ORD-2003-034 - Proposed Zoning Ordinance & Subdivision Regulations Enforcement Procedures Amendments

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Space Ratio, Open - The minimum square footage of open space required for each square foot of floor. This area includes parking and vehicular access areas and it can also include. balconies and roofs improved for recreation. Amended 12 -17 -96 Special Event - A commercial activity attracting at least 20 people at any given time, that typically does not involve permanent structures, and does not occur more frequently than seven (7) days in a thirty (30) -day period or more than fifty (50) days per year. Examples of special events are craft shows, small festivals, concerts, medical or veterinary clinics, and sites operated by businesses engaged in hosting outdoor social events such as picnics or receptions sponsored by a restaurant or caterer. Activities which are not included in this definition include: (1) events of a personal or non - profit, nature such as family reunions and church activities; (2) farm - related or rural events such as horse shows, 4 -H events and auctions; and (3) fund - raising events for non - profit organizations. Special Use - A use which would not be appropriate generally throughout the zoning district or without special study, but which, if controlled as to number, area, location or relation to neighborhood, would. Such uses which are listed as Special Uses in the Permitted Use Table, Article 3, may be installed and operated only after approval by the Board of Commissioners or by the Board of Adjustment, as appropriate, subject to the general and specific standards. Specialized Words Definitions - (See Special Use; Non - Conformity; Variance; Dedication; Easement; Group Development; Comprehensive Plan.) Amended 1/4/94 State Mandate - The minimum Rules adopted by the Environmental Management Commission for application to North Carolina's watersupply watersheds, as required by the Water Supply Watershed Protection Act. The purpose of the Act, as stated in its opening paragraph, is "... to protect and enhance the quality of the State's surface water supplies by establishing a cooperative program of watersupply protection to be administered by local governments consistent with statewide management requirements established by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC)." Amended 1/4/94 9/18/01 5/20/03 Stream Buffer - A stream buffer is an area of land adjacent to a stream or a FEMA - identified floodplain, whichever is greater, which, except as permitted in Article 6.23.7 of this Ordinance, must remain undisturbed in its natural state. Streams are identified by any of the following means: 1) shown as solid blue lines or as broken blue lines on the USGS Quadrangle maps, 2) shown as a water feature in the Orange County Soil Survey, or 3) a water feature identified by a field determination of County staff trained in surface water identification through the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ). Stream buffers shall extend around the perimeter of all other water features if any portion of the stream buffer touches the water feature. Disputes pertaining to water feature identification decisions by County staff shall be filed directly to the NCDWQ. Stream buffers for Soil Survey streams shall only be calculated using Method A as explained in Section 6.23.7d.