2030 & 2045 Horizon Plans

In 2008, Clarion Associates was hired by Iredell County, NC, to develop the first county-wide comprehensive plan. The county has become home to many large regional employers because of its excellent regional transportation infrastructure, picturesque lakefront properties on Lake Norman, and affordable cost of living. The plan included a new policy for extending extraterritorial jurisdiction to the municipalities, a formal policy approach for protecting northern rural and agrarian areas, updates to the county’s zoning ordinance, and other policy, funding, and educational initiatives. There has been new growth in the County and in the region, shifts in community preferences, evolution of industries, and ever-improving best practices to consider. Clarion was retained again in 2022 to update the Horizon Plan, leveraging its work with municipalities in the county. The effort built on the foundation of the 2030 Horizon Plan and updated municipal plans to look and plan for further into the future. This long-range guide will inform Iredell County leaders and staff as they make future decisions related to oncoming growth, preserving farmland, and coordinating public investment. The 15-month process included outreach and engagement with residents across Iredell. The plan was adopted in December 2023.