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Aberdeen Board approves NC5 corridor overlay zoning map amendment after staff, developers agree on compromise
Summary
The Aberdeen Town Board approved zoning map amendment ZA25-07 to apply an NC5 corridor overlay to properties along NC5, adopting a statement of consistency and agreeing to pursue UDO text changes in March to finalize setback compromises raised by developers.
The Aberdeen Town Board voted Feb. 9 to approve zoning map amendment ZA25-07, applying an NC5 corridor overlay to properties along NC5 and adopting a statement that the amendment is consistent with the town's adopted plans.
Planning staff presented the continued public hearing and explained the overlay adds enhanced standards (landscaping, cross-connectivity and access management) while leaving underlying zoning unchanged. Staff said the overlay aims to improve the corridor's viewshed and manage congestion as development increases.
The central dispute raised by developers at prior meetings concerned a 50-foot highway setback that staff and the board had approved in June. Planning staff told the board that, if the amendment is adopted tonight, the 50-foot setback would remain in effect until the text of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is revised in March. Staff described an interim, incentive-based compromise: keep a 25-foot baseline setback for new development but offer an alternative path that uses larger setbacks (35 feet for parking, 50 feet for buildings) in exchange for additional landscaping and screening.
Greg Stewart of Rson (Rest) Companies said his firm met with staff and found the compromise 'amenable', noting the shared goal of improving aesthetics and keeping access off the highway when possible. A resident asked whether existing shopping centers would be grandfathered; staff answered the overlay applies only to new development or redevelopment, not to previously built sites.
Board members moved and seconded three motions: to find ZA25-07 consistent with adopted plans, to find it reasonable and in the public interest, and to approve the zoning map amendment and its statement of consistency. Each motion carried on voice vote as recorded in the minutes. Staff reiterated it will work with applicants on site-specific compromises and return in March with UDO text changes to reflect the agreed adjustments.
What happens next: the 50-foot setback stays on the books pending the March UDO text amendment; staff expects to return with revised ordinance language and illustrations to clarify landscaping and buffering options for developers.
