The City is proposing changes to the historic preservation rules in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). A summary of the updated ordinance draft will be shared at two upcoming public meetings.
- Wednesday, August 13 at 7 p.m. | Five Points Center for Active Adults (Register)
- Thursday, August 14 at 10 a.m. | Virtual Session (Register)
These meetings won’t be recorded, but meeting slides and a Q&A document will be available online. While the meetings provide an opportunity to ask questions and learn more, formal feedback must be submitted through the Text Change Engagement Portal.
We’re updating parts of our Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to match recent changes in North Carolina law (Chapter 160D). These updates will also fix areas in the historic preservation code that aren’t working as smoothly as they could.
What’s Driving the Changes:
- Changes in state law.
- Clarifying how the rules apply in uncommon situations.
- Confusing or inconsistent wording.
- Improving process timelines.
- Increasing the predictability of reviews.
Main Sections That Will Be Updated:
- UDO 5.4.1 — General Historic Overlay District
- UDO 10.1.4 — RHDC Board Procedures
- UDO 10.2.15 — Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) Process
- UDO 10.2.16 — Historic Landmark Designation Process
What’s Changing Based on State Law:
- Adding the Minor Works COA list directly into the UDO.
- Clarifying who is eligible to apply for a COA.
- Revising public notice rules for Historic Landmark designation.
- Updating rules for setbacks and building heights in historic overlay districts.
- Assigning COA review responsibilities to the RHDC COA Committee.
Additional improvements include:
- Switching to a two-hearing process for Historic Landmark designations (RHDC and City Council).
- Making the Streetside Historic Overlay District diagram easier to understand, especially for corner properties.
- Expanding the Minor Works list to include more project types.