Agenda - 06-04-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 CHEEKS TOWNSHIP PLAN TOWNSHIP PROFILE: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS Cheeks Township, located in the west-central portion of Orange County, occupies 32,700 acres and contains 13% of the total County land area. The Township is divided, by the transportation corridor made up of U.S. 70, Interstate 85 and the Southern Railway lines. This corridor serves, in effect, as a focus for current and future development in the Township as the greater population densities occur in areas near these highways and rail lines. The small, unincorporated village of Efland, in the center of the Township, is where much of the population is concentrated outside of the portion of Mebane that extends into Cheeks Township. North and south of the transportation corridor the Township is rural in character with agriculture constituting the major land use. Socio-Economic Features The 1980 U.S. Census count for Cheeks Township is 4821 persons or 6% of the total County population. This represents a 3.5% annual average growth rate during the past decade. The number of dwelling units increased at a faster rate during this same periodlfrom 1076 units in 1970 to 1691 units in 1980, a 57.2% increase.. A related trend is the average household size which decreased from 3.3 persons per household in 1970 to 2.9 persons in 1980. The smaller household size parallels a nationwide trend toward small families. The rapid growth of Cheeks Township during the 1970s is in contrast to the virtually Unchanged population count between 1960 and 1970 when the Township experienced a negative growth rate. Much of this new growth is associated with non-farm, residential development, housing people who work for local industries or work in Mebane or Hillsborough. The unin- corporated village of Efland is the focal point for most of the growth occurring in the central portion of the Township, with a population of an estimated 500-600 persons. Existing Land Use and Infrastructure Mast of Cheeks Township north and south of the 1-85 - U.S. 70 corridor consists of agricultural land uses and scattered non-farm rural housing. All of the medium and higher intensity residential, commercial and indus- trial uses occur along the 1-85 - U.S. 70 transportation colTidor. The village of Efland and the portion of the Town of Mebane which extends into Cheeks Township serve as the fbcal points for.mbst of this medium and higher intensity development. There are several industrial uses along the portion of 1-85 which forms the southern boundary of Mebane's extra- territorial planning jurisdiction. Efland is the site of a few small- scale textile manufacturing firms, several commercial uses, some associ- ated with farming; and a post office.