Orange County NC Website
b. Amend Article VIII of the Zoning Ordinance and Section II and III <br />of the Subdivision Regulations to create a special use permit <br />process that sets special use standards and location criteria for <br />subdivision size (number of lots) based on zoning district and <br />service areas identified in the Water and Sewer Management <br />Planning and Boundary Agreement Map. <br />Craig Benedict gave a PowerPoint presentation. He showed a map of the entire County. <br />He said that in May 2042, the Planning Board expressed concern about the amount of <br />development activity in the rural sections of the County. The existing regulations may <br />not have been able to address the impacts upon the rural environment. The County <br />Commissioners and the Planning Board asked the staff to investigate other manners of <br />reviewing subdivisions in these areas that could address the impacts. Through a series <br />of meetings, a special use process was discussed to review subdivisions. It has been <br />suggested that subdivisions over a certain size would go through this special use <br />process. He pointed out the areas on a map where growth would be promoted. In the <br />urban areas of the County, subdivisions would follow a process based on the size, as <br />follows: 6-19 lots would follow the same process that exists now; 20-40 lots would follow <br />the process of a class A special use permit; 41-79 lats would require a more strict <br />analysis; and 80+ lots would require a rezoning process (planned development}. <br />In the rural areas of the County, there is a different threshold number. Again, 6-19 lots <br />would follow the same major subdivision process. A class A special use permit would be <br />needed far 20-40 lats, and planned development would be used far 41+ lots. <br />Craig Benedict showed four different growth management options on different maps. <br />Option four includes the greatest amount of land. <br />If there were a planned development subdivision (40+ in the rural area or 80+ in the <br />urban area}, then it would be presented at a quarterly public hearing with the Planning <br />Board and the Board of County Commissioners. The Board of County Commissioners <br />would hear public input and refer it to the Planning Board, which would make a <br />recommendation back to the County Commissioners far a decision. <br />Commissioner Gardon made reference to the process and said that she is concerned <br />that this approach seems to do two things at once -1} we are trying to improve the <br />subdivision process sa that there is a higher standard of performance for larger <br />developments and 2} we are basically changing the map. She said that it is not as <br />logical as what she thought the process was supposed to be. She would like to leave <br />the comprehensive plan and zoning plan alone, and focus on trying to improve the <br />subdivision process. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked far information on subjective cut-off sizes for the different <br />threshold sizes. He would like to see some real examples to see what impacts there <br />actually are that led the staff to these numbers. He also asked about the current thinking <br />of pursuing updating the comprehensive land use plan. Craig Benedict said that this is a <br />procedural and standard process and these amendments do not have any linkage to <br />comprehensive land use planning density changes. He said that they are suggesting an <br />outreach proposal using a facilitation firm to propose some changes to the overall plan of <br />the County. This will be coming back to the Board for approval soon. Regarding the <br />