Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
It <br /> rts <br /> 4 2 7.c <br /> DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION <br /> CT] STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA RALEIGH <br /> February 12, 1981 <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> TO Lacy Presnell <br /> FROM Gerald Knott <br /> Subject: Orange County Zoning <br /> Community zoning is important for the protection of existing <br /> and future schools. Local school administrators should look to <br /> zoning to prevent encroachment by factories, conjested business <br /> centers, and noisy transportation systems. School officials <br /> should assume the responsibility of reviewing codes and zoning <br /> ordinances as they apply to schools. Zoning should maintain health, <br /> safety and certain broad appearance standards to insure public wel- <br /> fare. It should not restrict use of different styles, materials <br /> and design techniques, especially when such approaches affect effi- <br /> ciency and cost savings (except in the unlikely event of a new school <br /> in a historic district). <br /> Requirements should not be counter-productive. Building a 5' <br /> wall to screen a parking lot would result in an unsupervised activity <br /> which would cause great concern for school officials and parents. <br /> Limited, broad scope appearance standards such as limiting the <br /> size and type of signage and breaking up large parking areas with <br /> planting are basically good design principles. <br /> Hopefully community zoning would deal with protecting neighbor- <br /> hoods from undesirable encroachment rather than establish restrictive <br /> appearance standards. <br /> GK:bm <br />