Orange County NC Website
,~{~. <br />~_~~ <br />Memorandum <br />To: John Link, County Manager <br />From: Planning Staff <br />Date: November 16, 1998 <br />Subject: Cane Creek Watershed Recommendation <br />On October 20, the Planning staff presented a staff report on the Cane <br />Creek Watershed Study and subsequent recommendations for <br />protecting water quality by the OWASA Board of Directors. Staff would <br />like to take this opportunity to provide a recommended development <br />management option for Cane Creek watershed. <br />The October 20 staff report identified three management options that <br />were recommended for further evaluation: <br />1. Mandatory Flexible Development (with Large-Lot Zoning in the <br />critical areal); <br />2. Creative Open Space Design, and <br />3. Large-Lot Zoning/Creative Open Space (the OWASA- <br />recommended approach). <br />As mentioned in the staff report, staff indicated that the options would <br />be discussed at a community meeting in the watershed. These three <br />options were presented to 25 citizens at a community meeting at <br />Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Department on October 29, 1998. In <br />addition, staff was to complete its research on these options and make <br />a single recommendation by the time of the public hearing on <br />November 23. <br />As you may recall, the primary downside to the Mandatory Flexible <br />Development and Creative Open Space options (#1 and #2) was <br />whether these options could protect water quality given their use of <br />cluster development (and the apparent requirements for using <br />structural impoundments to do so). <br />Staff completed its research into this issue in late-October. We have <br />been unable to find any examples of communities that have used <br />cluster development solely for water quality protection, with or without <br />relying on structural controls (detention basins) or very large-lot base <br />