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County staff urge zoning ordinance update, more planning staff as rezoning and special exceptions rise
Summary
Community development staff reported a rise in rezoning and special exception requests, described a Berkeley Group review of the zoning ordinance that will prioritize ADUs/accessory dwelling units, and urged hiring a community development director plus code/zoning enforcement to handle roughly 700 inquiries since November 2024.
Community development staff told the board that the department is handling a materially higher volume of rezoning and subdivision inquiries and that the county's zoning ordinance needs updating to match current trends.
Staff said the county has seen about eight rezoning requests since January 2024 and seven special exceptions; the majority of special exception requests relate to detached/second dwelling units. They are working with Berkeley Group Planning Services on a comprehensive update to the zoning ordinance, with a priority to reframe detached secondary units as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and to move from a per‑use special exception list to a tabular use matrix.
"With that being said, some of the general issues that they have with the zoning is we in our zoning with their special exceptions, we're listing per use, and they kinda wanna follow other counties where they're gonna provide a table," county planning staff said.
Staffing and workload: The presenter said the office handled more than 700 zoning inquiries since November 2024, about 500 by email, and that current staffing (one primary community development staff member plus contractor Berkeley Group) cannot sustain that workload. They recommended creating a full‑time community development director position, adding an assistant/planning position and considering a combined code/zoning enforcement role to enable proactive enforcement rather than complaint‑driven action.
Other items: Staff described ongoing sidewalk and marketing grants, village beautification sign projects, and plans to order more visible zoning notice signs. They also requested an internal review of departmental responsibilities to ensure job descriptions match needs before advertising new positions.
Ending: Staff said they will continue drafting ordinance revisions with Berkeley Group, seek public input at upcoming zoning meetings and return to the board during the budget process with staffing recommendations.
