Council authorizes UDO stormwater text change to align with state statute; staff to send to Planning Commission

City staff presented a text‑change authorization request to align Raleigh’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) stormwater provisions with recent state statute changes. Council authorized staff to send the proposed changes to the Planning Commission for public hearing and recommendation.

What staff proposed City planning staff said the first change addresses how 1‑ and 2‑unit dwellings on parcels larger than 1 acre are treated for stormwater requirements. Since May 1, 2023, state code treats land‑disturbance thresholds differently than the city’s parcel‑size exemptions. Staff told council that roughly 1,000 Raleigh parcels are affected by the mismatch and that the proposed text change would tie the local threshold to limits of disturbance so larger parcel single‑family development would not be subject to unexpectedly strict impervious‑area limits.

The second change would modify the built‑upon area definition to follow a state statutory update (last fall) that treats certain decks, artificial turf and gravel as more pervious than impervious, subject to performance conditions. Staff said those changes align local practice with state statute and will ease permitting for homeowners expanding decks or installing artificial turf where the underlying installation meets state criteria.

Council discussion and vote Councilors asked about staff workload and how the changes would affect homeowners. Planning staff said the state considers these changes housekeeping and that recordkeeping impacts are minimal; the city previously treated similar lots that way before the 2023 change. One councilor observed homeowners who wanted artificial turf would welcome the change because it can provide drainage while previously counting toward impervious limits.

Council authorized the text change and voted to send it to the Planning Commission for the standard public hearing process.