Meeting to be held at Catawba Valley Community College: Alexander Center beginning at 6:00pm. Meeting will be broadcast live on 860wacb.com
Commissioners discuss proposed Land Development Code amendments at work session
During a special work session on Monday, August 31, Alexander County Commissioners heard from Planning Director Patrick Creech regarding proposed text amendments to the county’s Land Development Code (LDC).
The proposed changes address issues identified since the LDC’s adoption in 2024 and incorporate updated county policies and state requirements.
Creech recommended bundling several issues into one update for consideration at an upcoming meeting of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners. The proposed amendments include the development plan process, commercial and industrial conditional zoning, feather flag regulations, manufactured home restrictions and an urban services overlay, a unified special events process, food truck regulations, multimodal plan recommendations, and an updated Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance.
Discussion began with the unified special events process, which would replace overlapping special event requirements with a single permitting process coordinated through the Planning Department and its Technical Review Committee. Creech said this would provide improved customer service for those planning special events in the county.
The next topic involved manufactured home restrictions and an urban services overlay. The proposed amendments would expand manufactured home opportunities in areas where they are currently restricted, while establishing an Urban Services Overlay District to maintain existing restrictions in areas served or planned to be served by public infrastructure. This change would significantly reduce the number of rezoning requests for residents wishing to place a manufactured home on their property and ease the process for residents.
Food truck regulations were the next topic of discussion. Creech said the existing code does not require food trucks to have a permit. He proposed that the county require food trucks to obtain an annual permit to operate in Alexander County. This change would assist Environmental Health staff in ensuring food trucks comply with applicable requirements.
Creech then provided recommendations for the multimodal plan, which would add pedestrian and bicycle connectivity requirements, including sidewalks or bikeable shoulders, shared-use connections, greenway easements, and marked pedestrian routes through large parking areas. There was some discussion about the current requirement for a sidewalk when constructing a new business. Creech said a bikeable shoulder could be an acceptable substitute.
He said the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance needs to be updated to reflect the March 2026 state model ordinance and current National Flood Insurance Program requirements.
The next topic was the development plan process. Creech said the Planning Department believes the county needs to clarify the distinction between master plans and development plans for major subdivisions, establish specific submittal requirements for each stage, and allow staff to approve development plans that are consistent with an approved master plan.
Commercial and industrial conditional zoning was the next topic of discussion. Creech recommended establishing a general conditional zoning process for commercial and industrial projects, allowing site-specific conditions to be considered as part of a rezoning while retaining an underlying base zoning district.
The next topic was feather flag regulations. The proposed amendments would remove the current prohibition on feather flags and allow their temporary use subject to standards for location, height, size, number, and applicable zoning districts.
Creech also proposed several smaller changes that could be incorporated into the same LDC update: revise floodplain requirements for docks, establish an expiration date for Technical Review Committee site plan approvals, remove mylar plat and physical copy requirements, update parking regulations to comply with changes in North Carolina law, and update residential appearance regulations to comply with changes in state law.
Along with the proposed amendments, planning staff recommends that the Board of Commissioners consider corresponding changes to the county’s fee schedule, including a food truck permit fee, special event permit fee, fee-in-lieu for required sidewalks or bikeable shoulders, and connectivity contribution for sidewalk gap closure.
Chairman Larry Yoder said the proposed LDC amendments are mostly common-sense changes.
“We appreciate the work of our Planning Department in identifying these issues and recommending practical solutions,” Yoder said. “These changes should help make the process clearer and more efficient for our residents and businesses while ensuring our regulations meet the needs of our county.”
The next regular meeting of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Monday, September 14, at 6:00 p.m. at the CVCC Alexander Center for Education (Room 103). Regular meetings are recorded and may be viewed on the county’s Government Channel (Spectrum Channel 192) or the county’s YouTube channel. Meeting agendas, minutes, videos, and additional information are available at alexandercountync.gov/commissioners.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE – Proposed FY28 Call for Projects, Federal Section 5310 Grant
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Section 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5339, 5307 and applicable State funding, or combination thereof.
