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4 <br />Ordinance Amendments) of the Unified Development Ordinance, the Planning <br />Director has initiated text amendments to the Unified Development <br />Ordinance. <br />The purpose of the proposed amendments is to allow for a greater intensity of <br />property use in areas of the county to be served by water and sewer systems. This <br />will be accomplished by revising the Dimensional and Ratio Standards of various <br />zoning districts if located in certain Future Land Use classifications, specifically, the <br />Commercial Transition Activity Nodes and the Commercial - Industrial Transition <br />Activity Nodes. <br />2. Analysis <br />As required under Section 2.8.5 of the Orange County Unified Development <br />Ordinance, the Planning Director is required to: `cause an analysis to be made of the <br />application and, based upon that analysis, prepare a recommendation for <br />consideration by the Planning Board and the Board of County Commissioners'. <br />The proposed amendments increase the potential intensity /density of uses within the <br />commercial and industrial general use zoning districts if the zoning district is located <br />within a Commercial Transition Activity Node or Commercial - Industrial Transition <br />Activity Node, as depicted on the Future Land Use Map contained in the 2030 <br />Comprehensive Plan. These are areas of the county that are served, or proposed to <br />be served, by public water and sewer systems. <br />The increase in potential intensity /density is accomplished by increasing the <br />maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and decreasing the required Open Space Ratio <br />and Pedestrian /Landscape Ratio (see Article 10 of the UDO for definitions of these <br />terms). It should be noted that "open space" in the context of these ratios includes all <br />gross land area not covered by buildings (e.g., parking areas and driveways are <br />"open space" in this context). In some zoning districts, the maximum height is also <br />proposed to be increased and in one zoning district the minimum lot size is proposed <br />to be decreased. <br />The proposed ratios /height maximums are in keeping with regulations adopted in <br />February 2012 for similar economic development zoning districts (which are <br />applicable only in the designated Economic Development Districts) and the <br />Office /Institutional (0/1) zoning district which was amended in June 2011. <br />All other regulations contained in the LIDO, such as impervious surface limits, stream <br />buffers, land use buffers, and landscaping requirements continue to apply and are <br />not being proposed for amendment. <br />The necessary recommendation by the Planning Director will be prepared <br />subsequent to the public hearing for the Planning Board's and BOCC's consideration. <br />3. Comprehensive Plan Linkage (i.e. Principles Goals and Objectives) <br />I Board of County Commissioner' Planning Principles: 7. Promotion Of Economic <br />Prosperity And Diversity: Development of a diversity of new businesses and <br />Lepansion of existing businesses should occur in Orange Countv. <br />PA <br />