Minutes - 19981123 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

desire of the jurisdiction in which it is located. For example, they are not asking to place a high rise office building on this piece of property because the marketplace would not support or sustain that use even if the Board of County Commissioners was inclined to approve it. By like token, they are not seeking to put a paper processing plant on this property because, although the market place might be willing to support that use, the jurisdiction would not. They are asking for a change in residential zoning from R-1 to R-3. This is a change that they believe the market will accept as the highest and best use for the property. The market will buy houses in this location and in the proposed price range on lots of this proposed size at a pace that will justify the cost of the improvements and the development risks required to produced the project. They also believe that their request is absolutely in keeping with objectives of Orange County. He then read as follows from the Comprehensive Plan. "Among the purposes of the Comprehensive Plan is the desire to minimize the existing energy inefficient and land consuming pattern of rural sprawl. The Land Use Element is premised on two basic strategies. - activity nodes and infill development. Unlike the rural areas, these urban areas are presently served, or are scheduled to be served, by municipal water and sewer systems and contain other urban support services which allow for higher density, higher intensity development patterns. The infill development strategy is premised on the desirability of encouraging development to occur first within the corporate limits of the towns and then, when appropriate, within those areas surrounding the towns which are in transition from rural to urban development patterns. The achievement of a higher rate of infill development than experienced in the past requires a combination of incentives and disincentives to development activity which include, but are not limited to • Allowing higher densities and intensity of land uses within urban areas and urbanizing areas • Allowing only low intensity uses outside of these areas • Streamlining development review processes for high intensity uses • Requiring development standards in transition areas similar to those in urban areas, and • Phased extension of urban services. The successful achievement of the infill policy would result in more compact and efficient urban form, lead to reduced transportation and energy cost, reduce public services cost, and minimize the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses as a result of development pressures." He stated that this related to Lawrence Park and the proposal before the Board of County Commissioners in the following ways: • This is clearly an infill location. They are surrounded on all sides by existing residential development. Further, the area of Lawrence Park itself was placed in a 20-year transition area in the Comprehensive Plan. He pointed out the Lawrence Park area on the map. There are existing residential areas both to the west and to the south in the 10-year transition zone. He then read again from the Comprehensive Plan for a definition of the 20-year transition zone. Q:\19981123.doc®