Minutes 11-25-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Craig Benedict said the QPH process is being re-examined in the New Year, with consideration of wrapping these into regular meetings. He noted the earlier mention of the adult entertainment business. He said the current regulations would allow it in certain areas. He said it cannot be prohibited outright, but there must be a process to show how it can be allowed in appropriate places. Craig Benedict said when the Planning Department goes out on tours with Economic Development the concern is how the area looks. He said there are sometimes beautiful fields that may serve as a future industrial park, but there are eyesores or nuisances across the road. He said the County does not have the power of the municipalities to regulate nuisances. Commissioner Rich asked what would justify something as a nuisance. Craig Benedict said people who do not cut grass or who leave furniture in yards would classify. He said this is not really a zoning thing. He said these EDD zones are urban-like zones and there should have urban-like standards to protect them. He said the department will work with the attorney's office to determine what is legally achievable. He said there is a sharp demarcation between urban and rural, but there are standards that encourage a good image in non-residential and mixed use, with no control over what is across the street on the farm. He said junk cars are one issue, and the number of these is almost insurmountable. Craig Benedict recognized his staff, who have worked on all of these projects. Chair Jacobs referred to the discussion of the EDDs. He expressed his hope that there could be a focus on the Highway 70 corridor. He noted that there is existing infrastructure, and it provides a good place to have higher density. He said those are places where things could be on a different scale, and there could be higher density residential development. Maxecine Mitchell said her concern in the planning process is that there are low income families who can't afford to live in Orange County. She asked the Board of County Commissioners to look at affordable housing in these rural buffer zones. She said people are constantly calling to find out options for low income housing, and many do not have cars or a method of transportation. She said these challenges need to be considered when planning. Chair Jacobs said there had been discussion about mixed use in the EDDs where water and sewer would allow for density. He said the idea is that there aren't any standards for seeking affordable housing, and this is something that needs to be worked on. Maxecine Mitchell said developers are looking for high end high density with no affordable housing. She said most in Chapel Hill will opt out and pay a fee. Chair Jacobs said the Board has not had that conversation yet. He said the Community Land Trust has worked with Hillsborough on some units at Waterstone. He said Hillsborough has no particular policy, and neither does Mebane. He said the point is well taken, and a policy needs to be determined beyond Chapel Hill and Carrboro. He said the Board is looking at an east west bus as part of the Triangle Transit plan. He said the Board of County Commissioners is trying to move this forward, but these are just conversations at this point. Tony Blake said the places where people get on the bus must be walkable in order to increase ridership. He said he is interested in creating places that are walkable and friendly to people riding the transit system. Commissioner Pelissier said the point about residents without cars is well taken. She said, with regard to the transit plan, there is a requirement that there be plans for affordable housing near transit. She said the challenge faced by the Board is that this would need to be in Chapel Hill, and the Board cannot tell the Town what to do, though the Commissioners have asked Chapel Hill to begin working on this. Commissioner Pelissier said there was an agreement, at the AOG meeting, to ask the managers of the County municipalities, to come up with a mechanism for a countywide group to look at affordable housing. She said the challenge is to make it affordable, but within a 5