Appearance Commission Name Change (TC-8-23): This text change amends the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to change the name of the Appearance Commission to the Design Review Commission. Read the full draft ordinance.

Background information:

The North Carolina General Statutes N.C.G.S. 160D-960 call on Appearance Commissions “to provide leadership and guidance in matters of area or community design and appearance to individuals, and to public and private organizations, and agencies.” The Raleigh Appearance Commission assesses appearance issues as they relate to the city’s urban fabric, contextual design, cyclist and pedestrian safety, and other topics. The bulk of this work involves reviewing and approving Design Alternates, which are requests to deviate from certain urban design and transportation related development standards. The Appearance Commission believes the name Design Review Commission better aligns with their primary function and would help communicate their role to the public. If the text change is adopted, the Design Review Commission would still be considered an Appearance Commission under N.C.G.S. § 160D-304 and would retain any and all powers prescribed by North Carolina general and local law under N.C.G.S. § 160D, Article 9, Part 5, including the City Charter.

Public Meeting Schedule: 

This text change is scheduled for a Planning Commission meeting in January. The Commission may act on that date or refer to their next Text Change Committee for further discussion. We will be collecting comments here through January 18. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to Keegan McDonald at Keegan.McDonald@raleighnc.gov.