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Town council approves UDO changes tightening buffers and outdoor lighting near homes
Summary
The council unanimously approved text amendments to sections of the Unified Development Ordinance to correct buffer dimensions, allow required lighting fixture styles, and add a two-foot maximum foot-candle limit at residential property lines.
Shelly DeHart, presenting on behalf of planning staff, asked the council to approve text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that correct formatting and content problems and add standards for outdoor lighting and buffers.
The amendments address two primary areas: chapter 141.04 (tree protection, landscaping and buffers) and chapter 141.06 (outdoor lighting). Shelly DeHart said the changes correct a mismatch in the ordinance table and detail for one buffer — the table required a 12-foot buffer while the drawing showed 8 feet — and add clarifying language to align the standards.
On outdoor lighting, staff proposed the ability to require certain fixture styles when developments are adjacent to areas with an established lighting character and to add a 2-foot maximum foot-candle limit at the edge of a site adjacent to residential uses. "A foot candle is a measurement of light intensity," DeHart said, and the proposed 2-foot requirement is intended to prevent high-intensity fixtures from shining directly across a shared property line.
The Planning and Zoning Board reviewed the amendments in December and unanimously recommended council approval, finding the changes consistent with the Harrisburg Area Land Use Plan. During the meeting, no members of the public signed up to speak on the item. A council member moved to approve the amendments; after a second, the council voted to adopt the text changes.
The amendments clarify the town street-lighting policy to apply to existing and proposed streets whether maintained by the town, NCDOT or private entities, and give staff clearer authority to require fixture types that preserve cohesive community design.
