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Weddington board debates 25% steep-slope standard but declines to alter it tonight
Summary
Board members and staff debated whether to change the UDO's 25% steep-slope threshold for primary conservation (nonbuildable) land. Members voiced concern for property owners and builders, but the planner said council preference is for a restrictive standard, and the board did not change the slope threshold at this meeting.
During a lengthy March 23 discussion, members of the Weddington Planning Board debated whether the UDO's 25% slope threshold for primary conservation land is too restrictive, particularly for lots where a basement house could be feasible.
Several members and a landowner perspective cautioned that treating slopes greater than 25% as automatically nonbuildable could exclude otherwise usable land and reduce homebuilding options. "I was thinking in terms of a modification from 25 to 30 or 35," one member said while arguing a higher threshold could allow basement homes without harming resources.
Greg, the town planner, advised caution. "I agree with Rusty in regards to 25% may be too restrictive in regards to the yield... I also think that it's not going to prohibit anyone from coming to Weddington," he said, adding that he has spoken with council members who generally favor stricter limits. He said council could accept different numbers but historically prefers to limit buildable area.
Members agreed to retain the 25% reference for now but used the discussion to clarify how primary conservation and secondary conservation lands, wetlands and stormwater areas would be counted in yield calculations. The board emphasized the importance of case-by-case review and the potential to allow adjustments based on engineering and site-specific arguments.
The board also approved a separate, targeted editorial change to D917: members voted to delete the phrase "because of their extreme limitations" from a sentence listing primary conservation features so that the list reads plainly (streams, valleys, swales, submerged land, floodplains and steep slopes greater than 25%). That edit passed as part of a recommendation to council.
Next steps: The board will forward its recommendations to the town council; members noted that council may choose a different numeric threshold during formal review.
