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

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003 CHAPEL HILL/CARRBORO/ORANGE COUNTY JOINT PLANNING The attached Joint Planning Agreement contains 16 pages of definitions, standards, and procedures specific to the area known as the Joint Planning Area (JPA). This area is in the County's jurisdiction, but is administered differently than other areas (of county jurisdiction) based on the JPA Agreement. The application of land use ordinances-in the area is.governed by the jointly prepared and adopted JPA Land Use Plan. Any amendments to the adopted land use plan or agreement have to be considered at a joint public hearing and approved by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County to be effective. The plan is generally based on two types of areas - Transition Areas and the Rural Buffer. Transition Areas "Transition Areas" are future urban growth areas for Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Administration of land use ordinances in these areas was turned over to the towns following adoption (by Orange county and the respective towns) of municipal zoning plans consistent with the adopted JPA Land Use Plan. The agreement defines two levels of Transition Area (I and II) for Carrboro, the basic provisions of which specify that 75% of Area I has to develop at urban intensities before urban standards apply in Area II (see page 4 in the agreement). As long as proposed development in the transition areas is consistent with the adopted zoning, the County's only involvement is courtesy review of projects. Proposals for rezoning in the transition areas (consistent with the plan) require a joint public hearing with the County and relevant town and joint approval of the new zoning. Rural Buffer Surrounding the urban areas is the Rural Buffer which contains approximately 38,000 acres and is defined generally by the New Hope Creek drainage basin to the north and the University Lake watershed to the west. The Rural Buffer is projected to remain rural in character, not require urban services, and annexation is prohibited in this area. The Rural Buffer (RB) zoning district requires a minimum lot size of two acres for residential development. The University Lake watershed overlay portion of the RB district permits the first five lots of a development to be two acres, but requires all lots in excess of five to be a minimum of five acres in size. The County is responsible for administration of land use ordinances in the Rural Buffer, although the towns are granted courtesy review of proposed developments in the joint courtesy review area and their respective joint development review areas as depicted in the attached map from the agreement.