UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE
The Town of Calabash has been working for over a year with Holland Consulting Planners, Inc. to create a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The new UDO will replace chapter 15, Land Use, of the current Code of Ordinances. The UDO includes all zoning and land use regulations for the Town of Calabash and is to be enforced by the Zoning Administrator, who will be appointed by the Board of Commissioners upon adoption of the UDO.
At their regular monthly meeting on October 1, 2007, the Calabash Planning & Zoning Board made a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners to approve the adoption of the Draft UDO.
The Unified Development Ordinance will regulate all land-use zoning codes for the Town of Calabash and the Calabash ETJ. These include but are not limited to sign regulations, tree/natural resource protection, subdivision regulations, flood damage prevention, and stormwater discharge control regulations. The proposed UDO includes zoning map amendments which change the existing zoning on some parcels of property within the Town of Calabash and the Calabash ETJ.
Over the past number of months the Board of Commissioners have held a number of workshops and have submitted them to Holland Consulting for revision of the draft approved by the Planning and Zoning Board. These revisions have been received by the town in early November 2008 and are in the process of a final review.
Some of the revisions are:
Removing the R6/Overlay (presently the Mixed District) and creating a R/C zone which permits primarily residential development with neighborhood compatable business as conditional uses. The primary section is the table of permitted and conditional uses (plus corresponding changes within a number of other sections as required).
Revisions of Article 16, PUD (planned unit development). PUD is now a zone rather than an overlay with defined densities and open space.
Revisions to Article 13, Entry Corridor Overlay district.
Revisions to Article 8, Non-conforming Situations.
Recommendations for the Stormwater Ordinance. Note that the stormwater section, Article 25, has been removed from the UDO as it is expected that SL2007-211, will cause considerable change in this article.
Definitions for the "Official Thoroughfare Plan".
Inclusion of the family member land transfer (recently approved in the present ordinance).
All of the changed sections are highlighted in the revised ordinance and will be updated as soon as the BOC completes their review and the Acrobat files have been received from Holland Consulting. It is hoped that Calabash will begin the new year with a new Unified Development Ordinance.
The Town is asking that citizens review the UDO here on the website (side bar) or at Town Hall, 882 Persimmon Road, and then attend the Public Hearings to voice all suggestions pertaining to the UDO. If you are unable to attend the Public Hearings but have comments to be considered by the Board of Commissioners, please submit comments in writing to the Town Clerk. Comments can be submitted via the email at towncalabash@atmc.net or by regular mail at PO Box 4967, Calabash, NC 28467.