NS Contract - Strategic Growth Rural Conservation Consultant Implementation Update Amendment

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STRATEGIC GROWTH AND RURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM - Draff (10.1.20071 3.3.2 Ways to Encourage Additional SGRC Activity • During the performance monitoring process, it is likely that one or more changes to the SGRC Program will be suggested, particularly to increase or, less likely, to decrease the amount of participation in the SGRC Program. The following are suggestions on how to modify the Program to encourage more participation from the development community and landowners (NOTE: The following are not in priority order). Option Number 1: Streamline the Planning Review Process. Developer representatives - on the initial Task Force and during external interviews expressed interest in shortening the development review process that Orange County uses in order to gain interest in the SGRC Program. In particular, the Quarterly Public Hearing process can add three or more mon s on o e review. , utilizes a "One-Step Special Review" process to review proposed private developments that make use of development credit transactions. The trade-off is that there is less time for the public and other stakeholders to review a proposed project, perhaps especially meaningful in the early stages of the SGRC Program. Option Number 2: Engage Municipalities in Orange County in SGRC. Any significant expansion of the SGRC Program is quite likely to require the involvement of Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Mebane, or Carrboro. Although the rewards to the towns are smaller, participating in SGRC still translates into a surrounding area that retains a rural character. Option Number 3: Create a SGRC Approval Procedure that is Conducted Administratively. While the Conditional Use Permit process that is indicated by the Implementation Plan has benefits, it nevertheless requires aquasi-judicial hearing on its actions. Creating a mechanism that can approve SGRC transactions by Orange County staff -under well-managed guidelines -may reduce the risk or perception of risk that a private developer will invest in aless-established planning process to gain the desired result. Like streamlining, this option would tend to reduce the amount of public scrutiny to SGRC-enhanced private development proposals, and is better considered after the program has become established over a period of time. An additional drawback is the necessity of ensuring legal sufficiency in any SGRC-type program, a circumstance that will need to analyzed carefully prior to modifying the program to a more administratively-owned process. 3.3.3 Ways to Reduce Participation in SGRC Although the project team considers the situation highly unlikely, there are conceivable situations where the public, elected officials, or staff feel that slowing down or adding more conditions to the SGRC Program is desirable. The following, not in priority order, are measures that, while enhancing the benefits of the SGRC Program, would likely reduce participation by Strategic Growth or Rural Conservation participants, or both groups. Option Number 1: Make Affordable Housing and LEED Design Practices Required. Currently, a Strategic Growth Participant (e.g., private development interest) can optionally choose to bolster the density in an eligible proposed development by demonstrating a commitment to either or both affordable housing and LEED design practices. By requiring such participation as a precondition, the number of interested development parties would be reduced, although the benefits of inclusionary housing Orange County, North Carolina