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Planning board approves lower glazing requirement for multifamily facades
Summary
The Rolesville Planning Board approved a text amendment to the Land Development Ordinance reducing minimum glazing/transparency requirements for multifamily building street-facing facades to 25%, a change proponents said aligns with market practice and reduces structural costs.
The Rolesville Planning Board voted to approve a text amendment that reduces the required amount of glazing on street-facing facades of multifamily buildings to 25%.
Planning staff introduced the amendment to LDO sections 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3 and 6.8.6(g), explaining it would affect four zoning districts where multifamily is permitted: Residential High, Town Center, Activity Center and Neighborhood Center. The staff presentation clarified the requirement applies to building faces facing a public right of way, not interior sides of buildings.
“My name is Austin Williams and I’m a partner with Carlson Southeast and I’m the developer of the Walbrook project,” said Austin Williams, who spoke for the applicant. Williams said the applicant proposes a uniform 25% standard across affected districts and provided examples of recent projects meeting that level. “The 25% that we’re proposing … is on the upper end,” he said, arguing higher percentages can force structural changes, raise costs and reduce usable interior wall space.
Planning staff told the board that the town has not had a multifamily building vetted under the current LDO since its adoption and that comparisons with nearby developments may not be apples-to-apples. Staff reiterated that the transparency standard is measured for facades facing public streets.
Board members asked whether existing local buildings meet the LDO standard and requested clarification on how the code treats end walls and building faces not directly facing a public right-of-way; staff answered that some facades appear to meet 25% while others do not, and noted interpretation can vary based on which faces are considered “street-facing.”
After discussion, the board chair moved to accept TA2505 as presented; the motion received a second and passed. Chair announced the motion carried.
The amendment changes the minimum or required transparency thresholds in the town’s LDO to a 25% figure in the listed districts; staff noted it will apply only to facades facing public rights-of-way. No effective date or subsequent administrative steps were specified during the meeting.