This is to inform the public of the opportunity to attend a public hearing on the proposed FY28 Call for Projects, Federal Section 5310 Grant (Enhances Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program) application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation no later than October 2, 2026. The public hearing will be held on September 14, 2026 at 6:00 pm at the Alexander County Commissioners Room located at CVCC/Alexander Center, 345 Industrial Blvd, Taylorsville, NC 28681. Alexander County will provide auxiliary aids and services under the ADA for disabled persons who wish to participate in the hearing. Anyone requiring special services should contact Keri Jerrell, DSS Director at 828-352-7603 as soon as possible.
The goal of the Section 5310 program is to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities throughout the county, by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding transportation mobility options available. Toward this goal, FTA provides financial assistance for transportation mobility options available. Toward this goal, FTA provides financial assistance for transportation services planned, designed and carried out to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities in all areas. A senior is an individual who is 65 years of age or older and the term “disability” is defined in section 3(1) of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C 12012).
The Section 5310 Program provides grant funds for capital and operating expenses to recipients for:
*Public transportation projects planned, designed and carried out to meet he special needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities;
*Public transportation projects that exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et. Seq.);
*Public transportation projects that improve access to fixed route service and decrease reliance on complementary para-transit; and
*Alternatives to public transportation projects that assist seniors and individuals with disabilities with transportation.
The period of performance for 5310 funds is July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028. The FY2028 individual program totals are:
Total Amount
$194,592
Federal Amount
$155,673
State Match
$19,459
Local Match
$19,460
This application may be inspected at Alexander County Department of Social Services located at 604 7th Street SW, Taylorsville, NC 28681 from 9:00 am through 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Written comments should be directed to Keri Jerrell, DSS Director before Sept. 13 , 2026.
End of Notice
Cost Share Assistance Available for Water Quantity Practices on Agricultural Land
The Alexander Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is now accepting applications for the NC Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program (AgWRAP) for the 2026-2027 program year. This program provides cost share assistance for farmers to install Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address agricultural water quantity needs. Projects must be able to show that they have an agricultural need for more water in order to be eligible for this program (for example: no water or limited water resources onsite). In addition, the particular property must have been in agricultural production for at least one year prior to applying to be eligible. Potential BMPs available include: new wells, pond sediment removal, pond repair/retrofit, new pond construction, conservation irrigation, and other practices that address water availability on agricultural lands. If applying for a pond practice, the pond water must be needed for some agricultural use to be eligible.
Applications for AgWRAP will be accepted through July 31st, 2026. At the end of this batching period, all applications will be prioritized according to a locally adopted ranking process based on water quantity parameters. The applications providing the most water quantity benefits will be approved for funding in priority order. Any applications not funded this program year will be rolled over into the first batching period for next program year.
If you would like more information on our programs or wish to apply for funding, please contact Tyler Cornett with the SWCD office at 828-632-0638. Our office is located next to the Alexander County Services Center at 151 W Main Ave, Taylorsville, NC 28681.
The Alexander Soil & Water Conservation District to Hold Sign Up Period for Agriculture Water Quality Program Through July 31st
The Alexander Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) will be receiving funds to address water quality issues through the North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program for the 2026-2027 program year. These program dollars are allocated from the state to address non-point source pollution from agricultural activities. They are available to assist farmers in the installation of conservation practices which help decrease the amount of sediment, animal waste, nutrients, chemicals, and other potential pollutants from entering the surface and ground waters of the state. Landowners and operators that were in agricultural production prior to July 2023 may apply for cost share assistance to install Best Management Practices (BMPs) on their farm. These BMPs include: sediment & erosion control, stream bank stabilization, stream debris removal, litter storage structures, poultry composting facilities, livestock exclusion from streams in conjunction with alternative watering systems, stock trails and heavy-use areas for livestock in confined areas, and other practices that benefit water quality.
The Alexander SWCD office will be accepting applications through July 31st. At the end of this sign-up period, all applications will be prioritized according to a locally adopted ranking process based on water quality parameters. The applications providing the most water quality benefits will be approved for funding in priority order. Contact the staff at the Alexander Soil and Water Office, and they will be glad to assist you with the application process or any other conservation needs you may have.
If you would like more information on our programs or wish to apply for funding, stop by and visit the Alexander SWCD office. Located in the Alexander County Services Center at 151 West Main Avenue, Taylorsville, NC 28681 or give us a call at (828) 632-0638.