{"id":1786,"date":"2026-06-05T17:34:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1786"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:34:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:34:36","slug":"why-ncs-bipartisan-down-zoning-reform-bill-is-now-about-wake-surfing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1786","title":{"rendered":"Why NC\u2019s bipartisan \u2018down-zoning\u2019 reform bill is now about … wake surfing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m Brian Gordon, tech reporter for The News & Observer, and this is Open Source, a weekly newsletter on business, labor and technology in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Read more James Handy’s Suspected Killer Confesses in Chilling 911 Call<\/a><\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t include this one in \u201cSchoolhouse Rock!\u201d On Tuesday, Rep. Tracy Clark, a freshman Democrat from Guilford County, entered Committee Room 423 at the North Carolina General Assembly ready to defend a down-zoning bill.<\/p>\n

This legislation, titled \u201cClarifying Nonconforming Uses,\u201d had passed the state Senate last year with unanimous support. It corrected what many local government officials consider to be an implausibly restrictive 2024 law<\/a> preventing them from down-zoning private properties \u2014 like reducing the number of uses or forbidding one type of use that already exists \u2014 without the owners\u2019 approval. The law has already stalled comprehensive zoning updates statewide, including in Durham<\/a>, and complicated data center regulations. The new bill would return key zoning powers to local governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got two calls from High Point City Council in favor of the bill, so I was going in prepared to give good remarks to support the original bill,\u201d Clark told me.<\/p>\n

But Clark realized minutes into this week\u2019s House committee meeting on state and local government that she wouldn\u2019t get the opportunity. That is because Senate Bill 587 on down zoning had suddenly become Senate Bill 587 on \u201cWake Surfing Safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The House had gutted the down-zoning bill. More technically, the bill had been PCS\u2019ed. A Proposed Committee Substitute, or PCS, is when the General Assembly alters existing legislation either slightly, substantially or completely. Lawmakers do this to fast-track legislation (sometimes controversial) after crossover deadlines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a common maneuver at the state legislature, especially now as the current short session wraps up. Famously (or notoriously, to some), a PCS is how a 2013 North Carolina bill on motorcycle safety<\/a> came to include restrictions on abortion access.<\/p>\n

The \u201cWake Surfing Safely\u201d bill is not as divisive. Addressing the House committee Wednesday, Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne) explained it was favored legislation of his late colleague Mike Clampitt, who died in March. It prohibits people from operating a motorboat towing a person behind it from going within 200 feet of a shoreline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not see the PCS,\u201d Clark said after the hearing. \u201cWe are drowning in emails, and this is what happens is a lot of times in the hours before a committee, they will throw over PCS\u2019s in email, or we\u2019re supposed to just track them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does this mean North Carolina down-zoning reform is dead? There\u2019s always a chance the legislation could be reintroduced through the PCS of another zombie bill. But more likely, it can be tackled through the budget.<\/p>\n

Clark said she approached Bell after the hearing and was assured the down-zoning bill is \u201cmoving elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Scottie Scheffler Has Testy Exchange With Caddie at Memorial Championship<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether the GOP-controlled House and Senate can agree on a budget<\/a> remains to be seen. During Wednesday\u2019s committee meeting, Bell said he gutted the Senate down-zoning bill with permission from the bill\u2019s cosponsor, Sen. Mike Lazzara of Onslow County.<\/p>\n

Lazzara\u2019s office did not respond to my questions about the likelihood of the state tackling down-zoning reform through another avenue this session. But Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston), the down-zoning bill\u2019s other primary sponsor, did answer my email.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one from the House talked to me about the bill before it was amended,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Sticking with politics, the N.C. House on Wednesday passed the state\u2019s most extensive data center regulations to date, legislation banning evaporative cooling, barring adversarial foreign ownership, and prohibiting local incentives for hyperscale facilities \u2014 and on these actions, House Republicans and Democrats largely agreed.<\/p>\n

However, most Democrats ultimately voted against the bill. Why? The second half of the Ratepayer Protection Act addressed long-term power generation, including a prohibition on retiring coal and natural gas plants<\/a> until a larger nuclear site is approved.<\/p>\n

Dems railed against this provision during the floor debate. But holding the majority, the House GOP advanced the bill to the Senate (two Democratic representatives voted for it, too).<\/p>\n

Before ultimately backing the bill, Republican Rep. John Blust of Guilford County lamented how the General Assembly combines topics under the same legislation. \u201cI\u2019m one that thinks we ought to have a single-subject rule,\u201d he said. \u201cI hate the way, since I\u2019ve been, here under both parties (that) disparate things are put together, and you got to take one with the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Jackson\u2019s take:<\/b> \u201cThis proposed increase is too high for families, and it\u2019s more than Duke needs to meet our growing demand for energy.\u201d He has recommended regulators create a separate rate class for data centers.<\/p>\n

Duke Energy\u2019s take:<\/b> \u201cWe\u2019ve listened to our customers and know they\u2019re dealing with higher bills across the board \u2014 we are carefully reviewing the testimony and evaluating opportunities to refine our request.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n

Thank you for supporting local journalism. If you liked it, consider sharing it with a friend. If it was forwarded to you, sign up here to subscribe<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Read more Get to know the 3 Canes\u2019 Siren Sounders for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 9:44 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NC House guts down-zoning bill as Duke University begins AI data center construction and North Carolina legislation sets nuclear rules for coal plant retirement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy NC\u2019s bipartisan \u2018down-zoning\u2019 reform bill is now about ... wake surfing - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1786\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why NC\u2019s bipartisan \u2018down-zoning\u2019 reform bill is now about ... wake surfing - 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