SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council approved its half of a non-annexation agreement with Spencer during a regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

In 2022, the Rowan County Planning Department requested municipalities along the rapidly-developing Interstate 85 corridor to implement non-annexation agreements between the towns, which set definite “growth areas” for the town.

The proposed boundary follows East Ridge Road in the north until it turns south and follows along Garrick Road. The border would then turn west on 7th Street before cutting south before Old Mocksville Road. The boundary would then follow Grants Creek to the east until it reaches a point where the two municipalities’ limits already intersect.

The agreements are intended to give incoming developers a clear understanding of what town to request water, sewer and other services from.

State laws do not allow municipalities to require or initiate annexation, so the agreement only makes it so that property owners know which municipality to go to if they require services and are in between Salisbury and Spencer.

Planning and Neighborhood Director Hannah Jacobson said that state statutes can often create convoluted annexation boundaries, and the agreements help the city avoid that.

“If you were to strictly follow the state statute, you might have a line that bisects a parcel in two. Or, you have a moving target, as a corporate limit expands that boundary between municipalities also might shift. So, these annexation agreements really do provide an opportunity for predictability and fair and thoughtful processes,” said Jacobson.

As part of the discussions between the towns, Jacobson said Salisbury planning staff agreed to several planning principles with Spencer Planning Director Steve Blount. The principles included:

• The boundary should avoid splitting parcels.
• The boundary should respect the current ETJ boundaries except when the ETJ splits parcels.
• The boundary should follow center lines of roads as much as possible.
• The boundary should reflect each municipality’s ability to provide services, especially fire.
• The boundary should consider the suitability of land for urban densities.
• The boundary should contemplate each municipality’s ability to grow in the future.

After Jacobson’s presentation, the members of the city council voted unanimously to approve their half of the non-annexation agreement.

“It’s good for both Salisbury and Spencer, and even more so for property owners in the Garrick Road area whose lots are currently split between both communities’ ETJ,” said Spencer Mayor Jonathan Williams. “It cleans up some of those split ETJs and provides clarity should property owners wish to voluntarily annex in the future. It gives us clear growth boundary expectations and helps us better focus on areas of potential development.”

The item is on the agenda for Tuesday night’s board of aldermen meeting and Williams said he anticipates the item will pass.

Elisabeth Strillacci contributed to this story.