What is RZ2022-02?

RZ2022-02 is a rezoning request in Elon NC that will increase the size of the Village Center (VC) zoning district at the corner of University Drive and Shallowford Church Road. RZ2022-02 will introduce over 40 conditional changes to that district and the Neighborhood Residential (NR) beside it. This is to create a new community called Parc Northwest and it deviates wildly from the existing Land Development Ordinance (LDO).

Why Do We Want to Stop RZ2022-02?

Development was always going to occur at this location and we welcome that growth as long it is done in a careful, thoughtful manner.

The conditions built into RZ2022-02 dramatically increase the amount of families and commercial businesses in this district. This will result in more traffic, congestion, noise, commute times, and parking lots. In doing so, the VC district will become a de facto Town Center (TC) district without being classified as such. We view this use of the LDO amendment as far beyond its scope.

The plan as written will see multiple four-story mixed-use apartment and commercial buildings built onsite beside existing homesteads and sub-urban residential. There is no community in Elon at this time with this level of density in this size of space.

Was There an Alternative?

Yes, there are two major ways this could have been handled.

A. The Town of Elon could have followed the traditional process of amending the Land Development Ordinance for Village Center (VCR) and Neighborhood Residential (NR) zones to align better with the Future Comprehensive Land Use Plans. The land owner, developer, and community could work together through that process to reach equitable agreement. This is a slower process with more community input and likely is the reason why the team behind Parc Northwest proposed adding the Conditional Zoning Amendment to our town's LDO and then proposed a rezoning with over 40 deviations from the existing zoning district.

B. The town of Elon could have used conditional zoning but at a much smaller scale. The town could have offered public hearings to gather community concerns and then included those concerns in the negotiations with the land owner and developer. That was not done. There is not a single major community driven condition in the current RZ2022-02 proposal.

Does This Impact Me?

If you live in the Town of Elon, absolutely, yes! If you review the Town Future Land Use Plan you'll get a picture for what the vision is. It is a vision for a far more urban, compact, and busy place with parking lots, traffic, and fewer trees. Your neighborhood may be the next one near a rezoning project and there are already future growth areas identified in the Land Use Plan.

As a citizen of Elon, you can also expect more traffic if these projects aren't handled in a thoughtful way that focuses on moving people and community engagement.

If RZ2022-02 is approved it will encourage rezoning to be done through conditions even when the variations are large enough that the traditional zoning processes is more proper.

How Can You Help?

A start is to sign this petition but in reality, this rezoning process began months ago. A calculated plan is in place to limit the ability of the local community to respond and push for change.

Consider calling members of the Elon Town Council and tell them you do not support RZ2022-02 and that you would like to see the rezoning completed under a more traditional zoning process.

Get the word out on social media! Let your fellow citizens know about the rezoning and the methods used to achieve it. Use the tag #StopParcNW and point your friends to this petition.

You can also stay up to date at http://StopParcNorthwest.com.