After three years of development and a year of review, Raleigh’s new zoning code is officially on the books.
But don’t pop the champagne cork just yet. The code isn’t completely finished.
City Councilors adopted the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Monday. The new zoning code will go into effect Sept. 1. The code will work alongside the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which outlines the vision for the city for the next 20-plus years. The Comprehensive Plan sets the vision, while the UDO is the law that puts those ideas into place.
Although the UDO is approved, there are still some lingering issues that need more review and input from city planning staff. For example, the backyard cottage piece of the zoning code was left out, and Councilors say they will tackle that issue later.
Councilors will meet again a month after they have received the printed version of the code to make any changes.
Any changes after that will have to be done through the text change process.
In addition, the new zoning map is not yet done. City planners have been working on a zoning map for more than a year, but they still need a lot of public input.
Planning Director Mitchell Silver said the public can expect to see a draft map in about a year. The mapping phase will include plenty of public participation, he said. Silver said the adoption of that map will likely take another six months after it is released.
The UDO isn’t set in stone and the Council, or future Councils, can change things as they see fit.
The Record has been following the UDO since the beginning. Read more about the code.
