Unified Development Ordinance

November 18, 2010

On Tuesday, November 9, 2010, the City of Wilson hosted a public workshop kick off meeting. Mayor Bruce Rose opened the meeting with a welcoming message , and Planning Director Rodger Lentz continued the introductions, describing the connections to the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. The Lawrence Group's Craig Lewis made a presentation about the potential benefits of the UDO and described the overall process.  The meeting concluded with an interactive discussion with attendees. The PowerPoint presentation is provided below, along with the tentative project schedule and a questionnaire provided at the public meeting.  The next step will be the creation of a diagnosis report, outlining The Lawrence Group’s findings and recommended solutions, which will be presented in March 2011.

 

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 OCTOBER 2010

The City of Wilson is creating a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to guide new development and redevelopment projects in the City. The creation of the UDO marks the City’s first major overhaul of Wilson’s development regulations since the original Zoning Ordinance was adopted in 1961 and works in tandem with the newly-adopted Comprehensive Plan to clarify and simplify Wilson's development regulations and processes.

The purpose of the UDO is to raise the standards for development in the City of Wilson by working to draft an ordinance that promotes more quality, uniformity, and consistency in development standards. To streamline and make the development process more understandable and “user friendly”, the UDO combines and integrates all regulations guiding land use in the City, such as zoning, subdivision, and environmental ordinances into one document.

Wilson has hired the Lawrence Group, a nationally-recognized and award-winning town planning and design firm, to help guide the effort. The initiative is expected to result in higher quality development throughout the community and a more predictable development process for citizens, neighborhoods, elected and appointed officials, and developers.

 

The UDO will organize information in a logical sequence, using language that is understandable, providing illustrations, and using a print style that is easy to read. This process grants us the opportunity to concurrently enhance and strengthen existing regulations.

The UDO will be the City’s official document regulating growth and development. The UDO addresses general development requirements that govern the location, size, and appearance of new development and redevelopment projects such as, but not limited to, land use/zoning of property; design of commercial buildings; parking and circulation design; landscaping and open space designations; allowed signage; subdivision and residential development design; water quality protection; and construction in flood plains. The UDO will also address development review procedures. The City expects the UDO to be a dynamic product that will be modified from time to time to be in line with changing economic conditions and land development patterns.

The UDO will be developed using the following Guiding Principles and Desired Outcomes:

  • Consistent with goals and objectives of the City of Wilson Comprehensive Plan.
  • Develop procedures and standards that safeguard the City of Wilson from undesirable development.
  • Develop design guidelines that promote livable communities, not exclusive ones.
  • Create a UDO that is readable and functional.
  • Streamline the land use approval process.
  • Update elected officials on the progress of the UDO as it is being written.

The first public meeting about the UDO process will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, at 6 p.m. at the Frank L. Eagles Community Business Center at Wilson Community College (902 Herring Ave, Access off of Ward Ave). We ask you to join us in this meeting to learn about the UDO process and include your input into the UDO creation process!

Click here for a flyer with more information and a map to the Eagles Center.