What are your thoughts? Flexibility dominates Morganton development discussions

As Morganton navigates the early stages of creating a Unified Development Ordinance, some community members say more options and flexibility could positively impact how the city attracts development in years to come.

Wendy Smith, director of Development and Design Services, says the process is all about striking the right balance between the flexibility that community members want and maintaining Morganton’s unique character, especially in the downtown area.

“What is right is what is right for Morganton, and that’s why we want input,” Smith said. “We don’t want Morganton to look just like Marion or just like Lenoir or just like any other city in North Carolina. What makes us special and why do we want people to move here instead of those other places?”

The city has been working with Kimley-Horn, an engineering, planning, and development firm, to create the Unified Development Ordinance, Morganton’s playbook for how land is developed for years to come. The ordinance will outline requirements for subdivisions, zoning, flood damage prevention, and more.

Kimley-Horn kicked off the 18-month process in April with stakeholder sessions that were closed to the public but involved members of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. Members gave feedback on whether current rules on zoning and subdivisions strike the right balance between community goals and flexibility for developers.

Two stakeholders involved in the process, Pete Wallace and Johnnie Carswell, noted that they felt the city needed less restrictive regulations and more education surrounding permitting, zoning, variances, and more.

About 50 other Morganton community members shared their thoughts during a community engagement event on June 25, where Kimley-Horn staff provided a variety of interactive exhibits. They also held a pop-up event at the June 26 TGIF concert, where about 30 people attended.

Some participants’ comments expressed the desire for more flexibility and less restrictive landscaping requirements, while others expressed concern about the city’s ability to address nationwide issues, including the lack of housing.

“Coming from the real estate field, it is very important that we listen to some of the issues that people have expressed to staff and some of the issues that have stopped developments, but not make it easy peasy,” Mayor Pro Tempore Wendy Cato said. “We still want to maintain the integrity of our community.”

Smith said she’s glad to see the excitement surrounding the creation of the UDO and welcomes community feedback.

“I want to be really clear that this is not Wendy Smith’s zoning ordinance,” she said. “The Department of Development and Design hasn’t just written this in a vacuum. We want to create what the citizens want.”

Smith said it’s all a balance because some of the standards that people say are too restrictive are the same ones that make Morganton’s character stand out among other neighboring cities. One of those areas is the city’s landscaping requirements.

“Loads of people drive down South Sterling Street and they see how it’s lined with Crape Myrtles and things that the city’s put in that look really lovely,” Smith said. “We’ve actually had comments that people decided to move to Morganton after driving through that way and how well we take care of the city.”

“How far do we go to recreate that?”

That’s what city staff and Kimley-Horn’s Project Manager Cindy Szwarckop and Planner Greg Feldman will work through after collecting community feedback. Smith said those comments will be paired with good engineering, design, planning principles, and building regulations.

The main themes that Szwarckop said she’s been hearing from stakeholders and the community so far have centered on parking, landscaping, density, the types of development that the city is seeing, and that the current ordinance is difficult to understand.

She said that the Kimley-Horn project team will be working to implement graphics, flow charts, and de-legalese the wording to make the UDO easy for the common person to understand. Typically, residents are generally looking for information about topics such as signage and lighting, she said.

There will be more opportunities for the community to provide input, including a meeting in July, September, and May 2027. For those who are unable to attend meetings in person, Kimley-Horn has created a website dedicated to Morganton’s UDO process, where the community can voice their thoughts on an interactive map.

“The ordinances right now aren’t broken. They just need a refresh,” Szwarckop said.