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Burke County amends zoning rules to ease lot-size and site-plan requirements, board says goal is more housing
Summary
The Board adopted a zoning text amendment (ordinance 2025-06) changing minimum lot sizes and frontage standards and streamlining site-plan requirements to encourage housing and simplify development review.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt a zoning text amendment that adjusts minimum lot sizes, relaxes some frontage rules and consolidates site-plan standards to make housing development and commercial site review simpler.
Allen Vines, planning director and deputy county manager, told commissioners staff had proposed changes to several zoning ordinance articles to remove unused graphics, consolidate duplicative site-plan requirements and update lot-size tables. Vines summarized the proposed minimum lot-size adjustments: “So our, generally, our minimum lot size in Burke County would be half acre. That's without any public utilities. If you had public water, generally, you'd be able to make that work with a 0.4 lot size. If you have public sewer but no water, a 0.3 lot size. And if you can do public water and sewer, we could reduce that lot size down to a quarter acre.”
Vines also explained a recommendation to reduce a countywide frontage requirement from 100 feet to a proposed 70 feet, with a residential-only flag-lot option allowing a 20-foot street frontage and a 35-foot frontage for cul-de-sac lots.
The text amendment (ZTA-2025-01) repackages site and building design standards into a clearer structure for non-residential development, moves repetitive site‑plan lists into a single place, and directs staff to continue work on cluster-development standards to encourage housing while protecting sensitive areas.
Commissioners adopted ordinance 2025-06 (ZTA-2025-01) on a 5-0 vote. The board and staff said the changes are intended to support housing production and speed permit review while preserving review standards like buffering when commercial uses abut residential property.
Why it matters: The revisions lower the regulatory barriers for smaller lots where public utilities exist and create more flexible frontage options, a change county staff said could modestly increase housing feasibility in areas served by water or sewer. The amendment also aims to reduce developer confusion by consolidating site-plan requirements.
