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Bill Summary · SB 932

Summary of SB 932 (2025 Session) – Winston-Salem/Forsyth Co. Planning & Zoning (North Carolina)

Purpose and Intent

  • Authorizes the City of Winston-Salem to delegate certain rezoning authority to a joint City-County Planning Board, while preserving appeal rights and final review with the City Council.
  • Aims to streamline and coordinate planning and zoning decisions between Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, with emphasis on housing affordability through incentives.

Key Provisions and Changes

  • Delegation of Rezoning Authority

    • The City may by ordinance confer the authority for rezoning (including related site plan amendments) to the joint City and County Planning Board.
    • The City Council will establish rules, regulations, and guidelines for how the Planning Board exercises this delegated authority.
    • Rights of appeal and final review remain with the City Council.

  • Zoning Authority Scope

    • The act preserves the City Council’s power to regulate zoning within Winston-Salem’s boundaries and its three-mile extension zone.
    • The Planning Board would handle recommendations for rezonings and revisions to existing zoning ordinances, in accordance with the City’s zoning ordinance and amendments.

  • Density Bonuses and Housing Incentives

    • The City may provide density bonuses or equivalent financial incentives to developers who:
    • Construct multifamily or single-family housing for rent or sale to low- or moderate-income households, or
    • Donate land for housing development for low- or moderate-income residents.
    • The specifics of eligibility, standards, and administration would be set forth in the enabling ordinance.

  • Use Districts and Rezoning Process

    • The bill affirms Winston-Salem’s authority to create general use districts (permitting a range of uses) and special use districts (permitting specific uses with conditions).
    • Petitioners for rezoning can choose:
    • General use district zoning: allows a range of permitted uses; petitioner cannot specify the intended use in petitions or hearings; Board evaluates the range of uses.
    • Special use district zoning: petitioner must specify the intended use; approval is based on that specific use and may include conditions.
    • Special use permits, once issued, are treated as legislative acts, with conditions that may include location, density, parking, buffers, timing, and potential automatic reversion to prior zoning under certain events.

  • Special Planning and Zoning Boundaries

    • Zoning within Winston-Salem’s three-mile area may be extended by ordinance to be aligned with the city’s development plan.
    • Authority to regulate beyond city limits up to three miles requires Forsyth County Board of Commissioners’ approval for certain actions.

  • Definitions and Terminology

    • The act clarifies and standardizes terms related to amendments and maps within the Winston-Salem zoning framework.

Who is Affected

  • City: Winston-Salem, including its City Council/Board of Aldermen and City Planning Board.
  • County: Forsyth County, in interaction with the joint planning board.
  • Developers, property owners, and residents in Winston-Salem (including areas within three miles of the city limits) who seek zoning changes or benefit from density bonuses and housing incentives.
  • Housing-affordability stakeholders and housing authorities involved in low- and moderate-income housing developments.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

  • Effective Date: The act becomes law upon passage (no retroactive or delayed start specified).
  • Local Authority: The key procedural shift is the potential delegation to the joint Planning Board, with final review retained by the City Council.
  • Process for Rezonings: Clear choices between general vs. special use zoning petitions, each with distinct review standards and potential conditions.
  • Appeals: The City Council retains appeal rights and final review, ensuring local legislative oversight.
  • Boundary Extensions: Any extension of zoning authority beyond city limits to the three-mile area requires Forsyth County’s approval as specified.

Notes

  • This is a local act limited to the City of Winston-Salem and its immediate planning jurisdiction.
  • The bill emphasizes housing affordability through density incentives and land donations, aligning zoning policy with public welfare goals.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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