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Weddington council adopts UDO changes on lot sizes and setbacks; drops 50-foot buffer option for staff processing
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing and debate, the Weddington Town Council adopted changes to the UDO increasing RCD lot-size averages and setbacks and instructed staff to move forward with removing the 50-foot buffer option in favor of a 100-foot baseline; the initial vote was 2–2 and carried when Mayor Jim Bell cast the tie-breaking vote.
The Weddington Town Council approved a series of Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments on Sept. 9 aimed at preserving neighborhood character and increasing developer negotiation leverage on buffers and setbacks.
At a public hearing on Text Amendment 20244 (section D 703e), staff described proposed changes to RCD (conservation-development) lot and building standards. The recommendation moving forward would set a 20,000-square-foot average lot size with an 18,000-square-foot minimum, increase side setbacks, and enlarge backyard minimums to better accommodate accessory structures such as pools.
Greg (town planner/staff) told the council the intent is to preserve visual and spatial character while continuing to allow clustered development that protects open space. He warned, however, that increasing minimum lot sizes could reduce the share of land legally designated as conservation/open space in a cluster development, producing potential unintended consequences for conservation totals.
Council members debated alternatives: some favored mirroring existing RCD standards (which some described as roughly a half-acre template with 40-foot front and rear setbacks and a minimum 30-foot separation between structures), while others preferred the planning board recommendation (20,000 average with 18,000 minimum and 12-foot side setbacks). After back-and-forth on front-setback distances, one council member moved to adopt the stricter setbacks: 40 feet front and rear, 30 feet between structures, a 12-foot minimum side setback, with an 18,000 minimum and 20,000-foot average. The motion initially tied 2–2; Mayor Jim Bell cast the deciding vote in favor, and the motion passed.
Separately, councilors discussed Section D 917a, agreeing to remove the developer option for a 50-foot buffer in favor of a 100-foot buffer as the standard request to applicants, while preserving conditional zoning so staff and the council can negotiate exceptions for specific conservation goals. One council member summarized the rationale: making 100 feet the baseline preserves view sheds and contiguous tree stands, while conditional zoning allows flexibility when an exception demonstrably protects a large swath of trees.
Council also directed staff to clarify procedural changes: explicitly require a 15-business-day window after an application is deemed complete before it appears on a planning-board agenda; impose clearer limits on developer presentations (one presenter on vote nights; one or two presenters for informational items); continue current practice of asking the town attorney to attend only when staff or the planning-board chair flags a controversial item; and standardize packet timing so the public sees the final agenda by close of business Thursday prior to the Monday meeting.
The council’s actions arise after multiple public comments raising development and enforcement concerns. Resident Wendy Shaw alleged excessive site clearing and missing erosion-control measures at 6901 Wedington Matthews Road and called for stronger code enforcement. Council members said staff will pursue enforcement where warranted and will implement the UDO changes through the formal ordinance process.
