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Staff outlines UDO amendments to implement Garner’s comprehensive plan; council signals support to pursue public hearings
Summary
Planning Director Jeff Treasonberg briefed council on a consolidated UDO amendment package to implement residential and mixed‑use policies, proposing changes to R‑8, MFA/MFB, live‑work units, density bonuses, and re‑adoption of five nonvoidable ordinance sections affected by Session Law 2024‑57.
Planning Director Jeff Treasonberg presented a consolidated package of text amendments July 29 that staff says will translate the town’s 2023 comprehensive‑plan recommendations into the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
The package combines three efforts: re‑adopting nonvoidable sections of Ordinance 2024‑5286, updating land‑use definitions to align with the residential building code, and realigning the R‑8 residential district together with clarifications to MFA and MFB mixed‑use districts. Staff proposed introducing ‘live‑work’ units, an artisan‑shop use, and a 25% density bonus to incentivize alley‑loaded or preferred neighborhood designs.
Key policy points in the presentation included a minimum residential density proposal for the R‑8 district (4 dwelling units per acre), a quarter‑mile walking‑distance requirement for some R‑8 nonresidential uses, and separating MFB (vertical, elevator‑served, transit‑oriented mixed‑use) from MFA (house‑scaled, walk‑up multifamily).
Treasureberg said staff is mindful of Session Law 2024‑57 (the “nonconformities”/down‑zoning statute) and has avoided recommendations that would reduce statutory density or buildable area; council members urged staff to stick closely to the statute’s density language rather than introduce new terms such as “buildable area.” Legal counsel and staff signaled some interpretive uncertainty under the new state law and recommended careful drafting and scenario testing before public hearings.
Council members largely praised the presentation and suggested refinements: favor density bonuses that yield vertical (higher‑value) development rather than low‑value horizontal products; run concrete local scenarios and test whether the proposed text produces the comp‑plan results on the ground; and keep public outreach strong during the review process. Treasonberg said staff will test scenarios, finish one more round of internal checks and recommended setting public‑hearing dates in August or September.
No formal action was taken; council provided direction to continue technical review, scenario testing and public‑hearing scheduling.
