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Tracy Parrott: It is fully the intent in setting up or identifying these conversion factors to <br />establish a process by which specific land uses can be identified for the site and the <br />conversions be determined for them such that the overall development and makeup of <br />Buckhorn Village will stay consistent with the accesses that are being considered for the site <br />that you will see in the transportation section. A traffic impact analysis has been performed with <br />those land uses. So, by having the conversion factors, it allows for potential changes in land <br />use to keep the development consistent with the analysis that's been done on the traffic side. <br />Mr. Hutchins then introduced Scott Murray, who presented on the landscape, signage, and <br />general design of the project. <br />Scott Murray: I have been sworn. My role in the Buckhorn development is that of landscape <br />architect. I've been practicing landscape architecture for 22 years in the state of North Carolina. <br />I'm also accredited by the U. S. Green Building Council. I've been asked to speak with you on <br />the open space, buffer plan, and landscape standards proposed for Buckhorn Village. The area <br />that comprises Buckhorn Village is identified in the EDD district as primary development area <br />with a maximum of 70% impervious surtace. That is to say that the remaining 30% would either <br />be landscape buffers, open space, and other landscape features or islands. While merely a <br />third of this area is in the perimeter buffers identified in the landscape plan on the wall, the <br />remaining two-thirds would be in various landscape areas throughout the site, and it is <br />anticipated that it would be generally pretty evenly distributed among the three districts. The <br />landscape and buffer plan standards included in the PD text illustrates the buffer areas as well <br />as the NTC buffer along Interstate 85. It is proposed that the buffer along Interstate 85, which is <br />100 feet in width, would be subject to one of our alternate design solutions that are proposed <br />here. We are proposing up to 60% of a vegetated area would be allowed to be cleared to <br />accommodate the stormwater pond facility that is anticipated for that area. If you notice on the <br />site, the actual grade falls right along the boundary line between the Interstate property and the <br />site. This pond is designed for water quality, infiltration, and also for retention for irrigation <br />needs. Both aquatic vegetation as well as specimen trees and other types of landscaping that <br />is conducive to that type of facility are proposed in that area. This is an important component of <br />our stormwater quality program for Buckhorn Village. <br />The plan on the wall also illustrates the various landscape standards that have been <br />developed to respond to design issues that are unique to the proposed development. <br />Specifically, the entrance drives, parking lot landscaping, building perimeter landscaping, <br />screen-in and service areas, and landscaping for streets along shop-front areas are proposed <br />and are detailed. <br />These landscape standards, along with the proposed maximum floor areas and <br />building heights, are planned as an alternate design solution to the intensity standards that are <br />identified in the EDD Design Manual. The existing intensity standards include the building <br />volume ratio (BVR), the landscape volume ratio (LVR), and also the site volume ratio (SVR). <br />While those are more exacting in their measurement of development bulk, they do not easily <br />lend themselves to measuring development intensity in this stage of master planning, mainly <br />because we don't have the specific locations - dumpsters, building heights, parking lot layouts, <br />things of that nature. These standards are not easily understood in marketplace, primarily <br />because of the complexity of the mathematics that it takes to quantify all of the various ratios. <br />Most importantly, the existing intensity standards do not ensure a more attractive, necessarily <br />more sustainable development. For these reasons, our alternate design solution proposed <br />establishes the maximum floor area for Buckhorn Village of 23 and a maximum building height <br />of six stories. These measures of intensity represent a common language in the marketplace. <br />The following four slides represent various development patterns. Once specific tenants <br />are decided upon and their specific needs emerge, these four development patterns will be <br />