Agenda - 09-01-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange County does not have to submit an EA to the state per the EIO. However, the planning department sends to the state EA projects for informal review through the Clearinghouse in accordance with General Statute 11 3A-1 and 113A- 8 and North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 1, Chapter 25, 00100 and .0802(c) because these state provisions are more elaborate than the County EIO for an EA. This permits a more in depth review of the project at the EA stage,, so a more informed decision can be made whether a full EIS is necessary or whether a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is made. The Orange County Planning Department is responsible for preparing the final report on. any submitted EA or EIS in accordance with the, Orange County EIO. The final report is based on comments received from the State agencies and from comments internally. The State Clearinghouse website contains the SEPA Publication Submission Schedule for both 30-day and 45-day reviews under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA). Orange County follows the 30-day review for an EA and the 45-day review for draft EIS and final EIS documents. The completed Orange County application, along with the optional information provided on the State EA application, is submitted to the clearinghouse for distribution to various state agencies. Because the State EA application guidelines provide a more thorough review of the site and surrounding areas, staff recommends, for the larger scale projects, that applicants use the SEPA application guidelines in order to provide additional information needed to analyze the impacts of a proposed project early in the process. Use of E10 Information and Comments Both the EA and the EIS documents of the county and state are fact-finding tools that are used for information gathering purposes only and do not, regardless of findings, create an ability to prohibit a project from proceeding. The project will be further reviewed by other development review ordinances and processes with these comments in mind. The documents are used to alert applicants of potential adverse environmental impacts and to guide development to areas on the site that avoid to the 'maximum extent practicable" and/or lessens, potentially harmful environmental impacts. Exempt Projects under Orange County 10 E-- Certain projects are exempt from the provisions of the ordinance as follows: e Any project involving a total area of 2 acres or less. 0 Routine repairs and housekeeping projects. 0 Routine grounds maintenance and landscaping. 0 Bona fide farming operations, not including sludge disposal. 0 Single-family residential development, except for Planned Developments. e Any project located outside of the Orange County Planning Jurisdiction, including Transition Areas subject to development regulations of any Town within Orange County.