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STRATEGIC GROWTH AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION PROGRAM <br />Final (8.7.20091 <br />1.2 SGRC Program Implementation Plan <br />Each of the four major categories of the Feasibility Study identified decisions that <br />needed to be made in order to craft an SGRC program, decisions that were <br />constrained by legal or other obstacles and the remaining questions and issues that <br />needed to be addressed. Following are the SGRC Program decisions made during the <br />Feasibility Study (the program would be unfeasible otherwise): <br />• Orange County participation only. Municipalities may participate later, once the <br />program is better established. <br />• Modify existing zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations in alignment with the <br />land use authority rights already granted to Orange County. No state enabling <br />legislation will be sought. <br />• Minimal government involvement in the SGRC transaction. The County will act as a <br />facilitator, but not a broker, between buyers and sellers of SGRC credits. <br />• SGRC credits cannot "float" - that is, the conservation easement protecting the <br />rural conservation area must occur at the same time as the credits are used in the <br />strategic growth area. <br />• The mechanism for carrying out SGRC actions is carried out through conditional <br />zoning provisions and private developer agreements, the latter being authorized in <br />N.C. General Statute § l 53A -349. <br />Following are the SGRC Program decisions left to be determined as part of the <br />Implementation Plan: <br />• Criteria and maps delineating rural conservation and strategic growth areas. <br />• Formulas to determine how credits are calculated in rural conservation and <br />strategic growth areas. <br />These decisions, questions and issues then formed the basis for this third phase of the <br />SGRC program development. The purpose of the third phase was to conduct <br />additional research and discussion to address the issues and questions raised during the <br />first two phases, then to formulate a complete implementation plan for an SGRC <br />Program for the Board of County Commissioners to consider for adoption. In addition, <br />this third phase addresses how the performance of the SGRC program should be <br />measured and tracked. This report details the implementation planning process that <br />has been underway since December, 2006. <br />An appendix to this report is the actual Implementation Plan that will be considered for <br />adoption. Additional appendices include proposed changes to the Orange County <br />ordinances that would be necessary to implement the SGRC program, as well as a <br />proposed conservation easement and other forms necessary for staff to administer and <br />track the progress of the SGRC program. <br />ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA ' <br />