To: The Town of Leland Mayor, Town Council, and Planning Board

Residents should not have to constantly monitor public records, search municipal websites, or rely on word of mouth to discover that a major development is being proposed near their homes.

As Leland continues to grow, homeowners and residents deserve timely, direct notification of proposed developments that could affect their neighborhoods, property, drainage, traffic, and quality of life.

We are calling on the Town of Leland to adopt a local ordinance establishing clear, consistent notification requirements for proposed developments, including notification by developers to potentially affected homeowners and residents.

What we are asking for
We request that the Town of Leland establish the following requirements, to the extent permitted by North Carolina law:

1. Direct written notification. Require developers to notify homeowners within a reasonable distance of a proposed development, including residents of established neighborhoods that may be directly affected.

2. Early notification. Provide notice when a qualifying development application is submitted, rather than waiting until the project is approaching final approval. Residents should have sufficient time to review plans and raise concerns.

3. Clear development information. Notices should identify the developer, proposed land use, number of planned homes or buildings, proposed road connections, potential stormwater impacts, and dates of upcoming public meetings.

4. Public access to plans. Make development applications, site plans, drainage studies, and relevant supporting documents easily accessible through a centralized town website.

5. Meaningful opportunities for public input. Establish a process for residents to submit questions and concerns early enough for them to be considered during the development review process.

6. Developer accountability. Require developers to document their notification efforts and provide that information to the town before applicable approvals are issued.

Why this matters
Development does not happen in isolation. A project proposed on one piece of property can affect surrounding neighborhoods through increased traffic, changes to stormwater drainage, loss of natural buffers, and modifications to existing infrastructure.

Too often, residents discover these proposals only after plans have advanced through multiple stages of review.

By that point, homeowners may have very little time to research the project, obtain professional advice, understand its potential impacts, or organize their concerns.

Publicly available information is not the same as effective public notification.

Residents should not need extensive knowledge of municipal planning procedures or hours of free time to discover what is being proposed next door.

Growth and transparency should go hand in hand
This petition is not a demand to stop all development. It is a request for transparency, accountability, and reasonable communication between developers, the town, and the people who already call Leland home.

We ask the Town of Leland to review its existing development notification procedures and adopt additional local requirements that give affected residents a reasonable opportunity to understand proposed projects and participate in the process.

Sign this petition to request stronger development notification requirements and a more transparent planning process in Leland, North Carolina.
 
 
North Carolina General Statute §160D-602(e) expressly permits local zoning regulations to require applicants proposing zoning map amendments to communicate with neighboring property owners and residents.

§ 160D-602.  Notice of hearing on proposed zoning map amendments.

(a) Mailed Notice. - Subject to the limitations of this Chapter, an ordinance shall provide for the manner in which zoning regulations and the boundaries of zoning districts are to be determined, established, and enforced, and from time to time amended, supplemented, or changed, in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. The owners of affected parcels of land and the owners of all parcels of land abutting that parcel of land shall be mailed a notice of the hearing on a proposed zoning map amendment by first-class mail at the last addresses listed for such owners on the county tax abstracts. For the purpose of this section, properties are "abutting" even if separated by a street, railroad, or other transportation corridor. This notice must be deposited in the mail at least 10 but not more than 25 days prior to the date of the hearing. If the zoning map amendment is being proposed in conjunction with an expansion of municipal extraterritorial planning and development regulation jurisdiction under G.S. 160D-202, a single hearing on the zoning map amendment and the boundary amendment may be held. In this instance, the initial notice of the zoning map amendment hearing may be combined with the boundary hearing notice and the combined hearing notice mailed at least 30 days prior to the hearing.

(b) Optional Notice for Large-Scale Zoning Map Amendments. - The first-class mail notice required under subsection (a) of this section is not required if the zoning map amendment proposes to change the zoning designation of more than 50 properties, owned by at least 50 different property owners, and the local government elects to use the expanded published notice provided for in this subsection. In this instance, a local government may elect to make the mailed notice provided for in subsection (a) of this section or, as an alternative, elect to publish notice of the hearing as required by G.S. 160D-601, provided that each advertisement shall not be less than one-half of a newspaper page in size. The advertisement is effective only for property owners who reside in the area of general circulation of the newspaper that publishes the notice. Property owners who reside outside of the newspaper circulation area, according to the address listed on the most recent property tax listing for the affected property, shall be notified according to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.

(c) Posted Notice. - When a zoning map amendment is proposed, the local government shall prominently post a notice of the hearing on the site proposed for the amendment or on an adjacent public street or highway right-of-way. The notice shall be posted within the same time period specified for mailed notices of the hearing. When multiple parcels are included within a proposed zoning map amendment, a posting on each individual parcel is not required but the local government shall post sufficient notices to provide reasonable notice to interested persons.

(d) Repealed by Session Laws 2020-25, s. 13, effective June 19, 2020.

(e) Optional Communication Requirements. - When a zoning map amendment is proposed, a zoning regulation may require communication by the person proposing the map amendment to neighboring property owners and residents and may require the person proposing the zoning map amendment to report on any communication with neighboring property owners and residents.  (2019-111, s. 2.4; 2020-3, s. 4.33(a); 2020-25, ss. 13, 50(a), 51(a), (b), (d).)

 North Carolina General Assembly

For other types of development applications, the town would need to determine which additional notification requirements it can lawfully adopt.

I would also request a 30-day advance notification period wherever legally permissible, giving residents time to review plans before a hearing or significant approval.