ABOUT OUR OFFICE
The Central Regional Office provides planning services to an eighteen county region consisting of the eastern Piedmont area extending north from Chatham, Wake, Johnston, and Wayne Counties to the North Carolina/Virginia state line. While this service region includes the rapidly growing area of the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), our services focus on smaller communities beyond the urbanized area of the Triangle. Our staff has expertise in long-range planning and visioning, the development and implementation of land use ordinances, annexation and incorporation, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), strategic planning, downtown revitalization, and North Carolina planning statutes. We also provide customized training programs to local planning boards, boards of adjustment, and governing boards.
To request planning services from the Central Regional Office, please contact John Morck, Chief Planner, at (919) 733-2850.
MEET OUR STAFF
The Central Regional Office staff includes five Planners, a GIS Specialist, and an Office Assistant. For more information on our staff, including their backgrounds, interests, and areas of expertise, please see our Staff Bios.
HOW TO FIND US
Our office is located in Raleigh along with the main office for the Division of Community Assistance. For parking and directions, click here.
| Mailing Address: |
Physical Address: |
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4313 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4313
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1307 Glenwood Ave., Suite 250
Raleigh, NC 27606
Tel: (919) 733-2850
Fax: (919) 733-5262 |
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
The Central Regional Office has a diverse project portfolio that includes the following projects:
- Town of Micro Zoning Ordinance Comprehensive Update
- Churton Street Corridor Strategic Plan, Hillsborough, NC
- Orange Breckenridge Redevelopment Plan, Henderson, NC
- Town of Whitakers Land Use Plan and Development Ordinances
- Town of Franklinton Strategic Plan
- Northampton County 21st Century Initiative
- Town of Spring Hope Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance
CRO NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
With the assistance of Central Regional Office planner Lee Nichols, the Town of Halifax recently adopted a vision statement and future land use map. The vision statement describes how the Town of Halifax would like to look 15 to 20 years down the road. This vision statement is something the town will strive for, it essentially articulates the long-range goals of the town. The future land use map takes that vision and translates it into what the town might look like physically. This concept map demonstrates desirable development patterns for the town over the future. In addition, Mr. Nichols assisted the Town of Mount Olive with updating the town’s sign ordinance. The goals of the revision are to:
Aid the public and town staff with clear and decisive sign regulation information
Provide staff with an understandable tool to make efficient administrative decisions
Amend downtown signage to be compatible with a vibrant downtown business district
Improve the visual appearance of business corridors with consistent sign regulations.
The Central Regional Office helped the City of Oxford prepare its first comprehensive plan. With assistance from CRO staff, the Oxford Vision Committee developed a community vision and goals for the future and recommended strategies for how to achieve them. The Plan was recently adopted by the City Board of Commissioners and will be used by city officials, developers, and citizens to guide future development decisions. Also, it will serve as the foundation for the City’s development regulations and programs.
The Central Regional Office provided meeting facilitation assistance to Franklin County to gather public feedback on the County's land use plan. A series of five meetings were held in Franklinton, Bunn, White Level, Louisburg, and Youngsville in November and December of 2007. Planners gathered feedback from county residents on key issues pertaining to growth and development. DCA conducted a Visual Preference Survey (VSP), consisting of a series of images of urban and rural development patterns and uses for which participants will be asked to express their likes and dislikes. The purpose of the VSP was to identify a community consensus on how the county should look and grow in the future. Specific recommendations for development standards will be included in the plan based on the results of the VSP. In addition, the public meetings involved an issues identification brainstorming session and a future land use mapping exercise.