Pasquotank County launches grant-funded rewrite of development code

Pasquotank County and its Planning Board began a grant-funded effort on April 6 to replace the county's development regulations with a Unified Development Ordinance intended to modernize and consolidate multiple codes.

Planning Director Shelley Cox told the joint meeting the County's current zoning code dates to 1992 and the subdivision ordinance to 1989 and that the Resilient Coastal Communities Program grant will cover consultant work. "The purpose of the meeting is because the County is updating its zoning development regulations by creating a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)," Cox said. Consultants from White Smith Cousino (WSC) and Clarion Associates explained they will organize the UDO into a 12'article outline and aim to make the document clearer and more user'friendly.

Tyson Smith of WSC described a three'phase schedule aligned with the grant timeline: Phase I (document review, kick'offs and issues summary) is nearly complete; Phase II (staff review draft, workshops and input summary) will include Konveio online commenting and a virtual open house; Phase III (third draft and Board consideration) will be returned to the Board in September for adoption consideration. "We are here to offer our expertise and experience, but the Board is the policy guider who tell[s] us what they want to look at and what they don't want us to look at," Smith said.

The consultants said they will produce an issues summary after upcoming focus groups and staff sessions and will consult legal counsel if any proposed changes might implicate state law. The next stakeholder meetings include a development focus group and a staff/community session scheduled for the day after the meeting.