Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
44 <br />The Town of Hillsborough has given preliminary, conceptual approval of <br />the extension of water service. A commitment to provide water cannot be <br />obtained prior to consideration of a specific development project, and a <br />specific development project cannot be submitted for consideration until <br />after the comprehensive plan amendment is approved. Hillsborough has <br />also indicated that water quality in the 6" water line serving Mars Hill <br />Baptist Church would be improved with extension of the system, since the <br />size of the line would be increased, and the system would be looped, <br />eliminating stagnant water at the end of the water line. At this time Civil <br />Consultants, Inc., an engineering firm, is designing water and sewer <br />services to serve this site. These plans are subject to State and Town <br />approval. These plans will be used to finalize the water and sewer <br />extension agreements. <br />The applicant intends to develop the property at an overall residential <br />density of not more than two units per acres, providing a transition <br />between the lower densities in the adjacent area in the Agricultural <br />Residential Land Use Plan designation to the north and the more urban <br />area of Hillsborough to the south. Ten -Year Transition area is the only <br />Land Use Plan designation which will allow a density greater than one <br />unit per acre. <br />C) Agriculture and Forestry <br />Staff states that large -scale development of the property could have a <br />detrimental impact on the Phelps Farm, located along a portion of the <br />eastern border of the northern portion of the Apex Northwest parcel. <br />Applicant's Response <br />Development of the property could include additional buffering along the <br />common property boundary to minimize any conflicts between the two <br />uses. Although none of the surrounding farms are currently participating <br />in the Voluntary Agriculture District program, the Orange County <br />Farmland Preservation Ordinance requires that all potential buyers within <br />1 mile of a working farm be advised of the farm's presence. This portion <br />of the Farmland Preservation Ordinance was adopted to protect farmland <br />while recognizing the potential for surrounding land to be developed. <br />d) Population Density <br />The staff states that the population density of the census tract block group <br />containing the property is only 67 persons per square mile, compared to <br />406 persons per square mile for an adjacent tract which contains most of <br />the town of Hillsborough. By contrast, the overall Township density is 430 <br />persons per square mile. <br />Applicant's Response <br />The population density criterion in the Comprehensive Plan states that <br />