Valdese council delays UDO effective date, schedules Berrytown CDBG hearing and adopts residency and zoning-enforcement measures

The Valdese Town Council took several administrative and policy actions in a single meeting, voting to delay the effective date for the town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), scheduling a CDBG public hearing for an additional grant award for the Berrytown waterline, and adopting governance and enforcement measures.

Planning consultant Daniel Odum, representing the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (COG), told the council the text amendment would extend the UDO’s effective date from July 31, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2026 and extend the developer/applicant selection window to January 2026 to allow the General Assembly time to reauthorize municipal downzoning authority. The planning board recommended approval; after no public comment the council approved the amendment and a separate consistency statement by voice votes.

Staff also announced a scheduled public hearing on Oct. 6 for the Berrytown waterline project. According to staff remarks, the project has multiple CDBG funding sources: the town originally requested $800,000 through a neighborhood revitalization program and was later notified of an additional $200,000 award. Total project costs were described in the meeting as roughly $3.1–$3.2 million for about 1.5 miles of waterline within a system the town said totals roughly 83 miles; the Oct. 6 hearing will publicly recognize the additional funding.

On governance, the council adopted a resolution requiring that, effective immediately, newly appointed members of council-appointed committees or boards be residents of Valdese or leaders of a business/organization located in the town; the measure excludes committee or board positions created by ordinance and positions held by town employees. Council members said the change applies only to new appointments and that attorney review had been part of drafting.

The council also approved a resolution setting expectations for town staff regarding enforcement of zoning ordinances. Council discussion addressed how existing violations will be addressed and staff noted efforts to update code‑enforcement ordinances, a recent new code enforcement officer and intern support, and coordination with the city of Hickory for backup support.

Votes on the UDO amendment, the residency requirement and the zoning enforcement resolution were all taken by voice vote and recorded in the transcript as carried; specific roll-call tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript provided.