Fuquay Varina planning board recommends approval of LDO text amendment

On July 21, 2025, the Fuquay Varina Planning Board voted to recommend approval of CTA-2025-04 (Amendment 30) to Town Code Part 9, the Land Development Ordinance. The motion was seconded and the chair declared the motion carried.

Planning staff told the board the amendment "improves upon the land development ordinance and is reasonable and in the best interest of for of the public for the reasons identified by staff." Staff said the change is intended to better align permitted uses in the ordinance with the towns land use plan.

Board discussion focused on fine-tuning permitted-use classifications to match the land use plan. One commissioner described the change as a chance to "make the uses maybe line up better with what the intention of the land use plan is," and noted examples such as separating convenience stores and gas stations into different use categories because the latter is typically the more intensive use. Several board members said the board had originally kept some use categories broad during the LDO adoption to avoid excluding prospective uses, and that the current amendments are part of a process of moving uses into "the right" zoning districts.

Commissioners also raised the practical effect of moving a use out of a land-use category, saying it could prevent some property owners from pursuing a use they had expected to be allowed. Planning staff acknowledged that and said the town periodically reviews the land use plan and, when appropriate, will conduct an "across-the-board overview" to align the plan and the permitted-use table.

The board made a formal recommendation to approve CTA-2025-04 (Amendment 30); the motion was moved and seconded and the chair announced the motion carried. The Planning Boards recommendation will be forwarded to the Town Board of Commissioners for their consideration.