§ 11.2. ACTION BY THE APPLICANT

A.

Initiation of Amendments

Proposed changes or amendments to the Bladen County Zoning Map may be initiated by the Board of County Commissioners, Planning Board, County Administration, Board of Adjustment, or by the owner(s), or his agent, of property within the area proposed to be changed. Any interested party may initiate proposed amendments to the text of the Ordinance.

B.

Application

An application for any change or amendment shall contain a description and/or statement of the present and proposed zoning regulation or district boundary, and the names and addresses of the owner or owners of the property involved. Such application shall be filed not later than three weeks prior to the meeting at which the application is to be considered. There must be a separate application prepared for each parcel of land that has different ownership.

C.

Fees

A nonrefundable fee, according to the schedule posted in the Planning Department, shall be paid to Bladen County for each application for an amendment, to cover costs of advertising and other administrative expenses involved.

D.

Public Hearing Notices for Changes

1.

Notification procedure for text amendments or changes

A public hearing shall be set and published no less than ten (10) days nor more than twenty-five (25) days before the date fixed for the public hearing by the Board of Commissioners in a newspaper of general circulation in Bladen County. In computing such period, the day of publication is not to be included but the day of the hearing shall be included. (Amendment # 12 effective January 23, 2006)

2.

Notification procedure for Rezonings and Map Amendments

In addition to the required newspaper notification of zoning changes and amendments above in D. 1, re-zonings and map amendments require that adjacent property owners be notified by first class mail. Therefore, the applicant shall provide to the Planning and Zoning Officer a list of the names and addresses of all adjacent property owners as listed on the current county tax listings. The list shall be submitted at least three weeks prior to the public meeting of the proposed zoning map amendment (rezoning or boundary changes). Notice to all adjacent property owners and newspaper advertisement shall take place no less than 10 days nor more than 25 days prior to the date fixed for the public hearing. The Zoning Officer shall cause A RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED to be attached to each prepared letter/envelope to insure property owner notification. (Amendment # 12 effective January 23, 2006)

The first class mail notice required by this Subsection shall not be required if the rezoning directly affects more than fifty (50) properties, owned by a total of at least fifty (50) different property owners, and the County elects to use the expanded published notice in a newspaper of general circulation within the area where the rezoning is proposed. The expanded published notice shall consist of an advertisement of the public hearing that is no less than one-half (1/2) of the newspaper page in size. The Zoning Officer shall publish the notice once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks. The notice shall be published for the first time not less than ten (10) days nor more than twenty-five (25) days before the date fixed for the hearing. In computing this period, the date of publication shall not be counted, but the date of the hearing shall be. The advertisement shall only be effective for property owners who reside in the area of general circulation of the newspaper that publishes the notice. Property owners who reside outside of the newspaper circulation area, according to the address listed on the most recent property tax listing for the affected property, shall be notified by first class mailed notice.

The County shall also cause a notice of the public hearing to be prominently posted on the site proposed for rezoning or on an adjacent public street or highway right-of-way. When multiple parcels are included within a proposed zoning map amendment, a posting on each individual parcel is not required, but the County shall post sufficient notices to provide reasonable notice to interested persons. The notice shall be posted no later than ten (10) working days prior to the date of the public hearing. (Amendment # 12 effective January 23, 2006)

E.

Reapplication for Amendment

With the exception of requests originating with the Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, or County Administration, an application for any rezoning of the same property or any application for the same amendment to the Zoning Ordinance text shall be permitted only once within any one year period. The Board of County Commissioners, by eighty percent (80%) affirmative vote of its total membership, may waive this restriction if it finds any emergency exists.