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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />AGTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date; October 6, 2011 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. o~ <br />SUBJECT: Provision and Maintenance of Sidewalks in the County's Jurisdiction <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1. Excerpts from Efland-1Vlebane Smal!-Area <br />Plan Perdita Holtz, Planner III, 245-2578 <br />2. Sidewalk Materials Received From the Craig Benedict, Planning Director, 245-2592 <br />North Carolina Department of <br />Transportation <br />PURPOSE: To receive information about providing sidewalks in certain areas of the County <br />and to direct staff on how to proceed. <br />BACKGROUND: One of the economic development related items Planning staff is working on <br />is the implementation of recommendations contained in the Efland-Mebane Small Area- Plan <br />(EMSAP). The Land Use Map currently designates the Efland "core" area as Commercial- <br />Industrial Node. The EMSAP recommends the area be designated as "Mixed Use" (a category <br />that would need to be created) but also recommends that design requirements/guidelines for <br />the "core area" be developed in conjunction with the change in designation. Additionally, the <br />EMSAP recommends the provision. of sidewalks in the planning area and particularly in the <br />"core area". Attachment 1 contains scanned excerpts from the EMSAP relevant to these <br />statements. <br />The County's 2030 Comprehensive Plan also supports the provision of pedestrian facilities (see <br />sections 1.3.3 and 1.3.7, and Objectives LU-1.1, LU-3.2, LU-3.7, ED-2.3, AE-8, T-1.1, T-2.1, T- <br />2.6). <br />Issue <br />As much as a county may desire to provide pedestrian facilities in -its jurisdiction, there are <br />challenges in actually being able to do so. In North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of <br />Transportation (NCDOT) does not build nor maintain sidewalks (see materials in Attachment 2 - <br />pages 14 and 15 [bottom of page] in particular). Although the materials in Attachment 2 are <br />geared towards municipal governments, they are also largely applicable to any county <br />government that chooses to provide sidewalks within its jurisdiction. NCDOT will work with the <br />local government to provide sidewalks within road right-of-way if the local government agrees to <br />