As Morganton plans overhaul of zoning ordinance, here's what to know

Morganton is preparing for a rewrite of its zoning ordinance — the rulebook that guides what can be built and where — in an effort to match the city’s updated vision for growth and development.

The overhaul will align the ordinance with Morganton’s recently updated Comprehensive Plan, aiming to make the city easier to navigate for residents, businesses, and developers. Wendy Smith, the city’s director of development and design, said the changes will also address how expectations, finances, and development patterns have shifted over the last decade — especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current zoning ordinance was adopted in December 2014 and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. The 2015 version simplified its predecessor, reducing 13 zoning districts to 6 and slimming down the number of chapters by more than half. Additional graphics made the document easier to understand. Smith said other updates included reduced parking requirements for nonresidential developments and new overlay districts designed to protect existing neighborhoods and key entryways into the city.

Now, 10 years later, Smith said it’s time for an upgrade, adding that municipalities typically update ordinances after revising the comprehensive plan.

“That’s because the intent of a comprehensive plan is to update the vision for the city and these are then updating the rules to be in line with that current vision,” Smith said.

A focus for the new plan, Smith said, will be continuing to make the zoning ordinance more customer-friendly. She also envisions adding more flow charts or other graphics so that customers can understand the development process more easily.

“There are some ideas of topics we’d like to look at as planners and people that work with the development community, but we also want to hear from the development community, so they may bring up other things that are important to them,” Smith said.

INTERIM CHANGES

The city doesn’t wait until a new comprehensive plan to make ordinance changes when needed. Since 2015, updates have included revising the standards for manufactured home parks in 2016; creating a Landscape Manual to help the community understand acceptable landscaping; adjusting building height and density requirements; and adding the Active Frontages Overlay last year.

The Active Frontages Overlay on core downtown Morganton streets requires that properties within the National Register Historic District have a business, rather than a residence, facing the street. The goal is to maintain a consistent commercial streetscape, avoid interruptions to downtown businesses, and encourage foot traffic in the area.

The largest set of changes, Smith said, was in 2023 when the city added more options for earning performance standard points, which support additional multi-family housing opportunities. The city also adjusted density and dimensional standards to support the development of townhomes and updated references to new state legislation.

Performance points encourage developers to incorporate more innovative building designs and infrastructure. Developers get points for including certain elements like more green space, electric vehicle charging stations, and pervious paving that allows water to pass through to the ground below. The points earned then can allow for greater density, reduced setbacks, and increased heights in the development. Smith said these options will be reviewed for the new zoning ordinance to ensure they suit a variety of projects, not just one.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

The ordinance review process is expected to take approximately 18 months and include extensive community engagement, similar to the steps taken during the city’s update of the Comprehensive Plan.

Smith expects a consulting firm to help guide the process. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be released toward the end of 2025 or in early 2026. The consulting firm Benchmark CMR, Inc. directed the review in 2015.

Next summer and into the fall, city staff will set up booths at events such as the Morganton Festival to gather input from residents, property owners, workers, and tourists. The city will also launch an interactive website to educate residents and property owners about the ongoing update. The website will let people view the proposed zoning map, read ordinance drafts, and access minutes from workshop discussions.

Throughout the project, the city will release sections of the proposed new ordinance for public review and comment. The public will be given ample time to review the proposed updates, ask any questions, and make requests for changes to be considered, Smith said.

The city will hold several public meetings and workshops where residents can speak with city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and City Council about the proposed ordinance changes. Public hearings will also be held before adoption.

“The goal is to make Morganton a great place to live, work, and play, so all people that do all of those things, their input is valuable,” Smith said.