High Point’s current zoning and development ordinance is called the Development Ordinance (DO), and it regulates development of land across the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). At the end of the update process, this document may be recodified as a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).

A Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) describes when rules and regulations for many topics that govern how land may be used and developed in a jurisdiction are codified together. A UDO typically includes provisions on zoning, development, and subdivision regulations in one cohesive document.

Development Ordinances need to be updated when they shift out of alignment with the community vision or when they have accumulated errors and inconsistencies in minor amendments over time.

The City of High Point adopted the High Point 2045 Comprehensive Plan in May 2024. This updated vision for the community guides decision-making on different topics including development. The DO update process will ensure revised regulations are consistent with the new guidance in High Point 2045, including a Growth Framework with policies calling for the creation of mixed-use activity centers, new place types, preserved open space, and enhancements to urban design.

In addition to implementing the comprehensive plan, this update will clarify language in the ordinance and modernize regulations.

Though the entirety of the Development Ordinance will be reexamined, this is an update process rather than a full re-write and many rules and standards that work now will remain unchanged.

The Development Ordinance Update covers topics such as:

• Zoning districts, including allowable uses and dimensions in each district
• Development review procedures
• Development standards, including (but not limited to) landscaping, parking, and signs
• Environmental protection
• Subdivision regulations
• And more!

You may visit the timeline on this website for the latest updates on the project. This website will also share updates on various community engagement events and how you can get involved in the process.

To receive periodic updates by email or text, subscribe to the Development Ordinance Update list on the City’s Notify Me webpage.

The City of High Point Planning & Development Department is organizing the effort to update the DO. The City has also secured a consultant, Inspire Placemaking Collective. Inspire is a team of planning and urban design experts with extensive experience in providing development ordinance updates to municipalities across the Southeast, with an office in Durham, NC. Members of the department and the consultants are collectively called “the Project Team.”

The Project Team will also rely on the expertise of other City staff and the local community to complete this project. At different points in the process, the following groups will be consulted throughout the DO update process:

• User Group. The user group is a group of City staff who interact with development in some capacity. A range of City departments are represented, including (but not limited to) Public Services, Community Development & Housing, Transportation and Engineering Services. Members of this group will provide insight into how standards are administered to meet city goals.
• Working Group. The working group is a group of local community members who are knowledgeable of planning or development, interact with the DO in their professions, or otherwise are community leaders. They will provide key local insight during the update process.
• City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission. The Project Team will keep the City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission informed throughout the DO update process. They also serve formal roles as part of High Point’s government. The final document will go through a public hearing process of recommendation by the Planning & Zoning Commission and adoption by the City Council, the community’s elected representative body.
• The High Point Community. There will be opportunities for the residents of High Point to give input and provide feedback on the direction of the update and the actual proposed language. Public input is an essential part of the process.

If you currently have a development application submitted to the High Point Planning & Development Department it can continue using the current rules. Decisions about projects "in the pipeline" at the time of adoption will be decided as a part of this process.

You may contact High Point’s Planning & Development staff with questions, concerns, or ways to get involved by emailing: DOupdate@highpointnc.gov