed to reconvene to draft changes to the county’s subdivision ordinance to ensure compliance with North Carolina General Statute 160D, board members said.

Board members said the county's current ordinance was adopted to meet 160D deadlines but contains provisions copied from more developed counties that many members found overly complex for Scotland County. "We had to, by a certain date, redo our ordinance to meet minimum standards of 160D," said Speaker 2, a Scotland County planning board member, summarizing why the existing document was adopted.

The board’s immediate, formal action at the meeting was a motion to approve a rezoning application filed in May 2025. Speaker 2 moved to approve the rezoning; Speaker 5 seconded. The board voted aye with no nays and the rezoning was approved.

Discussion then focused on how to simplify the county’s subdivision review process — especially for what members described as minor subdivisions that front on public right of way and create four or fewer lots. Board members repeatedly cited the statute’s threshold that treats divisions creating more than four lots as a "major" subdivision subject to a more complex review. "160D says anything exceeding four lots is a major," said Speaker 2.

Members described several recurring concerns they want the rewrite to address: reducing redundant review steps for minor subdivisions that create lots with no new roads or utilities, clarifying when flag (access) lots are acceptable, setting practical standards for driveways and emergency access, and creating or revising road-maintenance agreements for private roads that serve multiple dwellings. One member recalled past debates over minimum road widths and DOT-style standards, saying communities need to balance access and the cost of required infrastructure.

Board members noted a standing exemption sometimes applied to parcels of five acres or more under current zoning; one member said, "If it's five acres or greater by zoning, it's exempt," but no formal legal citation beyond 160D was provided in the discussion. Members also raised that some provisions in the current ordinance — curb, gutter and sidewalk requirements — were pasted in from ordinances for more urban counties and may not be appropriate in rural Scotland County.

To move forward, the board asked members to develop a short list of specific items to change and to meet as a committee with planning staff. Speaker 1 asked Speaker 3 and Speaker 4 to coordinate dates; members suggested meeting dates in late October and said they would check schedules for Commissioner availability. Speaker 3 said the plan was to produce a draft or list to present to the county commissioners: "So that we can present something to the commissioner. Give them something," Speaker 3 said.

Members also discussed broader land-use issues that should inform the rewrite, including concern about large solar projects on productive farmland. Several members urged that the rewrite consider protection of prime agricultural land and neighborhood impacts when siting utility-scale solar.

No ordinance amendments were adopted at the meeting; the board’s next step is to assemble proposed changes and schedule a committee meeting to draft language for review by the planning board and then the county commissioners.

Votes at a glance: Rezoning application (filed 05/2025) — Motion to approve moved by Speaker 2; seconded by Speaker 5; outcome: approved (unanimous; aye recorded, no nays).