Agenda - 05-30-1996 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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001 History of Joint Planning During the 1950s and 1960s, the North Carolina State Legislature granted Chapel Hill and Carrboro the right to enact zoning ordinances and regulations for certain designated areas surrounding the Towns. These designated areas are known as an extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ). Each Town adopts zoning and controls development of land within its respective extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ). During this period of time, land located outside of Chapel Hill's or Carrboro's corporate limits and planning jurisdictions was zoned and controlled by Orange County. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, urban growth began to occur outside of Chapel Hill's and Carrboro's corporate limits and extraterritorial planning jurisdictions. In particular, growth began to occur north of Chapel Hill's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ) boundary; and, Orange County had begun to approve developments outside of Chapel Hill's planning jurisdiction that would eventually be annexed into the Town's corporate limits (ex. Timberlyne Subdivision). A philosophy for joint planning emerged as an opportunity to provide Chapel Hill and Carrboro with some planning and zoning control over future growth areas outside of each Town's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ). Joint planning also provided the opportunity for the County to retain some zoning control over these growth areas while also setting a limit for urban sprawl and providing a transition from an urban to a rural environment (the rural buffer). In general, the purpose of joint planning is to provide a method of coordinated and comprehensive planning for areas that are of interest to all three jurisdictions. Development of a Joint Planning Agreement In 1984, the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County entered into a Joint Planning Agreement that called for the development of a Land Use Plan for the areas immediately surrounding Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but located outside the extraterritorial planning jurisdictions (ETJ Lines) of the two towns. These areas outside of each Town's respective corporate limits and planning jurisdiction were known as Joint Planning "Transition Areas." Initially, the Town of Carrboro was not a party to the Joint Planning Agreement. The staffs and Planning Boards of Chapel Hill and Orange County proceeded to develop a Land Use Plan. The Town of Carrboro was also updating its Land Use Plan and began to participate in the Joint Planning process. A public information meeting was held in November of 1985. The results of this meeting combined with public hearings in January and April of 1986 were merged to produce the Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. The Plan was adopted by the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Orange County Board of Commissioners on October 13, 1986. Following efforts to streamline the review process for developments located in transition areas, the Town of Carrboro joined Chapel Hill and Orange County in adopting a new Joint Planning Agreement on November 2, 1987. The November 1987 Joint Planning Agreement was amended on April 2, 1990, in order to implement recommended strategies for the protection of the University Lake watershed.