North Carolina SB 932: Winston-Salem/Forsyth Co. Planning and Zoning.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 932

Short Title: Winston-Salem/Forsyth Co. Planning & Zoning. (Local)
Sponsors: Senator Lowe (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
April 30, 2026
*S932-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM TO DELEGATE REZONING 2
AUTHORITY TO THE JOINT CITY-COUNTY PLANNING BOARD SUBJECT TO 3
APPEAL AND FINAL REVIEW RETAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. Section 23 of Chapter 677 of the 1947 Session Laws, as amended by 6
Section 1(d) of Chapter 777 of the 1953 Session Laws, Section 1 of Chapter 381 of the 1973 7
Session Laws, Section 1 of Chapter 587 of the 1993 Session Laws, Section 1 of Chapter 588 of 8
the 1993 Session Laws, and Section 1 of S.L. 1999-98, reads as rewritten: 9
"Sec. 23. Zoning. The city City and the county County may by ordinance jointly or separately 10
confer upon the joint City and County Planning Board the authority and the duty of 11
recommending revisions of existing zoning ordinances or preparing new zoning ordinances or 12
resolutions for the city City or county County, or any portion thereof, in accordance with the 13
present zoning ordinance of the City of Winston-Salem and any amendments thereto and in 14
accordance with the authority for county zoning as herein authorized. The City may also by 15
ordinance confer the authority for the rezoning of property, including site plan amendments, to 16
the joint City and County Planning Board. The City Council shall establish rules, regulations, 17
and guidelines under which this authority shall be exercised by the joint City and County 18
Planning Board, and the City Council shall provide appropriate rights of appeal and final review. 19
The Board of Aldermen City Council of the City of Winston-Salem is hereby empowered, in 20
accordance with the conditions and procedure specified in this act, by ordinance to regulate in 21
any portion or portions of the City of Winston-Salem the uses of buildings and structures for 22
trade, industry, residence, recreation, public activities or other purposes, and the uses of land for 23
trade, industry, residence, recreation, agriculture, water supply conservation, soil conservation, 24
forestry or other purposes. 25
For the purpose of increasing the availability of housing for persons of low or moderate 26
income, and thereby promoting the public safety and welfare, the City may by ordinance provide 27
a density bonus or other incentives of equivalent financial value to a developer of housing if that 28
developer agrees to construct multifamily residential units or single family residential units for 29
rent or sale to persons of low or moderate income, or to donate land to the City or the City of 30
Winston-Salem Housing Authority to be used for the purpose of the development of housing for 31
persons of low or moderate income, in the manner, and in accordance with the standards, 32
requirements, and regulations specified therein. For the purposes of this paragraph, 'density 33
bonus' means a density increase over the otherwise maximum allowable residential density under 34
the applicable zoning classification. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 932-First Edition
For any or all these purposes, the City may divide its territorial jurisdiction into districts of 1
any number, shape, and area that may be deemed best suited to carry out the purposes of this 2
section; and within those districts it may regulate and restrict the erection, construction, 3
reconstruction, alteration, repair or use of buildings, structures, or land; those regulations may 4
also provide for density bonuses or other financial incentives to developers as specified 5
hereinabove. All regulations shall be uniform for each class or kind of buildings throughout each 6
district, but the regulations in one district may differ from those in other districts; provided, 7
however, that the City may provide for the creation of special use districts in addition to general 8
use districts. 9
It is the purpose and intent of this section to permit Winston-Salem to create general use 10
districts in which a variety of uses are permitted, and to also create special use districts in which 11
a single use is permitted upon the issuance by the Board of Aldermen City Council of a special 12
use permit prescribing the conditions under which such use will be permitted. 13
A person petitioning for rezoning of a tract of land, where special use districts are authorized 14
by ordinance, may elect to request general use district zoning for said tract, or he may elect to 15
request special use district zoning for said tract. 16
If he elects to petition for general use district zoning, he may not refer, either in his petition 17
or at any hearings related to the petition, to the use intended for the property upon rezoning. The 18
Board of Aldermen City Coun