Orange County NC Website
5. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendment -To review government- <br /> initiated amendments to the text of the UDO to change the existing public hearing <br /> process for Comprehensive Plan-, UDO-, and Zoning Atlas-related items/amendments. <br /> Perdita Holtz said she would like to note that this amendment would not affect other <br /> existing public hearing processes for other departments. She reviewed the following <br /> PowerPoint slides: <br /> Public Hearing Process Changes <br /> Quarterly Public Hearing <br /> September 8, 2014 <br /> Item C.5 <br /> Purpose of Amendment <br /> • To change the current public hearing process for Comprehensive Plan, Unified <br /> Development Ordinance, and Zoning Atlas Amendments <br /> • Discussed at September 9, 2013 BOCC work session after quarterly public hearing <br /> agenda <br /> -Staff received direction on some points at this meeting, although not unanimous <br /> • On February 24 and May 27, 2014 quarterly public hearing agendas but postponed due <br /> to time constraints <br /> Statutory Requirements <br /> • Statutes require that the planning board be given the opportunity to review and comment <br /> on amendments, and that public hearings be held with notification in compliance with <br /> statutes. Local government can decide: <br /> • When planning board recommendation occurs (before or after public hearing) <br /> • How frequently public hearings are held <br /> • Other process components such as whether the Planning Board holds its own public <br /> hearing <br /> Proposal <br /> • End the current joint quarterly public hearings with the Planning Board <br /> • Create the opportunity for a minimum of 8 planning-related public hearings per year <br /> • Planning Board would provide a recommendation after the public hearing <br /> • Policy decision to end practice of having the BOCC approve the legal advertisements <br /> (would shave 3 weeks off of review process due to agenda deadline dates, much more <br /> for the first hearing after the summer break) <br /> • An alternative could be to circulate the draft ad via e-mail instead of making it a Consent <br /> Agenda item <br /> Existing & Proposed Processes <br /> Designation of Public Hearing Dates <br /> • A minimum of 8 meetings would be designated for planning-related public hearings each <br /> year when the BOCC adopts its meeting calendar for the next year <br /> • Internal changes to current agenda-setting processes <br /> -Little ability to remove public hearing items that were filed by deadline dates <br /> -Legal advertisements would be run in advance of agenda review dates (both <br /> Attorney/staff and Chair/Vice-Chair) in order to meet statutory requirements <br />