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Onslow commissioners adopt resolution opposing state bill they say would erode local land‑use authority
Summary
The board voted to oppose House Bill 765 (the "Save the American Dream Act" as described in staff remarks), which county staff said would standardize regulations statewide and remove local controls such as minimum lot sizes and conditional rezoning processes.
The Onslow County Board of Commissioners voted May 19 to adopt a resolution opposing House Bill 765, a multi‑page state legislative proposal county staff described as limiting local land‑use authority.
Planning staff warned the board the bill would standardize regulations across the state in ways that could prevent Onslow County from maintaining locally tailored districts such as R‑15 and R‑20, eliminate minimum lot‑size rules, and change the conditional‑rezoning process the county recently revised to streamline public review.
“[The bill] would force the county to remove minimum lot size and establish a bare minimum residential density across all districts,” planner Carter Metcalfe told commissioners, saying the measure “erode[s] the authority of local government” and “would effectively remove R‑15 and R‑20 from our books.”
Commissioners voted to oppose the bill and asked staff to send the resolution to legislators. The action was presented as a local‑government defense of planning authority rather than a request for a specific statutory fix.
Ending: The board’s resolution formally communicates Onslow County’s opposition to the measure and preserves staff’s ability to engage state lawmakers on behalf of county land‑use prerogatives.
