Minutes - 10-10-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Craig Benedict said that there should be no more than 15 lots on a private road because of the traffic impact and the maintenance costs. He said that it was up to the Board tonight to determine what part of the package works. Chair Carey agreed that some private roads contribute to rural character. He has always felt that 25 lots on a private road were too many, but he is not convinced that it should be reduced to 10 lots. He thinks 15 lots are more reasonable. He agrees with the declarative statement on page 18. Commissioner Brown thinks the private road standards are a big improvement over what is currently in place. She feels that whatever is adopted should be reviewed periodically. She thinks that 25 lots on a private road is not acceptable and agrees that 10 lots are sufficient. She is more interested in protecting sensitive areas such as wildlife .corridors and creeks than the size of the lots. She would like to move ahead and adopt these amendments. Commissioner Halkiotis said that people move into this area from out of state, and get upset when they find out that school buses cannot go down private roads. He said that 25 lots on a private road are totally unreasonable. He agrees that the Board should move ahead and that the standards could be modified later if needed. Commissioner Jacobs clarified that the Board does want a declarative statement that private roads are not by right. Also, he asked if the Board agreed that three or fewer lots should be treated differently, both in terms of the review period and the review itself. Craig Benedict said that from the discussion above he has identified three major things where is there is general consensus of the County Commissioners: • A declarative statement that private roads are not by right on page 18 • For three-lot subdivisions (those with three or fewer lots) no engineer certification should be necessary, and • For three-lot subdivisions there should be a one-year time limit with cone-year extension by right Commissioner Jacobs suggested that it be written into the standards that there be a review of these standards after one or two years. John Link said that it was important to state that a private road is usually unpaved. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there should be a statement in the amendments that school buses will not be going down private roads. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adopt the proposed amendments to the Orange County Private Road Standards with the following five revisions: 1) a declarative statement on page 18 as follows: "There is no right to a private road in any subdivision larger than three lots."; 2) Three-lot subdivisions (subdivisions with three or fewer lots) would not require an engineer certification for the road; 3) Three-lot subdivisions can ask for aone-year extension by right for minor subdivision approval after the one-year expiration; 4) The amendments will be reviewed in two years or less; and 5) No more than 12 lots will be permitted on a private road. Craig Benedict said that in the declarative statement, there would be a description of a private road. Chair Carey said that if a subdivision is three lots or less, the same rules should apply in that they will receive a notification that they have one year to do something. Commissioner Jacobs asked a question about the third sentence on page 18 which begins "a private road shall be deemed justified..." Following that sentence, there is language about intent and he wondered if that language is necessary anymore, given that the board has now already defined the justification for private roads. He also indicated the language was not clear. Craig Benedict said that this section was in text format and that it provided the same information as the later sections, which were in criteria format, but that it did not hurt to be redundant. The Board suggested that the staff revise the language to make it clear. Commissioner Jacobs and Commissioner Brown said that there should be some editing to make the document easier to read. It would be good to have a chart that shows the criteria for a private road justification. The staff will bring back revised language for the sections for which the commissioners