Alexander County approves county-initiated rezoning package after public hearing

The Alexander County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a county-initiated zoning map amendment, case CIRZ-25-01, after a public hearing and a presentation by senior planner Patrick Creech.

Creech told the board the planning department collected just over the 50 parcel requests required to trigger a large-scale rezoning review after a countywide land development code passed last year. He said most requests involved easing restrictions on manufactured homes or aligning parcels to existing commercial uses. “In December of 2024, a new law went into effect requiring owner signatures to approve or enforce any downzoning on an individual's property without their written consent,” Creech said, explaining why the county pursued a single, county‑initiated map amendment rather than many individual rezoning cases.

The package grouped requests into categories. Category A sought to allow single‑wide manufactured homes by rezoning parcels from R‑2 to R‑2R where single wides were currently not permitted; many of those parcels already contained single‑wide units that had existed as nonconforming uses. Category B moved parcels from R‑1 to R‑2 to permit manufactured homes where owners sought that option. Other categories converted parcels for mixed‑use, regional commercial, industrial or institutional uses where existing activity suggested the change would make zoning consistent with current use.

Creech described one cluster — labeled Category H — as inconsistent with the county’s comprehensive plan. That cluster includes six owners and seven parcels in the Bethlehem area that would move toward R‑2 or R‑2R to allow manufactured homes. “Urban services is trying to create more density in order to provide services; those were not allowed,” Creech said, but he noted the planning board recommended rezoning those parcels anyway, citing neighborhood character and affordable‑housing goals.

Commissioners asked whether the number of requests was typical; Creech said the countywide rezoning produced “a little bit more than 50” requests over roughly a year. After closing the public hearing, a commissioner moved to approve CIRZ‑25‑01 “as presented this evening.” The motion carried unanimously.

The board did not adopt text amendments tied to the rezonings during the meeting. Planning staff indicated the approved map amendment will be recorded and property owners will receive notices consistent with county procedure; no implementation timeline was specified during the hearing.

For residents wanting to follow up, Creech and planning staff indicated individual parcels and their requested new zones are listed in the staff packet and that staff will continue to accept inquiries if additional owners wish to seek rezoning.