Events & Projects

County Commissioners consider overlay for Exit 42

On March 16th at 7:00, the county commissioners will consider the proposed zoning ordinance changes that would affect the Hwy 21 corridor between Troutman’s Planning jurisdiction (at the northern end) and Westmoreland Road (at the southern end).  The meeting will take place at the Iredell County Government Center at 220 S. Center St. in Statesville. 

Read a draft of the proposed Exit 42 RPO.

Land Development Code

Over the next year the Planning & Development Department will be working on a new Land Development Code, or LDC.  It will replace the current zoning, subdivision, and other land development ordinances and will contain some new regulations, because the newly-adopted 2030 Horizon Plan directed the county to create new policies.  The new regulations will affect future development.  Citizens are encouraged to review the code, chapter by chapter, as the chapters become available on this page.  Shortly after each chapter becomes available online, the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners will be reviewing it at their respective public meetings.

County Adopts 2030 Horizon Plan!

The Horizon Plan ‘is a guide to decision-making regarding the future of Iredell County’. Click the image above to view the plan.

Learn About the Carolina Thread Trail

Iredell County is developing a county-wide greenway master plan as part of the Carolina Thread Trail initiative.  The Carolina Thread Trail is a network that links fifteen counties together with sidewalks, bike routes, equestrian trails, greenways, and blueways (kayak trails).  Please visit http://www.carolinathreadtrail.org/overview/vision.html to learn about the project.  Soon there will be opportunities for the public to get involved.

Lake Norman Regional Bicycle Plan

NCDOT contracted with Centralina Council of Governments to create a plan for a bike route around Lake Norman. The route will cover over one hundred miles and pass through destinations that are valuable to tourists and locals, like Davidson College and Bill’s Marina.  Sidetrip destinations like Davesté Vineyards and Lowe’s YMCA are highlighted too in the brochure and route map.  Many agencies and citizens participated in creating this plan and it is now near adoption.

Attention Mooresville Developers:  Submit Erosion Control Plans to the Iredell County Building Standards Center in Statesville.  Iredell County has assumed erosion control jurisdiction of Mooresville, Statesville, and Troutman, as well as every part of Iredell County except Harmony.  Harmony developers:  continue to submit erosion control plans to the DENR office in Mooresville.

On February 11, 2009, at the Centralina Council of Governments 4th Annual Region of Excellence Awards Banquet in Charlotte, the Department of Planning & Development was the recipient of the Region’s Excellence in Planning & Sustainability Award. Ron Smith, Planning Director, accepted the award on behalf of the department, accompanied with Ken Robertson, Commissioner, and Steve Warren, Assistant Planning Director. The Excellence in Planning & Sustainability category recognizes a local government jurisdiction for its excellence in local planning and its willingness to address and implement growth-related needs and other comprehensive planning initiatives.

In receiving this award, the department was recognized for its work in the development of the Iredell County Growth Report, a document containing growth management proposals geared toward dealing with the problems brought on by relatively uncontrolled growth. This study on comprehensive growth included both short and long term projects. Lead by the efforts of a diligent staff and solid leadership, the department was able to coordinate multiple projects in a collective effort. During this time period, the department was credited for initiating and undertaking the NC 3, Exit 42 and Perth Road studies as well as its work on the 2030 Horizon Plan and the Subdivision Ordinance rewrite.

County Commissioners approve Farmland Protection Plan on October 7th.

Farmers make contributions to the local economy in the form of product sale receipts and expenditures, and as stewards of the remaining amounts of undeveloped land (often called “open-space”) in the county.  For these reasons, it is in the county’s interest to promote the local agricultural industry and protect farmland.  Enabling farmers who want to continue to farm is a cost effective way of maintaining the quality of life of everyone in Iredell County.

On October 7th the Board of Commissioners approved the Countywide Farmland Protection Plan.  The plan details a number of local, state, and federal farmland preservation programs already in effect, and suggests a number of new strategies the county can implement to preserve farmland.  Suggested strategies in the plan include:

• Offer workshops to farmers on business planning and development, research, marketing, financing, conservation funding, and estate planning
• Creation of a website and other print publications to identify locally grown products.  This website can also be used by farmers to identify purchasing opportunities and renting of land
• Provide real estate brokers and lawyers with Voluntary Agricultural District maps, the above “neighbor relations” packet, and printed disclosure notices of agricultural operations and encourage them to share these materials with their clients.
• Create an easy to understand brochure on the realities of living in agricultural areas and make available for distribution, and add such information to the county website.
• Tailor zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations to guide growth away from farming areas and buffer farms from neighboring land uses.
• Implement development guidelines that include soil classifications as criteria for prioritizing agricultural land
• Foster Greater Recognition and Public Support for Agriculture

The meeting is at 7:00 in the Commissioner’s Chambers-200 S Center St, Statesville.

 Demographic Forecast to 2015

Frank Warren and Associates has developed a forecast of Iredell County population between 2007 and 2015.  This data is broken into high school attendance zones and census tracts.  The initial intent of the project was help the local school systems to forecast approximately how many new students each school will receive.  However, the County will utilize this study for general future planning purposes as well.  This was a joint project that was contributed to and funded by Iredell County, Statesville, Mooresville, Troutman, Iredell-Statesville Schools, and the Mooresville Graded School District.

2007-2015 Demographic Forecast
Summary of Demographic Forecast (PowerPoint presentation)

 New Floodplain Maps

FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) updated the floodplain maps (called FIRM maps) for Iredell County, and the Iredell County Commissioners were required to approve the new maps and a new Floodplain Ordinance to continue to be eligible to receive FEMA emergency assistance.  The Iredell County Commissioners adopted these map and ordinance changes in January.  The newly adopted FIRMs are more accurate than the FIRMs the county had been using because of advances in mapping technology.