Harrisburg's Planning and Zoning Board will hold its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Town Hall, 4100 Main St.

The seven-member volunteer board advises the Town Council on rezoning petitions, major subdivision applications and text amendments to the town's Unified Development Ordinance.

No specific cases or agenda items had been posted as of Friday, Aug. 7. Residents can check the town's online calendar for the full agenda when it becomes available.

How the board works

The Planning and Zoning Board does not make final decisions. Its recommendations go to the Town Council, which holds the binding vote on all land-use matters. The board reviews three categories: rezoning petitions, major subdivision plans and proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance.

Six of the board's seven members must live within Harrisburg town limits. The seventh represents the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction, the unincorporated area surrounding the town where Harrisburg exercises planning authority.

Meetings are open to the public.

Local zoning authority in context

The Town Council has defended local control over development decisions. In April 2025, the council unanimously passed a resolution opposing House Bill 765 and Senate Bill 688, two bills in the North Carolina General Assembly that would have eliminated public hearings on subdivisions and prohibited voluntary conditional rezoning agreements.

"In Harrisburg, we believe growth should be guided by a local vision, not developer-driven mandates from Raleigh," Town Manager Rob Donham said in the town's April 17, 2025, press release announcing the resolution.

That resolution underscored the same principle the Planning and Zoning Board applies at each monthly session: land-use decisions in Harrisburg should be shaped locally, with public input, before reaching the Town Council for a final vote.

In May 2023, the Town Council formally dissolved several town boards and committees but retained the Planning and Zoning Board as one of four standing advisory bodies, according to the Town of Harrisburg.

How to participate

The Planning and Zoning Board meets the third Tuesday of each month in the Council Chambers at Town Hall, 4100 Main St., Harrisburg. The next meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6 p.m. Agendas are posted on harrisburgnc.gov ahead of each session.