Rewriting our Rules: LUMO Update

At over 700 pages, the draft LUMO includes a lot of information. We're hosting a series of public office hours for anyone interested in learning more about the draft. Feel free to drop in with a quick question or stay a while and dig into the details.

Information for the first several office hours is listed below:

• Thursday, July 30 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Chapel Hill Library, Room D
• Friday, July 31 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. at Chapel Hill Library, Room C
• Monday, August 3 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Chapel Hill Library, Room C
• Thursday, August 6 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Chapel Hill Library, Room D
• Tuesday, August 11, from Noon - 2:00 p.m. at Chapel Hill Library, Room C

We'll share additional dates in the next few weeks.

As a reminder, we've created a high-level summary and reference guide to help you with your review of the draft.

Additional opportunities to learn more include:

• Stop by a drop-in open house at the library:
  • August 17 and September 10
  • 12 - 2 p.m. or 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Attend a meeting:
  • Planning Commission informal discussions: August 18 and September 1
  • Council work session: September 9 or September 16
  • Planning Commission legislative hearing: scheduled for October 6
  • Council regular meetings: scheduled for October 21 and November 18

We've released a draft of our updated LUMO, which is a comprehensive rewrite of regulations that guide how and where growth happens in Chapel Hill. We encourage you to review the draft, ask questions, and provide feedback before Council's formal consideration later this year. Here's how to learn more:

• Read the news release
• Review the document and comment on the draft
  • The draft itself is more than 700 pages, so we've created a high-level summary and reference guide to help you with your review.
• Stop by a drop-in open house at the library:
  • August 17 and September 10
  • 12 - 2 p.m. or 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Attend a meeting:
  • Planning Commission informal discussions: August 18 and September 1
  • Council work session: September 9 or September 16
  • Planning Commission legislative hearing: scheduled for October 6
  • Council regular meetings: scheduled for October 21 and November 18

At their April 8, 2026 work session, the Town Council agreed to a set of overarching interests and high-level goals to guide their upcoming conversations about the draft LUMO.

The three overarching interests are: Complete Community, Sustainability, and Equity.

The five high-level goals are:

1. User friendliness
2. Housing diversity, attainability, and supply
3. Economic development and land use
4. Built environment and public realm
5. Environment and resilience

Town staff will present Council with a summary of the updated LUMO and an overview of how it meets these goals during the June 17, 2026 Council meeting.

Meanwhile, Town staff are continuing to work on a draft of the updated LUMO and expect to release a public draft near the end of June. Over the summer, we’ll host several public meetings so that anyone interested in the updated LUMO can learn more about its contents, how it will meet Council’s stated goals, and how to provide feedback to the Town Council.

At their January 21, 2026, meeting, the Town Council adopted a package of amendments to the Chapel Town Code and Land Use Management Ordinance. The amendments eliminate mandatory minimum parking requirements, streamline development review processes, support missing middle housing production, and make other miscellaneous improvements to the Town’s land use rules.

A brief summary of the adopted changes is included below:

1. Site Plan Review:

1. Remove the “Site Plan Review” process for all projects.

2. Concept Plan Review:

1. Remove the “Concept Plan Review” process for all projects.

3. Conditional Zoning:

1. Streamline the conditional zoning process and application submission requirements.
2. Require that most conditional zoning approvals indicate the location of above-ground stormwater control measures.

4. Special Use Permits:

1. Allow projects with existing SUPs to add new permitted uses or development that is compliant with LUMO.

5. Two-Family Housing Options

1. Increase maximum size limits for duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and cottages.
2. Allow ADUs to be built

6. Parking Regulations

1. Eliminate mandatory parking minimums across town.

1. Ease front-yard parking restrictions for 1- and 2-family developments.

7. Subdivisions – Procedural Improvements

1. Make Town staff responsible for all subdivision approvals.
2. Better align the Town’s authority over subdivision approvals with state law.

8. Subdivisions – Lot Layout Standards

1. Reduce minimum lot sizes and related dimensional standards like setbacks and lot width.

1. Allow zero-frontage lots and flag lots.

9. Subdivisions – Infrastructure

1. Ease requirements for new lots on “local” streets to provide infrastructure improvements.

10. Manufactured Home Communities

1. Make existing manufactured home parks a permitted use.

11. Sign Regulations

1. Ease various sign regulations and update which types of signs are allowed in residential zoning districts.

12. Miscellaneous Updates

1. Allow multiple permitted uses on the same property.
2. Update the Town Code to allow shared driveways.

For more information about the new standards, please contact Tas Lagoo at tlagoo@townofchapelhill.org

The Town Council is scheduled to discuss - and potentially vote on - a set of amendments to the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) at its next regular meeting on January 21, 2026. A meeting agenda and related materials are available here. Regular Town Council meetings are open to the public and public comments are welcome.

The Town Council previously discussed these LUMO amendments during its meetings on October 22, 2025, November 19, 2025, and January 7, 2026.

On January 28, 2026, Town staff are expected to provide Town Council an update on the broader LUMO rewrite project. A meeting agenda and related materials will be available here approximately one week before the meeting.

During their January 7, 2026, work session, the Town Council continued to discuss a package of text amendments to the Land Use Management Ordinance and Town Code. Work sessions are for discussion only. Council does not take public comment or make any official decisions during work sessions. The amendments were previously discussed at Town Council meetings on October 22, 2025, and November 19, 2025.

Council will have the opportunity to continue their discussion and vote on the text amendments during their next regular meeting on January 21, 2026. A meeting agenda and other related materials will be posted here about one week before the meeting. Public comment is always welcome during regular meetings.

During their November 19, 2025, meeting, the Chapel Hill Town Council continued their discussion and voted on a set of text amendments to the Chapel Hill Town Code and Land Use Management Ordinance. The Town Council’s vote on the text amendments resulted in a tie: four members voted to approve the full set of amendments and four voted to deny.

Because of the tie vote, discussion of the text amendments will continue at the January 21, 2026, Town Council meeting. Details on the January 21 meeting will be available here approximately one week before the meeting.

The full LUMO rewrite is also still underway. Staff are currently working with a team of consultants to draft the new LUMO and will share status updates with Town Council in early 2026.

On October 22nd, the Chapel Hill Town Council will open the public hearing, receive public comment, and provide feedback on a set of text amendments to the Chapel Hill Town Code and Land Use Management Ordinance. Topics being discussed will include:

• Improvements to the Town's development review processes
• Opportunities to support housing production
• Ending mandatory minimum parking requirements
• Other technical improvements and corrections to the code

Details on the October 22, 2025 Town Council agenda item can be found here.

Council will continue the hearing on November 19, 2025.

At the May 28th Work Session, Town Council received a report on the progress of the LUMO updates as well as the Natural Features Model. Here’s the link to read the materials and/or watch the Council meeting video.