Johnston County Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing next month on a proposal to change the rules for personal use storage buildings.
Planning Director Berry Gray said at least a dozen requests for storage buildings have been denied since January 1st because of the way the current ordinance is worded.
Current ordinances only allow personal storage buildings of 2,000 square feet or less if they are constructed as an accessory to an existing home. The proposed amendment would allow a storage building to be built on a vacant tract of land without requiring the home to be constructed first.
The Planning Board has recommended commissioners approve the change. Farm buildings are already exempt from the rule.
Gray said many people need a personal storage building to keep mowers, equipment and tools. The change would allow the storage buildings to be constructed on a vacant lot prior to a home being built on the same lot. Gray said there have been no complaints and there are no pending enforcement actions from the County.
Even if the building rule is changed, commercial storage buildings or buildings over 2,000 square feet would still be prohibited. They would also continue to be restricted from major subdivisions, would still have to meet setback requirements, and could not be associated with commercial, industrial or business storage or associated uses.
Commissioners will hold a public hearing to amend the personal storage building rules at their 6:00pm meeting on Monday, March 5th. The public will be allowed to make comments on the proposed ordinance amendment at that time.
