Agenda - 03-06-2014 - 6g - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 NOTICE OF JOINT PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING Orange County Board of Commissioners Chapel Hill Town Council Carrboro Board of Aldermen A public hearing will be held at the Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of giving all interested citizens an opportunity to speak for or against the following items: 1. Text Amendments to the Joint Planning Land Use Plan and Agreement — Revise existing language to ensure agricultural activities are recognized as being allowed throughout the Rural Buffer, require a minimum 2 acre density and allow for the clustering of subdivision lots in those portions of the Rural Buffer outside of the University Lake Watershed Area, and correct a typo indicating the minimum required lot size within the University Lake Watershed Area is 5 acres. Existing language within the Land Use Plan (hereafter `the Plan') could be construed as limiting locations where bona fide agricultural activities, as defined in State statutes, can occur within the Rural Buffer. This is inconsistent with State law and staff is proposing to correct the language. The clustering of lots through the subdivision process is allowed throughout the county, down to a 1 acre minimum lot size, so long as established density restrictions are observed. Existing language within the Plan, however, prohibits the clustering of lots down to a 1 acre lot size within the Rural Buffer outside of the University Lake Watershed Area. Staff is proposing to allow the clustering of lots outside of the University Lake Watershed Area, down to 1 acre lot size, as long as a minimum 2 acre density is maintained (i.e. 1 dwelling unit for every 2 acres of property). Because the existing language requires a 2 acre minimum lot size, this proposal will not result in an increase in the allowable density on a given parcel or alter existing density limits within the University Lake Watershed Area as detailed within the Plan. Staff is also proposing to correct an existing typographical error indicating the minimum required lot size for property within the University Lake Watershed Area is 5 acres. The Rural Buffer requires a minimum lot size of 2 acres while there is a density limit within the Watershed Area limiting the number of dwelling units to 1 every 5 acres. Staff will be correcting existing text to reflect this distinction. Purpose: To hear public comment on the proposed text amendments. 2. Text Amendments to the Joint Planning Land Use Plan and Agreement — Revise existing language to allow for the possibility of locating appropriate agricultural support enterprises in the Rural Buffer land use classification.