(A) Establishment and procedure of Planning Board.
(1) The Planning Board shall have all the powers and authority granted by G.S. Chapter 160D and subsequent provisions of law and any other powers and duties so delegated by the Board of County Commissioners.
(2) There shall be a quorum of three members for the purpose of taking any official action required by this chapter.
(3) The Planning Board shall elect one of its members as Chairperson and another as Vice-Chairperson. It shall be the duties of the Chairperson to conduct the meetings, address the County Commissioners as needed, sign documents as required, and function as the liaison with the Planning Department staff. In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall perform all duties of the Chairperson. At the regular meeting in January of each year, the Planning Board shall elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from its regular membership as the first order of business during its regular meeting. The term of office shall last for 12 months, beginning in January. Officers may serve consecutive terms. Any member who has served at least 12 months prior to the date of the elections is eligible to hold either office. Election of officers may be by secret ballot or by nomination and voice vote.
(B) Membership. The county’s Planning Board shall consist of five regular members and two alternates, for a total of seven members. Members shall be appointed by the county’s Commissioners with terms of office being set according to the rules of procedure for the Board of Commissioners (see division (C) below) as they may exist from time to time. Each commissioner district should be represented on the Planning Board by a regular member. Membership should be distributed throughout the county in as much as is practical. Alternates shall be designated as Alternate #1 and Alternate #2 and shall, when feasible, rotate service on the Board.
(C) Rules of procedure. The Board shall adopt rules and regulations as it may deem necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this section. These rules and regulations shall be designated in the by-laws of the county’s Planning Board, which shall be kept on file in the county’
(D) Powers and duties.
(1) Review and recommendation.
(a) Zoning map amendments to Official Zoning Map;
(b) Text amendments to this chapter;
(c) Text amendments to land use plan; and
(d) Prepare and make recommendations on plans, studies, and other items, as outlined in the by-laws of the county’s Planning Board.
(2) Final decision-making body.
(a) Appeals of the Development Review Board (DRB) and Subdivision Administrator, below, shall follow the same procedure outlined in § 153.279(C)(1);
(b) Appeal of Subdivision Administrator;
(c) Planned unit development (PUD) modification;
(d) Architectural standard design alternative;
(e) Parking landscaping plan alternative;
(f) Lighting standard plan alternative;
(g) Alternative buffers and screening plan;
(h) Office and institutional development plan; and
(i) Private streets and/or gated entrance review for standard subdivisions.
(Ord. passed 10-17-2011; Res. passed 4-16-2011; Res. passed 11-16-2020)