Orange County NC Website
39 <br /> Attachment 3 <br /> 1 DRAFT <br /> 2 EXCERPT OF MINUTES <br /> 3 <br /> 4 MINUTES <br /> 5 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 6 ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING BOARD <br /> 7 QUARTERLY PUBLIC HEARING <br /> 8 August 27, 2012 <br /> 9 7:00 P.M. <br /> 10 <br /> 11 <br /> 12 The Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Orange County Planning Board <br /> 13 met for a Quarterly Public Hearing on Monday, August 27, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Central <br /> 14 Orange Senior Center, Hillsborough, N.C. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Bernadette Pelissier, and Commissioners Alice <br /> 17 Gordon, Barry Jacobs, Valerie Foushee, Pam Hemminger, Earl McKee, and Steve Yuhasz <br /> 18 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: <br /> 19 COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: John Roberts <br /> 20 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Manager <br /> 21 Michael Talbert, and Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All other staff members will be <br /> 22 identified appropriately below) <br /> 23 PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Larry Wright, and Planning Board members <br /> 24 Pete Hallenbeck, Andrea Rohrbacher, Maxecine Mitchell, Tony Blake, Rachel Phelps Hawkins, <br /> 25 Alan Campbell, and Johnny Randall <br /> 26 PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: H.T. "Buddy" Hartley, Lisa Stuckey, Dawn Brezina <br /> 27 <br /> 28 3. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendment(s): To review <br /> 29 qovernment-initiated amendments to the text of four sections of the UDO in order <br /> 30 to adequately address the development of solar arrays within the county. <br /> 31 <br /> 32 Michael Harvey made reference to page 10 of the agenda packet. Under Section 5.1.2 <br /> 33 of the Ordinance, there are references to use that are permitted and land use development <br /> 34 standards. He read Subsection J, "electrical substations, switching and metering stations and <br /> 35 associated transmission lines, where incoming voltage does not exceed 100 kilovolts (kv). (See <br /> 36 Section 5.9.2)". He said that Section 5.9.2 is the appropriate section where this type of <br /> 37 development is located. There are three amendments to address the inconsistency. The <br /> 38 proposal is to establish an accessory use process where residential and non-residential land <br /> 39 uses can obtain a zoning compliance permit allow for the development of a solar unit for utility <br /> 40 needs. This will be approved by staff based on guidelines. If the guidelines are exceeded, the <br /> 41 recommendation is for it to go to a Class B Special Use Permit (Board of Adjustment and <br /> 42 Planning Board). If a public utility is proposed, it will be a Class A Special Use Permit process <br /> 43 (County Commissioners in a Quarterly Public Hearing). This ordinance provides guidance on <br /> 44 permitting processes. He made reference to the yellow sheet, which was a memorandum from <br /> 45 the Commission for the Environment with comments regarding the amendments. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Commissioner Jacobs asked for more detail on the Commission for Environment's <br /> 48 concerns about the permitting process. <br /> 49 <br /> 50 Michael Harvey said that one of the concerns is that solar arrays cannot be located in <br /> 51 the front area of a property. Staff is consistent with the current development practice in the <br />