Orange County NC Website
4 <br /> without overpowering the intended purpose of the district. Secondary uses are <br /> intended to primarily serve the needs of the business, facility, and employees <br /> involved in the principal use, however, they would be permitted to serve the general <br /> public therefore widening the demand market and strengthening the business model. <br /> Within the O/RM zoning district, secondary uses could be conducted only in <br /> conjunction with a specific permitted principal use (Industrial (Light), Research <br /> Facility, or Research and Manufacturing Facility) and would be an incidental part of <br /> the total activity that takes place within a cohesive project. <br /> 2. Analysis <br /> Orange County's UDO currently categorizes uses permitted by right into two types: <br /> principal uses and accessory uses. Principal uses are listed in the various Tables of <br /> Permitted Uses (Section 5.2 of the UDO) whereas accessory uses are activities that <br /> may or may not be listed in the Table of Permitted Uses, but which are allowed <br /> because they are considered customary and ancillary to a certain principal use. For <br /> example, a gas station (principal use) may include a car wash as an accessory use <br /> because car washes are considered usual and customary to the principal use of a <br /> gas station. Any principal use permitted in a zoning district can be developed as a <br /> stand-alone use. <br /> In working with site selection specialists for various economic development projects, <br /> Planning staff has identified that not having a by-right process in the UDO that allows <br /> for developments that include uses that may not be defined or viewed as customary <br /> or ancillary to the principal use. For example, an office, research, and manufacturing <br /> business park which includes a restaurant primarily serving onsite employees, but <br /> also open to the public could not be permitted by right in the general use zoning <br /> districts. Instead the project would be required to follow either the Master <br /> Development Plan Conditional Zoning District (MDP-CZ) process or Conditional Use <br /> District process. In order make the County more competitive in the site selection <br /> process for these types of multi-use projects, Planning staff is proposing that the <br /> concept of a "secondary use" be added to the UDO. <br /> The secondary use concept would permit certain types of uses to be coupled with <br /> specific, identified principal uses as secondary uses permitted as part of an overall <br /> project development plan. This amendment would establish secondary uses in the <br /> UDO and would also modify the O/RM zoning district by allowing specific uses to <br /> operate as secondary uses on parcels zoned O/RM. Minor revisions to existing <br /> accessory use standards are also proposed for clarification purposes. <br /> The proposed amendment was previously included as part of a combined <br /> amendment package with the O/1 text amendments which were presented at the May <br /> 23 Quarterly Public Hearing. Following a recommendation from the Orange County <br /> Attorney's Office, Planning staff separated the original amendment allowing for <br /> secondary uses to be presented as a second amendment package. This amendment <br /> is seeking to allow for secondary uses only in the O/RM zoning district. Planning staff <br /> is analyzing whether to propose secondary uses in other zoning districts such as the <br /> Hillsborough Area Economic Development District. <br /> 3. Comprehensive Plan Linkage (i.e. Principles, Goals and Objectives) <br /> Chapter 3: Economic Development Element - Section 3.5 Goals <br /> Economic Development Overarching Goal: Viable and sustainable economic <br /> 2 <br />