Temporary dwellings will now be allowed in Burke County.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday and approved an amendment to allow for temporary dwellings such as RVs, campers or FEMA units to be used. The change comes after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and hundreds in Burke County.
The use of temporary dwellings will generally be tied to an active building permit for repairing a home or during the process of building a new home or accessory dwelling, said Alan Glines, community development director for the county.聽
The duration of the permit will usually be for 18 months and terminate when a certificate of occupancy is issued for the home being built or repaired, according to information from the county.
Glines said Tuesday that since Hurricane Helene hit the area, many residents are still trying to recover and repair and, in some cases, replace their homes across the county. He said as of November, about 160 households in the county were receiving some sort of FEMA-provided housing support. Glines said the county has been getting calls for FEMA to place units on a temporary basis across the county where needed.
Glines said the county looked at how several counties in the east who have weathered more hurricanes have handled temporary dwellings to create the amendment.
He said even though the temporary housing is tied to a building permit, the temporary dwelling can be at another location.
A temporary dwelling can be used when someone is building a new home, repairing a home they can't live in or as a result of another natural disaster or fire.
鈥淲e're trying to give people more options,鈥� Glines said.
As part of the motion, Commissioner Vice Chairman Phil Smith said, 鈥淏urke County has a housing shortage, and this may alleviate some of the difficulty of finding housing when building a new home, which is a goal consistent with the plan.鈥�
No one from the public spoke during the public hearing before commissioners approved the amendment.
Commissioners also held a public hearing and approved a request from John and Rita Yount to rezone 1.02 acres at 0 Liberty Church Road, Hickory from General Business to Residential Three. Glines said the couple has plans to build two homes.