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for his leadership and dedicated and distinguished service to our community as Executive Director of the <br />Orange Water and Sewer Authority and extend to him our best wishes for a long and well-deserved <br />retirement. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />VI. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS <br />A. DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION AWARD <br />Chair Carey presented the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award of the Government <br />Finance Officers' Association to Budget Director Sally Kost and Budget Management Analyst Donna Dean. <br />He commended them for their dedication and for receiving the highest form of recognition in governmental <br />budgeting for the sixth consecutive year. <br />VII. PUBLIC HEARINGS <br />A. ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT - ARTICLE 6.16.6 HOME OCCUPATIONS <br />Planner Mary Willis presented for citizen comment a proposed amendment to the Zoning <br />Ordinance provisions relating to home occupations as presented in the agenda. The existing home <br />occupation regulations are contained in Article 6.16.6.1 through 6.16.6.4. <br />In answer to a question from Commissioner Gordon about setbacks, Mary Willis said that what <br />they tried to do was to keep the same set of standards without breaking things up according to just the lot <br />size. They had encountered previous problems with the provision that accessory buildings must be 30 feet <br />further from the road than the residence on larger lots. The setbacks, in most districts, would be 20 feet from <br />the side and rear property lines and 40 feet from the front. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMENT <br />Max Kennedy, General Contractor with a home occupation permit, made reference to the <br />agenda materials and commented about several of the proposed changes. He said that at present the most <br />floor space usable in an assessory building is 2,000 feet and the greatest number of feet available in a <br />storage facility is 1,000 feet. This is on property with more than 200,000 square feet. He made reference to <br />the list of home occupations which are presently legal in Orange County and said that there are a number of <br />these which do not use any outside buildings because they are completely contained within a home and a <br />number which occupy a considerable amount of space. The smallest being 114 acre and the largest being <br />232 acres. He disagrees that one size fits all. He does not feel the impact would be the same in every case. <br />The proposal is that there be one requirement regardless of lot size and he does not feel that is realistic. It <br />also requires that any building approved in the future have a residential appearance. This does not take into <br />consideration a number of farm buildings that will be available as farmers cease to farm and have barns they <br />could utilize for a very productive home occupation. He disagrees with this proposed change. Max Kennedy <br />noted he disagrees with the reference to the size of the vehicle that can make deliveries. In his particular <br />case, he has enough room for larger trucks to make deliveries and egress safety. He asked the County <br />Commissioners to leave the Home Occupations portion of the Zoning Ordinance as it is. <br />Mary Willis said that with regard to the use of existing barns or farm-type buildings in the <br />future, that would be permitted under C-4. She said that what they are trying to do with this amendment is to <br />assure that if someone is going to build a new building, an accessory building, for the Purpose of conducting <br />a home occupation, that it be 1,000 square feet and that it take on a residential appearance to try to blend in <br />with that area. There are provisions for existing buildings that may be converted to home occupations in the <br />future regardless of the appearance of the building. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Crowther to refer <br />this amendment to the Orange County Planning Board for a recommendation to be returned to the Board of <br />County Commissioners no sooner than August 5, 1996. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />B. PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT - ARTICLE 8.8.24 <br />HISTORIC STRUCTURES