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Burke County planners propose zoning text changes to ease housing development, clarify site standards
Summary
County planning staff presented a multi-part zoning text amendment to make lot-size rules reflect utilities, consolidate repeated site-plan requirements, and create clearer site and building design standards; commissioners and the planning board signaled support and the item will be a public hearing at the regular meeting.
Burke County planning staff on Monday outlined a zoning text amendment intended to ease housing production and make the zoning ordinance easier for builders and citizens to use.
Alan Glines, Burke County planning director, told the Board of Commissioners the amendment package, ZTA-2025-01, would adjust minimum lot-size rules based on utility availability, remove repetitive site-plan checklists, and reorganize the site and development standards into clearer subsections for parking, landscaping, utilities and building design.
Glines said the changes are meant to reflect on-the-ground differences in the county: “If you have public sewer though, we’re really moving into something where that’s a real benefit to your property,” he said, arguing smaller lot sizes should be allowed where sewer is available. He also said the county will keep building design standards but separate parking, landscape and utility standards into standalone sections for easier use.
The amendment would: change minimum-lot tables to recognize three typical utility scenarios (well and septic, public water without sewer, public sewer), consolidate duplicated site-plan requirements into the single cross-reference at Article 7-7-10, and rename and reorganize Article 6 into "site and building development and design standards" to improve clarity for commercial and multi-lot development.
Glines said the planning board unanimously recommended approval (6–0) at its meeting and that the proposed language is a first-phase effort; future changes could address cluster development, master plans and specific special uses such as solar farms and end-of-life decommissioning for large energy projects.
Commissioner discussion touched on state legislative activity. Commissioner Burns asked staff to monitor House Bill 765 (state-level land-use changes) and report back, noting the board’s concern that state preemption could conflict with local zoning updates. Glines said he would monitor the bill.
The item is scheduled for public hearing at the county’s regular May meeting; staff said later phases would solicit input from builders, surveyors, planning board members and municipal stakeholders.
Why it matters: The amendment aims to reduce uncertainty for developers and homeowners, and to speed permitting by clarifying where standards are found in the ordinance. Supporters told commissioners the changes could modestly increase housing yield where infrastructure exists, but staff cautioned this is an incremental, multi-phase effort rather than a single comprehensive rewrite.
What’s next: The board left the text amendment on the agenda for public hearing and formal action at the regular meeting.
