A contentious topic will be revisited at the Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting tonight.

Much of rural Chatham County is not currently subject to zoning regulations, but that could change Monday night.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will meet on Monday night with countywide zoning on the agenda. A public hearing was held on the topic in June. Opinions were split at the time between residents who felt the zoning was a way to help protect the county from the development coming to the region and those who felt this was overreach from the local government into areas it was not wanted or needed.

Chatham County has been a popular place for development in recent years with the growth of the Triangle in North Carolina. The county has been seen as a cheaper option in the area when compared to Wake, Durham and Orange Counties.

The commissioners heard nearly two hours of public comment at the June meeting. Since then, the planning board has recommended countywide zoning by a 7-4 vote.

The meeting Monday night is expected to draw a large crowd. So much so that the meeting has been moved to the Multipurpose Room at Chatham Central High School.

The zoning will impact 388 square miles that are currently unzoned. County officials have discussed the issue for the past 18 months with multiple planning board and subcommittee meetings held on the topic.

Seven of the eight counties that border Chatham are currently fully zoned, according to the planning board. Some residents are concerned that due to the other counties zoning policies, more operations that could negatively impact the land would choose Chatham County due to fewer regulations.

With the Chatham Park development in the works in the county, the planning board felt it was important to get out in front of the issue with countywide zoning.

The meeting Monday night is scheduled for six o’clock at Chatham Central High School.

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