Zoning and Land Use Regulation
When it comes to urban land use and zoning, everything is permitted except that which is prohibited. As communities prosper, land use policies become increasingly complex, so it’s hardly surprising that the Triangle’s robust growth during the recent decades has spurred the proliferation of county and municipal land use regulations. Traditional zoning has evolved into conditional uses, planned unit developments, neighborhood conservation districts, historic districts, downtown redevelopment districts and more. Subdivision regulations are books unto themselves. Our firm helps clients find their way through this Byzantine maze of rules. We assist them with proposals and applications and guide them through negotiations and hearings with local government officials and administrative boards who oversee land use, subdivision and zoning matters. In all such dealings our approach is to present our clients’ positions in a forthright and professional manner so they can achieve their development objectives while enhancing the communities in which we live.
Larry McBennett, who leads our land use practice, earned a masters degree from the prestigious Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill. He spent four years working with the National Association of Home Builders, primarily on land use and environmental regulation. He also managed a revolving fund to purchase and rehabilitate endangered historic properties in North Carolina.