Major Changes Made To Proposed Johnston County UDO Ahead Of Public Hearings
SMITHFIELD – Johnston County has made significant changes to its proposed Unified Development Ordinance ahead of public hearings beginning this week, including giving commissioners more authority over large subdivisions and scaling back proposed buffers between farms and new development.
The latest UDO draft, dated Oct. 15, is now available online.
A Johnston County Report comparison of the original proposal with the latest draft found several substantial changes following months of public meetings and community feedback.
One of the biggest changes involves subdivision approvals.
Under the original proposal, major subdivision preliminary plats that met county development standards could be approved administratively by the Planning Director after review by the Technical Review Committee.
The latest version would send major subdivisions containing four to 18 lots to the Johnston County Planning Board for approval.
Major subdivisions with 19 or more lots would go before the Johnston County Board of Commissioners.
The change gives appointed and elected boards a much larger role in deciding where new residential development occurs.
Farm buffer requirements have also been significantly revised.
The original draft proposed additional setbacks between agricultural property and new non-agricultural development ranging from 75 feet for residential projects to as much as 300 feet for industrial development.
The latest version limits the special agricultural buffer requirement to new residential development next to an active agricultural use.
Developers would have several options, ranging from a 10-foot heavily screened buffer with a solid fence or wall to a 50-foot natural or open-space buffer.
The revised requirements are considerably less restrictive than the original proposal, although they would still create a new farm-buffer requirement that does not exist under the county’s current development regulations.
Three new rural zoning districts proposed in the original UDO have also been removed.
The Agricultural, Agricultural Estate and Estate Residential districts would have provided future zoning options ranging from one home per acre to one home per five acres.
Those districts are no longer included in the latest draft.
Other revisions address permitted land uses, open space, subdivision streets, septic systems, enforcement penalties and other development standards.
The changes now move to the public hearing stage.
The Johnston County Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield. The hearing will continue at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.
The Johnston County Board of Commissioners will hold its public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, also at the Courthouse.
Commissioners could vote on adoption of the new UDO at their Monday, Nov. 16 meeting.
If approved, the Unified Development Ordinance would replace the county’s existing development regulations.
The latest proposal and related documents are available on the Johnston County Planning Department website.
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These massive subdivisions and land graping will be the downfall of Johnston County. They are having to repair roads in Clayton because of the massive loads on the dump trucks are degenerating the edge of the road, the cost of utilities will dramatically increase. When these major subdivisions go online, the crime rate will increase because the influx of people, your car insurance will go up because of the number of wrecks that increase in Johnston County will occur, schools will become overcrowded, and they’ll have to build more as they already have. The sewer systems will have to be upgraded when these massive subdivisions go online. The number of sheriffs and police and individual towns will need to increase due to the increase in citizens. This will Cause property taxes to increase as well. There is no long-term benefit from massive subdivisions and housing. None. These county commissioners are incompetent and I can’t help but think they are getting something in return for the approval of these massive housing developments