(a) Any zoning map amendment, zoning text amendment or amendment to other development regulation is subject to legislative review and approval by the Dare County Board of Commissioners. A zoning map amendment is the process used to rezone or change the specific zoning classification that applies to one parcel or multiple parcels. A zoning text amendment is a revision made to the text of the Zoning Ordinance involving the list of permitted uses or special uses allowable in a zoning district or the adoption or revision of regulations that apply to zoning districts as a whole. Amendments may be initiated by the Board of Commissioners, by the Planning Director upon consultation with the Board of Commissioners, or by any landowner in unincorporated Dare County. Applications for a zoning amendment shall be made in writing to the Dare County Planning Director on an application provided for such a process. The application shall be signed by all property owners or their duly authorized agents.
(b) No amendment to zoning regulations or a zoning map that down-zones property shall be initiated nor shall it be enforceable without the written consent of all property owners whose property is the subject of the down-zoning amendment, unless the down-zoning amendment is initiated Dare County. For purposes of this section, down-zoning means a zoning ordinance that affects an area of land in one of the following ways: 1) by decreasing the development density of the land to be less dense than was allowed under its previous usage; 2) by reducing the permitted uses of the land that are specified in a zoning ordinance or land development regulation to fewer uses than were allowed under its previous usage. (S.L. 2019-111, Part 1, Method of procedure)
(Ord. passed 6-21-2021)