Minutes 11-22-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

all day. Directly across the street is the Go-Kart track and all the noise it makes. Just to the south of the property is Orange County Speedway. These 4 acres are not suitable for any type of residential use. I built a 4,000 square foot home on the site across the road from the concrete plant and I live there full-time, so I'm not going to do anything that's going to hurt the value. I want to put some mini-storage units on the 4 acre site beside the concrete company. I'm asking that the elected officials (Commissioners) sign into law the conditional use and the ordinance so residents like myself and others with property in the middle of the commercial area are allowed to do some type of commercial use. I remind the Commissioners that this is conditional use, not an outright commercial zone. So we will have to get permission before we do anything. As it stands now, we can't do anything, so please make this issue a priority, it's been long enough. Sincerely, Darrell W. Chandler" Allan Rosen said that he has been a County resident for 18 years and he has served on the Economic Development Commission. He said that there is no doubt that existing regulations have impeded commercial development, but they have also increased the cost of land, which has had an adverse affect on the cost of housing. He said that if the UDO is done well, it can improve both commercial development outcomes and hopefully residential development outcomes. He said that the Comprehensive Plan has never truly been implemented. He thinks that the County will be served well when it is implemented fully. He said that it is also critical that it be done as thoroughly as possible. He considers Phase II as more important. He said that the UDO is the one policy instrument that is substantially or wholly in control of the Board of County Commissioners. The County Commissioners can make its mark here and send a signal to the business community that Orange County is serious about welcoming business. Ben Haven from the Village Project read a prepared statement. "Since 2005, the Village Project has actively participated in Orange County's efforts to create the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, and we've continued to pay attention to related issues on the Commissioners' agenda. One of our foremost desires is that the Plan will clearly delineate where growth, redevelopment, and reinvestment can occur, especially those projects necessary to build and maintain a resilient, high-functioning business sector. The rules and regulations governing the development process in Orange County have as much influence on our built environment as any other factor controlled by County government. Hence, it is essential that the County's development regulations promote the development outcomes that are in the County's best interest, including economic development. The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) currently under consideration presents the County Commissioners with an opportunity to create a tool which can foster the economic development activity desired by the Commissioners and County citizens alike. Additionally, the UDO will be the central instrument for shaping the direction of all development for many years to come. As such, the Commissioners can use the UDO to not only achieve these outcomes, but also to affirm the County's desire for more vibrant economic activity. Perhaps most importantly, the UDO is one of the few policy tools regarding land use planning —and therefore economic development—that is nearly 100% at the discretion of the Commissioners. The Village Project agrees with the County Economic Development Commission which advised the Commissioners to "complete all phases of the Unified Development Ordinance effort within a timeframe that establishes confidence with developers, investors, and business owners and also results in a reduction in the time needed for a project to go from application to permit issuance and into construction." The Village Project especially recommends that the Commissioners task the planning department, in Phase II, to modify the existing rules and regulations such that the regulatory environment— at a minimum — compares favorably to neighboring jurisdictions. In other words,