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116 <br />4 <br />If adopted, the proposed amendments.will: <br />• Continue Orange County's long history of water resource and environmental protection, <br />especially in the Upper Eno and Seven Mile Creek confluence natural areas. Portions of <br />the Seven Mile Creek and Upper Eno areas have been designated significant natural <br />heritage areas and the County currently owns more than 300 acres in these areas for the <br />purpose of permanently 'protecting the lands through open space. Planning staff has <br />worked .with staff of ERCD on these proposed amendments. <br />• Release some lands identified for growth and economic development in the Efland area <br />from "Critical Area" designation. <br />• Accurately reflect the fact that potential reservoir sites were designated for protection in <br />1994 while the Town of Hillsborough was deciding where to site its needed reservoir. <br />The Town's reservoir has since been constructed and the Town has no plans to site an <br />additional reservoir. <br />Attachment 8 contains a chart showing the basic zoning regulation differences between the <br />"Protected" and "Critical Area" designations. The most salient differences between the two <br />designations are maximum density and impervious surface limits. <br />Zonina Officer Analysis <br />As required under Section 20.3.3 of the Orange County Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Officer is <br />required to: 'cause an analysis to be made of the application and, based upon that analysis, <br />prepare a recommendation for consideration by the Planning Board and the Board of County <br />Commissioners'. In analyzing this proposal, the following. information is offered: <br />1. Staff was authorized by the BOCC at the October 13, 2009 work session to initiate the <br />proposed amendments in order to further implement the adopted Efland- Mebane Small <br />Area Plan. <br />2. The request for the amendments has been deemed complete in accordance with the <br />requirements of Article 20 of the Zoning Ordinance. <br />3. The proposed language will bring the Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan Text <br />up-to-date in regards to current reservoir plans in the Upper Eno watershed. Additionally, <br />the proposed language will provide protection to sensitive water resources that flow into <br />water supply reservoirs. <br />4. Applying the proposed language to the Watershed Protection Overlay District will result in <br />an up -to -date Zoning Atlas and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element Map upon which <br />citizens can rely because of technical and descriptive language. <br />5. The amendments correct inconsistencies between the Zoning Ordinance text and Zoning <br />Atlas (map). <br />Notification Procedural Requirements <br />In accordance with Articles 2 and 20 of the Zoning Ordinance, the public hearing for this item <br />was advertised consistent with the requirements of the Ordinance. Legal ads were placed in <br />two newspapers of general circulation in the County for two (2) successive weeks; notices were <br />mailed to affected property owners and property owners within 500 -feet of affected properties; <br />and a total of 40 signs were posted in strategic areas of the affected areas, in accordance with <br />State statutes. Attachment 5 includes the following: <br />