Lewisville adopts new unified development ordinance to replace county code

Lewisville — The Town of Lewisville on Thursday adopted a new Unified Development Ordinance intended to simplify local land-use rules and align zoning, design standards and engineering requirements with the town’s 2022 comprehensive plan.

Town planning director Lynn Cochran, who led the rewrite with consultant Kimley‑Horn, told council the project took roughly two years and will replace the patchwork of county language the town had been operating under. “I will say from a professional standpoint and a personal standpoint, I’ve been here for the last year and have worked on this UDO just about daily,” Cochran said during the council presentation. “And this is a watershed moment, I believe.”

The ordinance replaces a mix of Forsyth County provisions and piecemeal fixes with a four‑part code that the consultant, Kelly Klepper of Kimley‑Horn, described as administration (processes and roles), zoning districts and permitted uses, development standards (parking, signage, buffers, tree preservation) and engineering standards (stormwater, grading, traffic). "We said, what makes Lewisville special? We want to be able to also make sure that there is a clarity in the terms and the definitions," Klepper said, describing dozens of clarifications and new graphics meant to make the code easier to use.

Why it matters: The council and staff said the rewrite is intended to produce clearer, easier-to-use rules for residents, developers and staff, reduce uncertainty and better protect features the town values, such as tree cover and the Yadkin River corridor. Cochran told council the prior ordinance had been “inherited from Forsyth County” and had become a “patchwork” since the town incorporated; the UDO brings the ordinance into compliance with state statutory requirements (GS 160D) and with the town’s stated goals.

Key details and changes

- Structure: The new UDO is organized into four major chapters—administration, zoning districts/uses, development standards, and engineering standards. Staff emphasized plain‑language drafting where possible and a searchable, interactive PDF to help residents locate relevant provisions quickly. "It’ll take them to all the places in the ordinance that address duplexes," Cochran said of the planned web tools.

- Uses and signage: The update revises the town’s use table to remove or clarify uses carried over from Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County, and to add modern use categories (for example, micro‑distilleries or breweries, where applicable). Signage rules were clarified to reflect federal case law (the Reed case) and state requirements; the update specifies methods for measuring sign area and height.

- Tree preservation and environmental standards: The code was revised to bring tree preservation standards into compliance with state law and to strengthen protections where town policy calls for them. The draft also incorporates up‑to‑date, state‑model stormwater and watershed provisions in the engineering chapter.

- Implementation and follow‑ups: Kimley‑Horn and town staff said they will perform scheduled check‑ins after adoption—an anticipated short review period in the months immediately following to identify any clarifications or technical edits. Klepper said the consultant will remain available for periodic follow‑up checks and minor text amendments as state law or practice evolves.

Public process and vote

The draft UDO was the product of public workshops, planning‑board review and staff edits. The planning board voted unanimously to recommend adoption at its July 9, 2025 meeting, and the council held a public hearing before voting. After public comments, many of which supported the effort, the council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance. The motion to adopt referenced the staff’s consistency and reasonableness statement in the agenda packet.

What the code does not do

Council members emphasized that the ordinance does not change the town’s comprehensive plan; rather, the UDO is the implementing document that translates the plan’s goals into enforceable development standards. Because the council considered a general‑use rezoning approach for other items elsewhere on the agenda, it stressed that the UDO itself was adopted as a town‑wide ruleset and would not create case‑specific exceptions without separate hearings.

Next steps

The town will publish an interactive PDF and user guide tied to the UDO to help residents search by topic or keyword. Staff and the consultant said they will schedule follow‑up reviews and be available for technical corrections or clarifications after the ordinance goes into effect.

Council vote: unanimous on adoption of ordinance 2025‑021.