O&I-2 Office and Institution-2 Legacy District in Raleigh
The O&I-2 Office and Institution-2 category is a legacy zoning district in the City of Raleigh that is maintained for existing properties but is scheduled for eventual replacement by modern Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) districts. The City of Raleigh prohibits the creation of any new O&I-2 districts or the modification of existing O&I-2 boundaries [Section 1.3.4]. Development within these legacy areas must adhere to current UDO standards for height, setbacks, and parking whenever those regulations are more stringent than the original legacy requirements [Section 1.2.3].
Purpose and General Character
The O&I-2 Office and Institution-2 district is classified by the City of Raleigh as a Legacy District. These districts exist within the older Part 10 Zoning Code and remain active only for properties that were already zoned as such before the adoption of the current UDO. The general character of the O&I-2 district is transitional; Raleigh intends for these districts to be eventually replaced by new UDO zoning classifications that better align with modern development goals [Section 1.3.4].
Because O&I-2 is a legacy category, it is subject to strict administrative limitations:
- No New Designations: Raleigh does not allow any new land to be added to the Official Zoning Map under the O&I-2 classification [Section 1.3.4].
- Fixed Boundaries: The City of Raleigh prohibits the modification of any existing O&I-2 district boundary [Section 1.3.4].
- Conditional Existence: These districts may exist as either general use districts or as conditional districts [Section 1.3.4].
Permitted Land Uses
The Raleigh UDO does not include O&I-2 in its primary "Allowed Principal Use Table" (which covers modern districts like RX-, OX-, or CX-). Instead, the City of Raleigh applies specific Rules of Interpretation to determine what is permitted within an O&I-2 area:
- Continuation of Limitations: If a property has a conditional zoning ordinance that limits its uses to those allowed in the former O&I-2 legacy district, those limitations remain in effect [Section 1.2.3.D].
- UDO Overlap: Legacy use limitations only continue as long as the use is also allowed in the new UDO general use zoning district that corresponds to the property. If a use was allowed under O&I-2 but is prohibited in the new corresponding UDO district, that use is no longer permitted [Section 1.2.3.D].
- Use Determination: Limited uses and special uses for these properties are determined by the standards of the modern UDO general use district [Section 1.2.3.D].
Development Standards
Development and renovations on O&I-2 property in Raleigh must navigate between legacy rules and modern UDO requirements. When conflicts arise between an O&I-2 standard and a standard of a corresponding modern district, the City of Raleigh enforces the following hierarchy:
| Feature | Regulatory Rule for O&I-2 Districts |
|---|---|
| Primary Authority | The new general use district is controlling [Section 1.2.3.A]. |
| Stringency Rule | UDO height, setback, parking, landscaping, and screening regulations control if they are more stringent than the O&I-2 legacy ordinance [Section 1.2.3.B]. |
| Calculations | All calculations for height, setback, and parking must follow modern UDO methodologies [Section 1.2.3.B]. |
| Approval Process | All development approval processes must follow the regulations of the current Raleigh UDO [Section 1.2.3.C]. |
Sections Cited
- Article 1.2. Zoning Map
- Sec. 1.2.3. Rules of Interpretation
- Article 1.3. Zoning Districts
- Sec. 1.3.4. Legacy Districts