(A) The Planning Board shall prepare plans and coordinate the plans of the municipality and those of others so as to bring about a coordinated and harmonious development of the area. The Planning Board is designated as the planning agency for the revision of the zoning code of the town under the authority of G.S. § 160A-387. In addition, the Planning Board is directed and authorized:
(1) To prepare and from time to time amend and revise a comprehensive and coordinated plan for the physical development of the area. The comprehensive plan shall be the Planning Board’s recommendations to the Board of Commissioners for the development of the town, including, among other things, the general location, character and extent of streets, bridges, parkways, playgrounds, parks and other public ways, grounds and open spaces; the general location and extent of public utilities and terminals, whether publicly or privately owned or operated, for water, light, sanitation, transportation, communication, power and other purposes; the removal, relocation, widening, narrowing, vacating, abandonment, change of use or extension of any of the foregoing ways, buildings, grounds, open spaces, property, utilities or terminals; and the most desirable pattern of land use within the area;
(2) To establish principles and policies and recommend their adoption to the Board of Commissioners for guiding the action of development in the area. The Planning Board may prepare a capital improvements program and report its recommendations to the Board of Commissioners upon the extent, location and design of all public structures and facilities, on the acquisition and disposal of public properties and on the establishment of building lines, mapped street lines and proposals to change existing street lines in order to insure that the goals of the comprehensive plan are furthered by a coordinated and efficient expenditure of public funds;
(3) To prepare and recommend amendments to existing ordinances promoting orderly development of the area along the lines indicated in the comprehensive plan, including a zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. The Planning Board may initiate, from time to time, proposals for the amendment of the zoning code and the subdivision regulations based upon its studies and comprehensive plan. In addition, it shall review and make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners concerning all proposed amendments to the zoning code and subdivision regulations;
(4) To determine whether specific proposed developments referred to it by governmental or private agencies in the area conform to the principles and requirements of the comprehensive plan for the area and to make recommendations concerning them;
(5) To keep the Board of Commissioners and the general public informed and advised as to these matters and to make any other recommendations which it sees fit for improving the development of the area. In the development of these suggestions, the Planning Board shall acquire and maintain data and materials to show correlation of past, present and future needs and conditions;
(6) To perform any other duties which may be lawfully assigned to it.
(B) The Planning Board is authorized to appoint such committees and employees and to authorize such expenditures as it may see fit, subject to limitation of funds provided for the Planning Board by the Board of Commissioners in the town’s annual budget.
(C) The Planning Board may set up special committees to assist it in the study of specific problems.
(D) The Planning Board may provide a preliminary forum for review of quasi-judicial special use permit decisions, provided that no part of the forum or recommendation may be used as a basis for the deciding Board.
(E) The Planning Board may perform any of the actions authorized for municipal planning boards by G.S. § 160D-301, as amended.
(`88 Code, § 15-29) (Ord. passed 12-9-75; Am. Ord. 18-7, passed 6-14-21)