The “Watershed Protection” section of Jamestown’s LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE (LDO) was written in 2010. Many of the statutes referenced in the text have expired or were repealed years ago.
The Randleman Watershed Rules were mandated by the NC state assembly in 2020 for all jurisdictions in the Randleman Watershed, including Jamestown:
Even though the Town of Jamestown has not updated the text of its Land Development Ordinances with the 2020 Rules, the more stringent of the two (town ordinance and Randleman Rules) takes precedence if challenged.
Click HERE to see how the City of High Point’s Planning & Development Department updated its ordinances with the Randleman Rules in November, 2020:
Sue Homewood of the NC Division of Water Resources (now retired) outlined the unique protections under the Randleman Watershed Rules and Jordan Lake Nutrient Strategy in this presentation:
Another change under the 2020 Rules affects watershed variances. When a developer or land owner wants to do something that could negatively impact the watershed, they must request a variance. The 2020 Rules transferred variance authority from the administrative staff and technical review committees to the boards of adjustment (or, in the event there’s no board of adjustment, the planning board and NC Division of Water Resources).
For a minor variance, the technical review committee would review the variance application and make a recommendation to the planning board. The planning board delivers a decision within 60 days.
For a major variance, the planning board reviews the application, makes a preliminary decision, and then the application is noticed on the NC Division of Water Resources site for public comments with a decision by the Division to follow 30 days later [NCGS 15A NCAC 02B .0611]
Here are more differences between the two (Jamestown’s Land Development Ordinance and the Randleman Rules):
If you want to view the complete text of the old and new statutes listed in this next section, simply Google the statute number (like this: 15A NCAC 02B .0251). Each statute will have a “History Note” at the bottom of the page that tells you if you are looking at the most current version, or if the statute has been repealed, expired or transferred to a more current statute.
