Department Approval of Development Projects
Certain project proposals are eligible for administrative department approval and not subject to the development process outlined below. These projects generally meet all land use and Land Development Ordinances restrictions. Please contact the Planning & Zoning Department at 704-888-5260 for more information.
Residential Development Process
To increase transparency the City Council has initiated a development process designed to keep residents informed as new developments are proposed, reviewed, changed and, finally, approved or denied.
Step 1: Planning Staff Review Meeting
When a developer approaches the City to discuss a new residential development project, they are required to meet with City staff to determine if the project meets the City zoning and development ordinance restrictions. During this initial meeting, staff answers questions from the developer and provides instructions on how to move forward in the development process.
Following the initial meeting, City staff receives project submittal application and supporting documents from the developer. The application and supporting documents are also sent to partner agencies, as applicable, for feedback. Partner agencies include:
- NC DOT – Division #10
- Stanly County Utilities
- NC Department of Environmental Quality
- West Stanly Fire Department
- Stanly/Cabarrus County Schools
- Stanly/Cabarrus Planning Departments
The Planning & Zoning Department reviews the application and supporting documents for items such as compliance with the Locusts NC Land Development Ordinance, site play lay out, road width, open space requirements, street requirements, sidewalks, etc. During this time, City Council may meet with the developer one-on-one or in small groups (no more than 3 Council members at a time) to discuss the project’s alignment with the Town’s vision for growth.
Input from the City and partner agencies is summarized and emailed to the developer. Development application and supporting documents are then revised based on this feedback, and prepared for presentation to the Locust Planning & Zoning Board Meeting.
Step 2: Planning & Zoning Board Meeting
The Planning and Zoning Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Locust City Hall. All meetings are open to the public. The Board makes recommendations to the City Council on rezoning cases, major subdivisions and text amendments to the Locust, NC Land Development Ordinance. The Planning and Zoning Board does not make final decisions; they are an advisory board whose purpose is to make recommendations to the City Council regarding land use decisions.
At the Planning & Zoning Board meeting, the Board can take 3 actions related to the proposed project: recommend approval; recommend approval with changes (conditional changes); or recommend against approval.
Following the Planning & Zoning Board meeting, a public hearing is scheduled at the next City Council meeting. The notice of the public hearing is published in the Stanly News & Press once a week for two successive calendar weeks, with the first notice being published not less than ten or more than twenty-five days before the hearing.
Step 3: City Council Meeting
The City Council hears the proposed project at the next regularly scheduled meeting on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM in Locust City Hall. A rezoning sign is posted on the property under consideration two weeks prior to the City Council meeting. All meetings of the Locust City Council are open to the public.
At the meeting, the City staff presents the project with a brief summary description and reports the recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Board. A public hearing is held, during which time the public is invited to speak for or against the proposed project. The Locust City Council then votes on the proposed project. Council may approve the application, approve with conditional changes, defer the application while requesting more information on the project, or deny the application.
If the application is deferred, the project is brought back to City Council once the additional information is available.