County Planning Board Rejects Latest UDO Draft

By The Smithfield Weekly Sun

SMITHFIELD – Following two public hearings over the past two weeks, the Johnston County Planning Board voted without dissent Monday evening not to recommend approval by the County Commissioners of the latest draft of the county’s revised Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).

Basically, Planning Board members concluded that the latest draft is “inconsistent” with the county’s Land Use Plan adopted three years ago that emphasizes protection of farmland and less sprawling of rural residential development.

Planning Director Braxton Newton said “Version 4” of the new UDO was issued prior to a hearing held by the Planning Board October 20. He said at Monday’s follow-up hearing that the county’s planning staff is recommending approval of the latest version but acknowledged “a lot of confusion” among the public about several aspects of the new rules. “There’s a lot still left to interpretation,” he said, especially regarding proposed buffers between existing farms and new residential subdivisions.

Only a handful of citizens, most of them engaged in farming, appeared during the two Planning Board hearings. They urged county officials to take more time “to get it right” before final adoption of a new UDO. Frustrated by the drawn-out process over the past couple of years to re-write the rules, Jerry Vinson said his service on a UDO Steering Committee had turned out to be “a waste of my time.”

Despite the Planning Board’s action this week, a public hearing on the latest version of UDO changes remains on the agenda for Monday’s 6 p.m. session of the County Commissioners, who will have the final say on what’s enacted into law.