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Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed


The Wake County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing at 2 p.m., Monday, October 6, 2008, Room 700, 7th floor, Wake County Courthouse, 316 Fayetteville St., Raleigh. The following item was considered:

LUPA 04-07 – Proposal to amend the Northeast Wake Area Land Use Plan Map to convert six (6) existing mixed-use activity centers within the Little River Water Supply Watershed from circles to parcel-based boundaries complying with adopted County activity centers policies and size guidelines. The general area of the activity centers is in the northeastern portion of the county, north of NC 97, east of Rolesville Road and Averette Road, extending east of NC 96.

Information: Wake County Planning Department, Waverly F. Akins Wake County Office Building, 336 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, 919-856-6320. The Board of Commissioners will also receive revised recommendations for protection of the Little River Water Supply Watershed.


The Wake County Planning Board held a public meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, in Room C-170, on the 1st floor of the Wake County Public Safety Center, 330 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, to review a revised set of recommendations that result in no change to the current regulations in the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed. The current regulations are:

Zoning: R-40W & R-80W
Impervious Surface: Residential 30%
Nonresidential "capped": R-40W 12%, R-80W 6%
Stormwater: Apply Wake County stormwater rules in water supply watersheds, which require owners to control first 3 inches of rainfall on residential property.
Buffers: 100 feet
Building in floodplain: Not allowed

More information is available by phone at 919-664-5593. Written comments may be submitted to the Wake County Planning Department, P.O. Box 550, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27602, by fax at 919-856-6184, or via e-mail at littleriver@co.wake.nc.us.

The revised set of recommendations were first presented to the Board of Commissioners on August 18, 2008.  The Board of Commissioners considered these recommendations, and the feedback from the Planning Board, at their meeting on October 6, 2008.


The Wake County Board of Commissioners held a public meeting at 2 p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2008, in Room 700, on the 7th floor of the Wake County Courthouse, 316 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, to consider the following items related to the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed:

  1. Land-Use Plan Amendment (LUPA 04-07): Proposed Land Use Plan Map and Text Amendments to add Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed Overlay.
  2. Creation of the R-120W District (OA 05/07)
  3. Modification of the Water Supply Watershed Overlay District (OA 06/07)
  4. Rezoning R-80W properties to R-120W (ZP-865-08) and
  5. Apply the overlay to the R-40W and R-80W zoning districts (ZP-866-08)

The Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 to reject the above items and return them to staff & the Planning Board for further study.

More information is available by phone at 919-664-5593. Written comments may be submitted to the Wake County Planning Department, P.O. Box 550, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27602, by fax at 856-6184 or via e-mail at littleriver@co.wake.nc.us.

View maps of the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed Critical Area and proposed overlay districts.

The Wake County Planning Board held a public meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Room 700, on the 7th floor of the Wake County Courthouse, 316 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, to consider the following items related to the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed:

  • ZP-865-08 – Rezoning R-80W properties to R-120W – the Planning Board voted 6-0 to recommend approval to the Board of Commissioners.
  • ZP-866-08 – Application of some modified standards of the Water Supply Watershed Overlay District (WSOD) to the R-40W and proposed R-120W zoning districts – the Planning Board voted 6-0 to recommend approval to the Board of Commissioners.

Interested persons may review the proposed amendments at the Wake County Planning Department, in the Wake County Office Building, 336 Fayetteville St., Raleigh (919-664-5593). Written comments may be submitted to the Wake County Planning Department, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, North Carolina 27602, by fax at 919-856-6184 or via e-mail at littleriver@co.wake.nc.us.

The Little River is an important resource to protect because it is designated as a future water supply for Eastern Wake County. The North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources has designated the watershed as a WS-II, one of the most restrictive and pristine classifications for public drinking water. Protecting the watershed is a shared priority among Eastern Wake County municipalities.

The Wake County Planning Department and its partners hosted four open house community meetings to receive feedback on the implementation strategies of the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed Interlocal Agreement – As adopted by Raleigh City Council on October 2, 2007 (ILA). The Little River watershed is located east of Rolesville and Buffalo Creek and is bordered on the north by the Franklin County and on the south by NC 97.

Little RiverThe purposes of the sessions was to share information regarding the proposed implementation of the ILA and discuss various aspects of the proposal with residents, property owners and others in the communities. Recommendations address future development, utilities, watershed conservation measures and municipal growth limitations.

If approved as currently proposed, implementing the ILA would require Wake County to:

  1. Rezone critical area properties from R80W [1 dwelling unit per 2 acres] to R120W [1 dwelling unit per 3 acres] and
  2. Create a Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed Overlay District to address special situations and accomplish specific goals. The overlay district's development standards would apply to properties in the critical and non-critical areas, blanketing the parcels zoned R40W and proposed for R120W.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners discussed the Little River Reservoir Water Supply Watershed at its June 4, 2007, meeting. Links from that meeting are below:

  1. Presentation
  2. Comments from the May 10, 2007, Stormwater Task Force Meeting
  3. Steps to Implement Recommendations
  4. Little River Reservoir Project Flowchart

More information is available by phone at 919-664-5593. Written comments may be submitted to the Wake County Planning Department, P.O. Box 550, Suite 101, Raleigh, North Carolina 27602, by fax at 919-856-6184 or via e-mail at littleriver@co.wake.nc.us.