A Practical Interpretation of North Carolina's Comprehensive Plan Requirement

This article offers a practical interpretation of North Carolina's "comprehensive plan" requirement. Although this topic has been frequently analyzed, most other articles have concentrated on criticizing the existing case law and recommending statutory changes. By contrast, this paper is addressed to practicing planners, real estate lawyers and government lawyers who must work within the existing statutory framework. As a basic foundation, the author assumes that legislative changes are unlikely in North Carolina, and instead has attempted to reconcile existing case law with the original rationale for the planning requirement.