Complaints are on the rise from current Sanford residents regarding the several new subdivisions and planned communities in the works in Sanford and Lee County in the coming months and years. The Sanford/Lee County Planning Department is giving residents a chance to voice their concerns and offer their suggestions.

The group is asking for public input on the final draft of its Unified Development Ordinance Amendments for new residential development, according to a press release from the City of Sanford today. The city says it wants an ordinance that ultimately does the following:

  • Creates a code for development that is focused on what the community desires rather than what is not allowed.
  • Focuses regulations on how residential development appropriately addresses the public realm.
  • Promotes a spectrum of affordable housing in both existing and future neighborhoods, with an emphasis on providing missing middle-income housing.
  • Identifies opportunities to streamline the development review and approval process to the extent feasible.
  • Creates best practices for development regulations that are effective, practical, and defensible.

Draft sections can be viewed, printed or downloaded from the City of Sanford website at www.sanfordnc.net/udo-amendments. Located on the same page is a comment form for the public to provide feedback. The form will close on July 31.

All submissions will be consolidated for staff to provide responses. Those responses will be published for public viewing.

The Planning Committee will hold two public drop-in sessions on the proposed residential text amendments at the Buggy Company Building, located at 115 Chatham Street in Sanford. The sessions will be 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, July 21 and Thursday, July 28.

Access the plan at www.plansanlee.com.