Planning board approves housekeeping and policy edits to 2040 land-use plan, including open-space mapping changes

The Fuquay-Varina Planning Board on May 20 recommended approval of CTA-2025-02, an amendment to the town’s 2040 Community Vision Land Use Plan that makes mapping clarifications, updates open-space designations, and adds language encouraging prioritization of commercial uses in new mixed-use centers.

Planning staff summarized proposed changes: adding a policy statement that when implementing new Neighborhood Activity Centers, Community Activity Centers or Regional Employment Centers, “development of the commercial uses should be prioritized and phased so that they are developed in advance or simultaneously with the residential portions,” updating map visual indicators for open-space areas, aligning the LUP maps with the 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and adding language to allow staff to automatically amend the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) to reflect recorded subdivision open-space dedications. Staff also identified about a dozen lots whose LUP designation was incongruent with current use and proposed cleanups.

A planning board discussion touched on small parcels labeled as activity centers; one board member noted that activity-center designations on very small or fragmented parcels may not be practical because mixed-use centers generally require larger assemblages. Staff said those parcels are often already zoned commercial and that the LUP designation can reflect a highest-and-best-use aspiration while not preventing current commercial development.

Staff recommended the amendment as reasonable and in the public interest because the updates improve internal and external consistency between the LUP’s text and GIS maps and align the town’s maps with neighboring jurisdictions. After discussion, a planning-board motion recommending approval carried and the amendment will be forwarded to the Town Board.