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Chair Jacobs, with reference to the colored map, said that Orange County had a vision <br /> to withdraw urban development in the Upper Eno watershed. He pointed out that it is not a <br /> coincidence that there is a rural buffer connecting with an existing rural buffer with Chapel <br /> Hill/Carrboro. He noted that this creates a separation with Durham to the east and protects <br /> Eno River State Park, and then surrounds Hillsborough and goes through the Upper Eno <br /> watershed, which is identified as one of the highest level priority protection areas in the Lands <br /> Legacy Program. He said that Hillsborough is very amenable to having the same vision for <br /> land use, long term, that Chapel Hill and Carrboro embraced 25 years ago. <br /> Commissioner Rich asked who would have held the public hearing for citizens input. <br /> Craig Benedict said the Town of Hillsborough would have public hearings for <br /> everything in that urban service boundary. <br /> Commissioner Rich asked if there has been any push back from citizens regarding the <br /> map being presented. <br /> Craig Benedict said there has been dialogue and discussion around the need to focus <br /> development in the urban areas, yet to maintain the historic charm. He said that it is <br /> understood that if medium densities were allowed outside of the urban service area, that could <br /> create big populations too. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said, looking at this map, is the idea that eventually everything <br /> inside the urban service boundary is going to be annexed and Craig Benedict answered, yes. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said can they clarify the difference for ETJ and blue and orange <br /> and why they are treated differently. <br /> Craig Benedict said ETJs are identified in courts and state law and can impose zoning <br /> and regulations in that area. He said that, instead of turning blue and orange areas into an <br /> ETJ, that they can have joint planning ownership in these areas. This is the same thing that <br /> has been done with the joint planning area in Chapel Hill, Carrboro. In those areas, they will <br /> agree upon the land use and the zoning regulations, that if annexed by Hillsborough, they will <br /> be able to use the regulations agreed to, while still remaining Orange County planning <br /> jurisdiction while ceding authority to Hillsborough. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked why these areas and why not all areas be subject to <br /> agreement and/or ETJ. <br /> Commissioner Price said some of the blue and orange areas already have Hillsborough <br /> water but no sewer and is developed and ripe for annexation. She said an ETJ has no water <br /> infrastructure, it is just land in close proximity to Hillsborough but without that connection. <br /> Craig Benedict clarified, if it's an ETJ, there is no divestiture, and with orange and blue <br /> areas, there is some joint planning. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked, if that is important in the orange and blue areas, why is it <br /> not important in the areas proposed to become ETJ that are not ETJ now. <br /> Craig Benedict said that they had actually annexed outside their ETJ in some areas <br /> and so there was non-ETJs that was surrounded by corporate limits. In some areas it was very <br /> compact and it was decided to trade ETJs and put it into those areas instead of having blue <br /> and orange areas. <br />