ROCKINGHAM — A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday evening regarding an amendment regarding conditional zoning districts.
According to the staff report included in the agenda packet, the city of Rockingham has always used conventional zoning, with 13 classifications to regulate land use.
Under conventional zoning, the City Council “cannot base its decision on any representations made by the applicant as to the intended use of the property …but must consider all possible uses” for that specific district when considering rezoning requests.
Conditional zoning, however, would allow the city to “rezone a property based on a specific site plan and with conditions.”
“There are circumstances in which a conventional zoning district designation allowing a use by right would not be appropriate for a particular property even though the use itself could, if properly developed, be appropriate for the property and consistent with the surrounding area and land use plan,” reads the report.
“The conditional zoning district approval process allows the City Council to approve a proposal for a specific use with reasonable conditions to mitigate the negative impacts of the proposed development and assure the consistency of the development with the land use plan and surrounding properties.”
The text amendment has been recommended by city staff and the Planning Board.
The council will also consider an audit contract with Anderson Smith and Wike, PLLC. The contract is not included in the agenda packet.
There will also be a presentation from Kevin O’Barr, consultative services bureau chief of the Division of Occupational Health and Services for the N.C. Department of Labor, related to the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program for the city’s public works, water and police departments.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.
