Agenda - 05-21-1997 - 9c - Laserfiche WebLink

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I 31 INSTITUTE Of GOVERNMENT January 25, 1997 Ms. Emily C. Cameron, ASLA Planner II Orange County Planning Department 306 F Revere Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 Dear Emily: In your memo of December 31, 1996, you invited my comments on the proposed amendments to the Orange County Zoning Ordinance as it concerns golf courses. It appears that the Golf CART includes a number of individuals with special expertise that can be brought to bear on this matter and that the work you are doing can break fresh ground and become useful in planning in jurisdictions all around the state. My only general concern is that the regulations that you may end up with become too involved, or at least more involved than those that apply to other important land uses in the county. Make sure that you place the review of golf courses in a proper context. Another issue that your committee may wish to address is how a golf course fits into a planned residential development (or any planned development for that matter). One of the issues here is whether a golf course should qualify as "open space" for purposes of the ordinance. Some ordinances limit the extent to which the land in a golf course can count as required open space; many others fail to clarify whether it does or does not. A related issue is whether the open space must be or may be private. If the open space is intended to be for the benefit of the residents of the development, then the question arises as to whether a golf course must be available only to residents and their guests or whether it may be open to the general public. One issue that recently arose with respect to a development near Charlotte was whether the developers could qualify their golf course as required open space if they provided preferential tee times and discount greens fees to residents to make up for the fact that the golf course was being operated as a commercial venture. I mention these issues simply because you may want to address them in your work so as to eliminate any confusion. Congratulations on the good work you have done so far. Let me know if I can be of any help. cerely, chard D. Ducker Assistant Director The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CB#3330 Knapp Building.Chapel Hill,NC 27599-3330 919 966-5381 .919 962.0654(Pax)