Agenda - 01-23-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 1 Use Plan 2 The Board received the Planning Board's recommendation, considered closing the 3 public hearing, and considered making a decision on a resolution ratifying the draft Town of 4 Hillsborough/Orange County Central Orange Coordinated Area (COCA) Land Use Plan, and 5 authorized the Chair to sign. 6 Tom Altieri said this is a re-convening of the public hearing from September 9th. He said 7 the Board did request further information on immediate and future steps to make the maps and 8 land use visions of the County and Town coincide. He noted material included on page 3 of the 9 abstract describing these steps. 10 He said the planning board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this item. 11 Tom Altieri said the planning director has recommended a minor change that deletes a 12 reference to minimum lot size within the "rural living" future land use category. He said this 13 change is referenced in italics on page 2 of the abstract, and is cited in the resolution for 14 approval tonight. He said this change was discussed with the Town's planning director, and 15 she supported it. 16 Chair Jacobs asked for an explanation of this change. 17 Tom Altieri said the rural living land classification references minimum lot size and is the 18 only land use classification with a minimum lot size. He said every other land use category 19 refers to residential density as the controlling factor. He said the primary difference is that the 20 use of a minimum lot size requirement can be overly restrictive and it does not accommodate 21 the clustering of lots. 22 He said that the use of density accommodates open space better and preserves the 23 natural characteristics of a tract during the subdivision process. 24 Commissioner Gordon asked how this applies. She asked for an explanation of the 25 boundaries that would require the listed density. She asked if this means that if some 26 properties have more than the required density per acre that some other part of the property 27 has less density. 28 Craig Benedict gave the example of a ten acre lot—the 2 acre per unit density 29 requirement would allow for a maximum of five 2 acre lots. He said the density provision would 30 allow for five 1 acre lots with 5 acres of open space. He said this still limits the gross amount of 31 land to a number divided by 2 acres to get the maximum amount of lots. 32 Commissioner Gordon said this is a land use classification, not a zoning classification. 33 She asked for the definition of"site." 34 Craig Benedict said this means whatever property one wants to develop. He said the 35 density calculation is used to find the maximum amount of lots that can be built on a site, and it 36 allows clustering. 37 Commissioner Gordon said "rural living" must be a Hillsborough term, because Orange 38 County does not have this term. 39 Tom Altieri said "rural living" is a land use classification of the joint land use plan for the 40 area covered by the Central Orange Coordinated area, which includes both Orange County and 41 Hillsborough. 42 Commissioner Gordon said future land use classifications are developed in concert with 43 Hillsborough, which makes them specific to this plan. She asked if this is then confined to the 44 Central Orange plan. 45 Tom Altieri said this is modeled from the joint plan used with Carrboro and Chapel Hill. 46 He said this plan is the guiding document for future land uses in this Hillsborough and Orange 47 County plan area, and as the process moves forward there will need to be comprehensive plan 48 amendments that add designations to the Orange and Hillsborough urbanizing areas. He said 49 this joint land use plan will be a reference point, along with the unified development ordinance.