Treatment Plants (TC-6-22)
Treatment Plants (TC-6-22)
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants (TC-6-22): This text change amends the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to permit government-owned water and wastewater treatment plants as a Limited Use in the R-1, IX- and IH- districts. New and expanded facilities would be evaluated as a Tier 1 Site Plan. Read the full draft ordinance.
Background information:
Prior to the adoption of the UDO in 2013, in all residential zoning districts, governmental treatment plants, such as the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant, were permitted as general uses and non-governmental treatment plants were conditional (limited) uses. Under the UDO, treatment plants of any kind are not permitted in any residential zoning district, thereby making E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant a nonconforming use. The nonconforming use designation enforces strict limitations on the continued operation of the plant, as well as any redevelopment or expansion needed to meet increasing service demands. This was an unintended consequence and TC-6-22 would allow treatment plants in the R-1 district.
Current Rules:
Currently, treatment plants are considered a heavy industrial use and are only permitted in the Heavy Industrial (IH-) district by-right. While there are no use standards, there are general protective yard (landscaping and screening) requirements for the IH- district. Approximately 3% of the land area in Raleigh is zoned IH- and it is often situated apart from residential districts and/or uses.
Proposed Text Change:
The proposed text change would permit government-owned water and wastewater treatment plants as a Limited Use in the R-1, IX-, and IH- districts. There would be two use standards associated with this use: 1) that the treatment plant is owned and/or operated by a governmental entity and 2) no building exceeding a height of 40 feet and/or three stories would be permitted within 100 feet of a property line of an adjacent parcel not owned by the relevant governmental entity. If located within a Watershed Protection Overlay District (WPOD) the use would only require 15% of the subject lot to be forested, instead of the standard 40%. Lastly, new, and expanded facilities would aways be evaluated as a Tier 1 Site Plan.
Public Meeting Schedule:
This text change is scheduled for a Planning Commission meeting in December. The Committee may act on that date or refer to their next Text Change Committee for further discussion. We will be collecting comments here through December 5. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to Keegan McDonald at Keegan.McDonald@raleighnc.gov.