Harnett County changes development rules, reviews H.R. 1 Medicaid impact

Harnett County Commissioners approved changes to development rules on Nov. 10, covering septic lots, transportation, and state-law compliance. The board learned how federal H.R. 1 could impact Medicaid, food aid, and local health services.

The board approved a Uniform Development Ordinance (UDO) change that the planning board had recommended unanimously on Nov. 2. Harnett County Development Services requested the amendment to Article II, Section 2.0, concerning nonconforming lots of record. The change removes subsection C, which requires a vacant, nonconforming lot to contain at least 15,000 square feet of suitable or provisionally suitable soil to qualify as a building site when served by a private septic system.

Planning staff said the requirement prevents development on lots smaller than 15,000 square feet, even when they meet the Health Department’s septic system requirements and other applicable development standards.

Staff consulted with the Environmental Health Division, which agreed the 15,000-square-foot minimum was unnecessary. Subsection B already requires the Harnett County Health Department to approve any existing or proposed sewage disposal system.

To attain state compliance, the board approved the planning board’s recommendation to remove the term “bona fide farm” from Article I. Section 5.0. The approval exempts bona fide from county zoning regulations.

The board approved Harnett County Development Services’ text amendment request to the UDO to bring regulations on off-site septic easements and open space into compliance with state law. The amendment affects Article VII, Section 5.6 and 8.1.D.1:

Without any discussion, the board approved Harnett County Development Services’ recommended UDO amendments to Articles, I, III, VII and XIV to align transportation regulations with land use plans. The changes were based on advise from a consulted engineer at Kittleson and Associates, Inc in July 2026.

Development Director Mark Locklear reported findings to the board in July 2026.

UDO Article I.10, Article III.3.3-3.5; 4.1.4; 5.3; 7.1; 7.3.1.B.1; 7.3.2.D.2;8.2.3, Article VII. 2.5.C; 2.6.1; 2.9; 4.0; 13.2.B and Article XIV, 2, may be viewed here.

While the intent was to modernize standards and align with the Harnett Horizons 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, some amendments have potential pitfalls, financial burdens, or operational risks for developers, neighboring property owners and citizens.

New rules require a Level 1 trip memo for developments with 500+ daily or 100 peak hour trips, and a Level 2 TIA for 3,000+ daily trips. Applicants must cover all preparation costs and might need to use county-approved third-party engineers.

The update includes strict mitigation triggers. Developers must fund improvements if a road or intersection falls from Level of Service “D” or better to “E” or “F” at project completion. Projects increasing average intersection delay by 25% or more require mandatory mitigation. The rules also prevent developers from splitting projects to bypass TIA rules, allowing the zoning administrator to group applications sharing infrastructure or ownership.

Adjacent property owners and developers could experience unique obstacles with the revised code. Right-of-way dedications are mandated along frontages projected for widening by the North Carolina Department of Transportation or the county, possibly shrinking parcel depths. Concrete paving is required for marginal access streets limiting driveways on arterials, with multi-lot easements needing formal maintenance agreements.  

The transportation amendments create wide-ranging pedestrian infrastructure obligations. Major and minor roads, commercial areas, and residential streets will follow strict sidewalk and multi-use path rules per federal PROWAG standards. Developers cover initial costs, but long-term upkeep falls to homeowners’ groups, raising concerns if private parties fail.  

Rob Robinson with Alliance Health, which began in Harnett County in 2025, presented a mental health and disabilities services update. The company helps uninsured and under-insured citizens and those with Medicare and Medicaid and is supported with local and federal funds.

The company is not a service provider but is a networking corporation that connects patients to care.

Harnett County is a Tier 2 county, so it offers more free services for its citizens than wealthy counties.

H.R. 1, the federal budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, may impact Harnett County residents, government, health providers, schools, and businesses.

Under H.R. 1, some non-citizens lost Medicaid.

Most local cuts were to Medicaid, SNAP food assistance, rural health care funding, and changes to federal funding programs.

Those who qualify under Medicaid Expansion, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, must:

• Work, attend school, or volunteer 80 hours per month or have a monthly household income of $580.
• It must be renewed every six months, instead of annually.

To keep Medicaid, a person must:

• Be in substance abuse treatment
• Be blind or disabled under Social Security Administration’s qualifications
• Have a substance abuse disorder, a mental disorder, a physical or intellectual or a developmental disability.

The next meeting is Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.

Nov. 11, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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