ORD-2003-116 Amendments to Open Space Standards for Flexible Development Subdivisions

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 16, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Amendments to Open Space Standards for Flexible Development Subdivisions DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) 0 ATTACHMENTS: INFORMATION CONTACT: Proposed Amendments to the Orange County Craig Benedict, Director, ext. 2592 Subdivision Regulations Robert P. Davis, Planner III, ext 2580 Proposed Amendments as Submitted at Public Hearing TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Flexible Development Open Space Amendment Hillsborough 732 -8181 Questions and Answers from Public Hearing Chapel Hill 968 -4501 Minutes from May 27, 2003 Public. Hearing Durham 688 -7331 Minutes from August 6, 2003 Planning Board Mebane (336)227 -2031 Meetina PURPOSE: To close public hearing and consider proposed amendments to the Open Space Standards in subdivisions following the Flexible Development option. BACKGROUND: Flexible Development, Section IV -B -10 of the Subdivision Regulations, was adopted on July 1, 1996. Section C of the regulations. requires that Flexible Subdivisions set aside a minimum of 33% of the total project acreage as protected open space. The current open space regulations set forth the required compositional elements for both Primary and Secondary Conservation Areas and, to a lesser degree, guidelines relating to open space shape.design. The intent of the proposed amendments is to improve the layout of open space by making it more accessible to the public and property owners for vistas or use. This is in response to concerns that some of the more recent subdivision proposals lacked in the goal of preserving the County's rural character and, in appropriate cases, accessibility. These amendments address the primary negative design criteria in the current regulations, that being the creation of large blocks of more urban - style lots unbroken by natural areas and lacking open space connectivity. These amendments were presented at the May 27, 2003 Public Hearing and comments were received from the Board of County Commissioners and Planning Board members. The following changes were made in the ordinance amendment text in response to those comments. Public Hearing Amendments 1. The classification of 'Pedestrian Access Paths' in Section C.3.c 'Secondary Conservation Areas' has been changed in name to `Pedestrian Open Space Area' (POSA). It has been explicitly stated in the text that this designation does not require the construction of an improved path, but must only be: a) 50 -feet wide; b) in common ownership; c) undeveloped except for recreational amenities, and d) reasonably traversable by foot. The determination of when pedestrian improvements should be required in a POSA will be determined on a case -by -case analysis of the overall open space goals of the proposed subdivision taking the Planning Board recommendation into consideration.