Agenda - 03-17-2009 - 5d - Laserfiche WebLink

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EDD six zoning districts were created, one of which is the ED-LNR district. The district was created in the zoning text, but not affixed to any specific parcels. The primary purpose of the ED-LNR district is to allow land use conversion of these existing lots and residential dwellings to small-scale offices and/or low impact services provided that the structures are limited to 5,000 square feet in gross floor area with a district maximum height of 30 feet. Due to these aforementioned limitations on project intensity, the ED-LNR allows a reduction in the normally required 100-foot width EDD perimeter buffer to 50 feet. However, all buffer planting requirements are still required to be met. The existing ED-LO-1 district severely restricts usage for some of the lots in both Tract 1 and Tract 2. The original thought was that some of the tracts would recombine and develop as one project. This has not occurred even though some properties offered for sale adjoin each other. There are, or have been recently, three properties offered for sale along this corridor. Anecdotal comments have indicated that the primary reason for lack of sales and conversion of these properties to offices and low impact services has been due to the current zoning district requirements. However, the EDD Design Manual that sets the internal buffer requirements between adjacent land uses is just as likely the reason. The proposed buffer text amendments (addressed at this same meeting) to the EDD Design Manual will allow buffer flexibility for existing structures and will provide, if approved, the necessary language to allow these existing residential properties to develop individually rather than as a part of a larger scale project. ZONING OFFICER ANALYSIS: As required under Section 20.3.3 of the Orange County Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Officer is required to: `...cause an analysis to be made of the application and, based upon that analysis, prepare a recommendation for consideration by the Planning Board and the Board of County Commissioners'. Staff Findings and Analysis 1. Both Tract 1 and Tract 2 are located within the Hillsborough Area Economic Development District, which by definition is an Economic Development Node. 2. The ED-LNR district was created to allow for low impact uses on smaller lots, and also to allow for adaptive reuse of existing structures provided that all subdivision, zoning, and building code provisions are met. 3. Both the ED-LNR and the ED-LO-1 districts permit a maximum impervious surface coverage of 50%. 4. The maximum height of structures in the ED-LNR district is 30 feet. The maximum height of structures in the ED-LO-1 district is 60 feet. 5. When a site within an ED-LNR district adjoins the exterior boundary of the EDD the perimeter buffer may be reduced to fifty-(50) feet. The perimeter buffer of a site within the ED-LO-1 district is 100 feet. All of the parcels in Tract 1 are less than 200 feet in width. 6. All interior landscape buffer requirements are the same in each district. Due to the fact that the ED-LNR district was originally created for future application to lands included in the petitioned areas, a County initiated petition is reasonable and necessary to remove impediments to conversion to more suitable land uses. In conjunction with the proposed buffer text amendments, land in the area can more easily convert uses. For future