Development rules nearly done

By LEE HINNANT

After two years of preparation, four public information sessions and five meetings with the county Planning Board, Columbus County commissioners are nearly ready to roll out their first significant set of development regulations.

The county’s draft subdivision ordinance is like the first chapter of a three-chapter book, Commissioner James Prevatte told a group of about 15 people at a recent workshop in Whiteville. The next “chapters” will be improvements to the rules for mobile home parks, followed by regulations for campers and recreational vehicles, he said.

County Planner Stevie Cox said that while the county did not want to go overboard with the rules, it was important for homeowners to have a basic set of development guidelines. “We all win when we have the same rules and regulations,” Cox said.

Planning Board Chairman J.B. Evans said he was proud to have had a hand crafting the rules.

The ordinance sets out three types of subdivisions: family, minor and major.

Family subdivisions are intended to make it relatively easy for a landowner to convey property to a relative. They cannot create more than eight lots and can be done only once every three years.

Minor subdivision rules apply for the creation of up to eight lots. Major subdivisions would come under the most restrictive rules and involve the creation of nine of more building lots.

Two types of subdivisions are exempt for the rules under state law, said state planner Tom King. A division of a tract that creates parcels greater than 10 acres with no new streets is exempt. Also exempt is when a landowner has a tract of two acres or smaller and creates three or fewer lots, no new roads and the lots meet the minimum building size.

If lots do not have existing road access, new roads serving more than two houses must meet minimum standards, Cox explained. Class B roads can serve up to four houses and must be at least 12 feet wide and covered with four inches of compacted gravel. Class A roads can serve up to eight houses and must be paved and at least 16 feet wide.

Access to more than eight houses must be provided by roads that meet state Department of Transportation standards.

The minimum lot size for rural areas with private wells and septic tanks is 35,000 square feet. Commission Chairman Kip Godwin said this size would also accommodate state requirements for a “repair field” that can serve as a septic drain field, should the primary drain field fail.

Minimum lot sizes decrease as additional public services are available. Developers who provide affordable housing or open green space can also qualify for a “density bonus” that allows them to increase density by up to 15 percent.

County officials also went over various requirements for setbacks and commissioners at the meeting agreed the setback rules might need further tinkering. On a lot with roads in front and back, the setback from the non-accessible road for a lawnmower shed would be 50 feet, for example.

Cox said the county staff expected to be able to respond to requests for subdivisions in 90 days for the best-case scenario and in 120 days for a worst-case scenario.

Once adopted, the rules will be available in print and on a CD-ROM. The draft rules are available for review at all branches of the county library and at the Planning Office at 111 Washington Street, Whiteville.

Commissioners expect to set a date for a public hearing on the rules at their regular Monday meeting. Cox has requested that the hearing be held July 17 at 6 p.m.