Orange County NC Website
G <br />1 Ashley Moncado said the major home occupations would not be permitted in the rural <br />2 buffer, only in the AR and R1 zoning districts. She said the major home occupations language <br />3 was modeled after language currently used for minor home occupation. She said the standards <br />4 for landscaping are currently in place with all home occupations in the UDO. <br />5 Ashley Moncado referred back to the slide showing the balancing act of allowing and <br />6 promoting the home based business while protecting neighbors and the rural residential <br />7 character. <br />8 Commissioner Price said the neighbors in a rural area may be 2 miles down the road. <br />9 She said this language seems to make life more difficult rather than easier. <br />10 She asked about the farm tour and whether this would be exempt like the arts tour. <br />11 Ashley Moncado said the farm tour would be considered agri- tourism, which would allow <br />12 it to be exempt from the special event process. <br />13 Commissioner Dorosin asked if plumbing contracting is prohibited, and he asked what <br />14 this means. He said it seems that the office portion of a home based plumbing business would <br />15 be within the description of permitted occupations. He asked for clarification on what is <br />16 prohibited by the contracting language. <br />17 Michael Harvey said the purpose of the prohibition is to prevent creation of a bone yard <br />18 in residential districts. He said this happens when you have storage of materials, and <br />19 employees continually travel back and forth from the home site to pick up materials and vehicles <br />20 for a job. He said this policy prohibits mass storage of plumbing supplies and equipment. He <br />21 said he has personally allowed plumbing businesses to have a home office. He said this policy <br />22 is not being modified with this proposal. <br />23 Commissioner Dorosin asked for clarifications about home daycares. He said there are <br />24 some people who provide daycare in their home, but it is not a formal business. <br />25 Michael Harvey said there are several different categories of daycare, and there are <br />26 different permitting processes associated with those activities depending on the number of <br />27 children. He said anyone wishing to run a home daycare must fill out a zoning compliance <br />28 permit with the County planning department. He said a floor plan must be provided to show <br />29 where the children would be located, and documentation must be provided to show the <br />30 existence of the necessary outdoor play area of 75 square feet per child. <br />31 Michael Harvey said planning then coordinates with the health department to insure <br />32 there is adequate septic to support the activity, and then a permit is issued. He said this is not <br />33 treated as a home occupation; it is a listed permitted use of property, or a special use. <br />34 Commissioner Dorosin asked if this would be true for a daycare with three students or <br />35 less. <br />36 Michael Harvey said the process would still have to be followed. <br />37 Chair Jacobs followed up on the question regarding farm tours. He said his <br />38 interpretation of page 5 is that any non - profit is exempt. <br />39 Ashley Moncado said this is correct. <br />40 Chair Jacobs asked about the use of accessory structures and the requirement for these <br />41 buildings to look like a residential structure. He said that barns do not look like a residential <br />42 structures and may be located half a mile from the nearest neighbor. He asked if the strict <br />43 appearance and landscape requirements would apply even to this. <br />44 Ashley Moncado said, based on this proposal, yes. She said those issues were not <br />45 previously highlighted as a concern; therefore they were not addressed with the planning board. <br />46 Commissioner Gordon referred to page 15 - 2A and 2. She asked if a home occupation <br />47 permit is required for a minor home occupation. <br />48 Ashley Moncado said yes. <br />49 Commissioner Gordon noted that some occupations are exempt. She asked if an event <br />50 can be done without a permit. <br />34 <br />