The first three titles of the revised Boone Unified Development Ordinance draft are now available online for review in advance of a public workshop on Thursday, Feb. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The workshop is the first of three to be held at the Council Chambers at 1500 Blowing Rock Road to gather feedback on the proposed document before the Boone Town Council adopts the revisions later in the spring. To read the first three titles, download the document from the link to the right of this web page.

The Planning & Inspections Department, Boone Town Council, Planning Commission and town attorney have worked on revisions to the UDO and its Table of Permissible Uses since October 2010. The Table of Permissible Uses is a table in the UDO listing all the property uses permitted in the town's jurisdiction and the zoning districts in which they are permitted.

The reorganization of the UDO includes clarification of definitions, elimination of inconsistencies and redundancies and restructuring of articles by topics.

Planning staff have said that they hope to increase the number of uses that are permitted by right and decrease the number of uses that require a special use permit, which requires a public hearing and Board of Adjustment approval. Staff members have also added many new types of uses to the table.

The first three titles outline general provisions, review and approval procedures and enforcement. The Table of Permissible Uses is expected to be released as part of the second "piece" of the revised UDO before the second workshop.

After the Feb. 28 workshop, the next scheduled workshops are March 6 and March 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Council Chambers.

After the workshops, staff will incorporate feedback and revise the document prior to a public hearing. The council could adopt the new UDO as early as April, but town leaders acknowledged it could take more time.

For more information, call (828) 268-6200.