Planning and Development
Phone: 828-323-7422

Fax:  828-323-7476

The City of Hickory’s Planning and Development Department is responsible for overseeing the physical, and in some regards, the social development of the City of Hickory. The Planning Department focuses its efforts on six primary functions and other activities:

1. Land-Use Planning. This function consists of both long-range and short-range planning efforts. Short-range planning involves the issues related to zoning and re-zoning, development review, and numerous other shortrange functions. Long-range planning involves the development of long range plans that work to guide growth within the City of Hickory;  Hickory Regional Planning Commission

2. Transportation Planning. The transportation function works to enhance and improve both motorized and non-motorized transportation facilities and options available to the citizens and visitors of the City of Hickory.  Transportation Planning (WPCOG)

3. Community Development. This function handles housing issues, including homeownership, housing rehabilitation, and affordable housing through administration of the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program; Community Development Division and Citizen's Advisory Committee

4. Economic Development. This function involves efforts to retain and attract businesses and industries to the City of Hickory;  Economic Development Division

5. Development Assistance Center (DAC). The DAC provides permitting and Code Enforcement services. The DAC was launched in July of 2003 when the City of Hickory and Catawba County consolidated their Building Inspection functions. The DAC houses both City and County staff which work together to perform permitting, inspections, and enforcement related activities;  Development Assistance Center

6. Community Appearance, Historic Preservation, and Public Art. These are actually separate functions, but serve similar purposes. These functions work collectively to enhance and develop many cultural and social aspects of the City of Hickory; and

• The Community Appearance Commission works to enhance the visual attractiveness of the City by supporting community cleanup and landscaping initiatives through landscape grants, façade grants, and public property oversight.
• The Historic Preservation Commission works to promote the preservation of historic structures and landmarks within the City of Hickory.
• The Public Art Commission develops art projects that can be enjoyed by the citizens and visitors of the City of Hickory.

7. Other Activities. The Planning Department oversees grant-writing services regarding Community Development and planning related activities for the City. These services involve technical assistance in regards to the research of and submittal of grant proposals intended to benefit the citizens of the City of Hickory.

Management of properties under the ownership of the City is also a responsibility of the Planning Department. This specific responsibility involves the buying of new properties and the selling or marketing for development of properties under City ownership.

                                                    

Planning Resources

Planning & Development Forms & Applications	Land Development Code
D.A.C. Permit Applications	Vacant Building Inventory and Redevelopment Information
Commercial Revitalization Map	Property Maintenance
Access the Hickory GIS System	Residential Setbacks and Lot Sizes
Hickory by Choice Future Land Use & Transportation Plan	Commercial / Industrial Setbacks and Lot Sizes
Air Quality Awareness Program	Zoning Use Table
NC 127 Central Task Force Report 2004	Greenway Master Plan Map
Greenway Master Plan Draft	Community-Wide Brownfields RFQ
Brownfields - Hazardous Material Workplan	Brownfields - Petroleum Workplan
Planning & Development 2006 Annual Report	Planning & Development 2007 Annual Report
Landscaping and Screening (LDC Sec 10.11)

Planning and Development Staff

Brian M. Frazier	Planning Director	bfrazier@ci.hickory.nc.us
Susan Shelor	Administrative Assistant	sshelor@ci.hickory.nc.us
Cal Overby	Principal Planner	coverby@ci.hickory.nc.us
Donna Cullum	Senior Planner	dcullum@ci.hickory.nc.us
Sandy Trevathan	Planner	strevathan@ci.hickory.nc.us
Dave Leonetti	Planner	dleonetti@ci.hickory.nc.us
Todd Hefner	Community and Economic Development Manager	thefner@ci.hickory.nc.us
Heidi Hedrick	Community Development Assistant	hhedrick@ci.hickory.nc.us

Email The Planning Department: planning@ci.hickory.nc.us