Chatham County hired a team led by White Smith Cousino to create a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that aligns development regulations with the vision of its first comprehensive plan, Plan Chatham. The County also engaged WSC to prepare a Health & Equity Assessment to identify areas where the UDO can enhance community health and advance principles of equity.
In March 2022, electric vehicle company VinFast announced plans to build a $4 billion manufacturing facility at Chatham County’s Triangle Innovation Point megasite—at the time, the largest economic development project in North Carolina history. Chatham County revised the WSC Team’s contract to include the development of a small area plan for the Moncure area where the megasite is located. The Board of Commissioners (BOC) adopted Plan Moncure in October 2023.
Our team continued drafting the UDO concurrent with the Plan Moncure planning process. The Planning Board recommended approval of the UDO in October 2024. The BOC unanimously adopted the UDO at its meeting on November 18, 2024, with a July 1, 2025, effective date.
