A two-day planning workshop will be held April 23 and 24, next Wednesday and Thursday, at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center as the next step in the process to develop a new land use plan for the central area of Cabarrus County.
Currently, Cabarrus County and the cities of Concord and Kannapolis have zoning and development plans for portions of this area, but the plans differ greatly.
By the local governments working together along with residents of the area, this planning process provides an opportunity for the cities and the county to reach an agreement on development and utility issues for this area.
It also gives the residents some certainty of how the area will or will not be developed in the future. County officials say the goal is to create a plan acceptable to everyone so there will not be zoning changes with any future annexations.
The central area covers about 39,200 acres of low density, rural and semi-rural residential and agricultural communities in eastern Cabarrus.
Generalized boundaries include Rowan County to the north, Irish Potato Road and Cold Springs Road to the east, portions of Rocky River Road to the south/southwest, and the cities of Harrisburg, Concord and Kannapolis to the west.
Several stakeholder groups will meet with planning consultants all day Tuesday and Wednesday, April 22 and 23, before the larger workshop.
Participants will review the comments from earlier community meetings as well as research data prepared by the consultants. The stakeholder groups will use these results to begin creating consensus regarding the best zoning restrictions and regulations for this area.
The community is invited to view the progress of this planning process and provide feedback. The meetings will focus the discussion on generating, refining and ranking alternative plan concepts for the study area.
Meeting times have been set aside for people who live in northern and southern part of the area in question. They are:
– 6:30 p.m. April 23 for property owners north of N.C. 49.
– 6:30 p.m. April 24 for residents south of N.C. 49.
The community also is welcome to drop in and observe the daytime group discussions April 22 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. or from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and April 23 from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The Cabarrus Arena and Events Center is located at at 4751 N.C. 49 in Concord.
An open house and presentation of the draft Central Area Land Use Plan will be held May 22, a Thursday, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center, 65 Church St. SE, Concord.
For a detailed map of the central area under study and additional information about the planning process, log on to www.cabarruscounty.us/commerce/longrangeplanning/centralareaplan.html.
Or you can call the Cabarrus County Department of Commerce, at 704-920-2141, or the City of Concord Neighborhood and Business Services, at 704-920-5143.