County staff previews Unified Development Ordinance progress; Kimley‑Horn to present early August

Johnston County planning staff on July 21 said drafting of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is advancing and that consultant Kimley‑Horn will return to the board in early August to present detailed sections. Staff said several chapters are in second or third review and that the team expects to post draft material for public review in the coming weeks.

Mr. Newton, a county planning staff member, told commissioners the consultant and staff meet biweekly and that public outreach in June included seven meetings, one in each commission district. “We feel good about the product we’ve received and about the content,” Newton said. He said staff expects a full draft of sections to be available to the board and the public over the next month and that final presentations to the board would follow the internal review cycle.

Newton also explained a procedural step tied to recent state law: because legislation now limits local government‑initiated down‑zonings, staff is preparing what they called “paper districts” — zoning designations that would be in the ordinance but not applied to parcels until state provisions allow government‑initiated map changes or owners request rezoning. Newton said the paper districts are intended to preserve the county’s ability to implement the adopted land‑use plan if legislative restrictions are later removed.

Staff said Kimley‑Horn will bring compiled draft chapters to a board meeting in early August (staff and the consultant referenced Aug. 4 as a likely date for a presentation), with more detailed ordinance sections and public review expected in September. Planning staff asked the board and the public to review materials once posted and to continue providing feedback through the adoption process.

No formal action on the UDO was taken at the July 21 meeting; staff described the update as procedural and sought direction only if the board wished to alter timing or outreach plans.

Because the UDO will implement zoning and development standards, staff said they are conducting statutory reviews to ensure alignment with North Carolina general statutes and will continue cross‑checks during subsequent drafts.