Orange County NC Website
90 <br /> issues. There has been a draft map identified which <br /> would identify Hillsborough service area and OWASA <br /> service area. That has been adopted on a tentative <br /> basis until they resolve some other objectives. <br /> Katz continued with the concern regarding affordable <br /> housing as expressed by Reid. He noted that the <br /> number of units that could be built is based on a <br /> yield plan based on the underlying zoning. The <br /> percentage of required open space is irrelevant to <br /> that. It limits where the units can be placed, but <br /> it does not limit the number of units and therefore <br /> it shouldn't have any impact on the cost of each of <br /> those units. In fact, it would tend toward making <br /> them more affordable in some ways because it is <br /> going to cut down on road and infrastructure <br /> development costs. He noted a lack of evidence that <br /> increasing the amount of required open space will <br /> increase the cost of a house. <br /> Reid responded that once you get out of the <br /> transition areas, out of the Rural Buffer, the <br /> density bonuses does not apply. He continued that <br /> in the rural areas, the majority of the land is <br /> still in ownership of families who will be applying <br /> in the future for subdivisions to provide housing <br /> for family members. Katz stated that this would not <br /> have any impact on the cost of the unit. Reid <br /> responded that it is not only the cost of the unit. <br /> It also involves the cost of acquiring land. Katz <br /> responded that the amount of land being purchased is <br /> the same; the only difference is how the units would <br /> be placed on the tract. <br /> Jobsis stated that if 33% of the land is already in <br /> wetlands and must be preserved, and an additional <br /> 33% is required, that reduces the buildable acreage <br /> to 34%. <br /> Waddell clarified that based on the yield plan with <br /> conventional development, there would be a certain <br /> number of houses that could be built on a tract of <br /> land. If the applicant chose to make an open space <br /> development, he would still be permitted the same <br /> number of houses that he would be permitted with a <br /> conventional development. It would not be fewer <br /> houses, but, smaller lots. He felt that would make <br /> them less expensive. <br /> Vic Knight, developer, stated that because of the <br /> limited locations available for density bonuses, <br /> those bonuses could only be achieved if water and <br /> sewer are extendable to those sites. Because of the <br /> soil constraints in most of Orange County, density <br />