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Siler City adopts sweeping Unified Development Ordinance after debate over follow-up review
Summary
After a consultant presentation and debate over which changes should be deferred for further review, the Siler City Board of Commissioners voted to adopt TA26-001, a replacement Unified Development Ordinance, while directing the planning board to revisit larger policy items in July.
SILER CITY — The Siler City Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a comprehensive rewrite of the town's land-use rules, approving text amendment TA26-001 to replace the town's 1993 Unified Development Ordinance.
The ordinance, presented by Terry Spencer of municipal services, consolidates chapters and appendices, updates definitions to conform with North Carolina statutes, adds user-friendly permitted-use tables, and clarifies development standards including building-height and setback diagrams. "We captured everything in your current ordinance and organized it in a logical, readable way," Spencer told the board during a slide-driven presentation of the draft ordinance.
The board discussed a two-part approach: adopt the revised UDO to provide immediate clarity and allow routine administration while sending a list of larger policy items — described in the staff packet as "parking lot" issues — back to the planning board for more detailed review. The parking-lot list includes downtown development standards, data-center standards, commercial design standards and other topics staff said warrant further public review.
Mayor Patterson and commissioners repeatedly emphasized the document is amendable. One commissioner said the town’s moratorium on certain permits gives time to refine policy details before new development proposals arrive. Another voiced frustration that not all public comments had been read into the record, and urged formal planning-board consideration of the outstanding items.
The board formally moved to adopt TA26-001 incorporating the staff-recommended revisions and to refer the remaining parking-lot issues to the planning board for review at its July meeting. The motion passed by voice vote; the minutes record the motion as carried.
What the ordinance does and next steps - Consolidates scattered tables and appendices into a shorter, more user-friendly ordinance. - Reorganizes approval authorities and streamlines procedures so routine approvals can be handled by staff while keeping major or high-impact decisions at the board or planning-board level. - Introduces a PUD-style district intended to replace numerous HUD-style districts.
The board directed staff to bring a packet of the remaining public comments and recommended parking-lot items to the planning board; commissioners set a target for the planning-board review in July. The consultant and steering committee members were publicly thanked before the board closed the hearing.
Votes at a glance - TA26-001, Unified Development Ordinance: adopted (motion passed by voice vote; specific roll-call tally not recorded in the transcript). - Amendments to town code sections 15-149 and 15-150 (East Cardinal restricted parking): approved (see separate item). - Public hearing scheduled for proposed renaming of Hill Street to "Mlan Street" on July 20, 2026.
