By WECT Staff | January 4, 2021 at 6:31 AM EST – Updated January 4 at 7:33 AM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – With all of the growth and development in the City of Wilmington one of the most common concerns residents have is the amount of open space left in the city. Open space requirements have typically been required of developers but definitions as well as requirements have not been uniform across the city – that could soon change.
Wilmington is moving forward with its massive overhaul of the Land Development Code and planning staff are looking to revise current requirements as well as better define open space.
“The proposed amendment would modify open space regulations for multifamily and some single-family development types that currently require open space, making the requirements and terminology consistent across these development types,” according to the proposed amendment.
Current city code requires various different types of open space depending on the different zoning type. For instance, multifamily-zoned developments require 35% of the tract be open space.
But if the new changes are approved that requirement would be cut down to 20% of the entire tract.
“The proposed changes would align the current open space requirements with those recently approved as part of the commercial district mixed use amendments, as well as what has been presented in the draft of the new Land Development Code,” according to planning staff. “The proposed amendment is intended to bring all open space standards in the new LDC into alignment Specifically, the proposed amendment would do the following:
- Define open space;
- Require a fixed percentage of open space;
- Establish more uniform dimensional parameters for dedicated open space;
- Clarify what may count towards open space;
- Move all open space standards to Article 7, Subdivision Regulations, with cross-references back to the open space section.”
The Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. where it will hear several items including the proposed changes to the open space requirements.
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