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Board urges General Assembly to repeal down‑zoning restriction, asks to be added to multi‑county Senate bill
Summary
The commissioners adopted a resolution supporting House Bill 24 (which would repeal the provision prohibiting local‑government initiated down‑zoning) and requested Onslow County be included among jurisdictions listed in the companion Senate bill 27.
On Feb. 17 the Onslow County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution urging the North Carolina General Assembly to pass House Bill 24 — which would repeal a provision in session law that prevents local governments from initiating down‑zoning — and requested that Onslow County be included among jurisdictions listed in Senate Bill 27.
Planning staff briefed the board on the legal background: session law 2024‑57 (enacted Dec. 11, 2024) included subpart 3(k)(1), which staff said prohibits local governments from initiating down‑zoning without the consent of affected property owners. Staff said those limits would constrain local zoning authority and that HB24 seeks to repeal the restrictive provision entirely; Senate Bill 27 was described as a parallel proposal that would restore down‑zoning authority only for certain listed counties, and Onslow County was not initially included in the draft language.
The resolution asked the General Assembly to secure passage of HB24 and to include Onslow County in the jurisdictions enumerated in SB27 so that the county’s authority to initiate down‑zoning would be restored under either path. Commissioners discussed the impact on local control, noting concerns about long‑term inability to change zoning to respond to growth, and then approved the resolution on a voice vote.
Votes at a glance: Resolution supporting House Bill 24 and requesting inclusion in Senate Bill 27 — Adopted (voice vote, no opposition reported).
