Agenda - 06-04-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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.J; Township. Between 1960 and 1980 the population of Chapel Hill grew from 25,000 to 50,572 persons, an increase of 50%. Increases in land values due to such population growth usually result in concomitant increases in the cost of farming by making expansion more costly, by directly and in- directly increasing the tax burden on farming, and by increasing the costs of "externalities" (crop theft, soil and crop pollution, nuisance complaints, etc. ). Increased land values also offer an inducement to farmers to sell some or all of their farms and realize a capital gain, rather than absorb increased operations costs. Growth pressures are likely to continue to impact on Township farmland. In 1978 alone, over 500 new lots on over 1000 acres were created in Chapel Hill Township outside of the planning jurisdiction of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The construction of the proposed Interstate 40 extension will place additional development pressure on the remaining Township farmland. Most of this remaining farmland is in the western third of the Township. The decreased commuting time to these areas from Chapel Hill, Durham, Research Triangle Park and Raleigh will likely make the area more attractive for residential and, in turn, commercial development as well. Dairy farming, still carried on in the western part of the Township, is particularly vulne- rable to development pressures in that the relocation of such operations is very costly. Natural Environmental Constraints Several areas in Chapel Hill Township contain environmental constraints which affect the degree to which land can be developed. These constraints include: floodplains, water supply watershed, steep slopes and soil conditions. FLOODPLAINS. The floodplains in Chapel Hill Township are found along Morgan, Phils and Pritchard Creeks in the University Lake watershed and. New Hope and Bolin Creeks in the northern and central part of the Township. The land adjacent to these water courses, defined as the floodplain, is a natural hazard which places a constraint on the development of this land. Most types of urban development should be discouraged from locating in these areas. Whatever limited building that is permitted should adhere to design standards which would ensure that the function of the floodplain would be maintained. WATER SUPPLY WATERSHED. The University Lake watershed is an important natural resource for Chapel Hill Township since it drains into a water supply reservoir. This watershed needs to be protected from development and land uses which would negatively impact on the reservoir through excessive sedimen- tation and other forms of pollution from various types of urban development. The streams within this watershed form a critical element in this system and need special consideration with respect to development and land use impacts. STEEP SLOPES. Although not a Township-wide constraint, some steep slopes (greater than l5%) exist in portions of Duke Forest, around University Lake and in the area called the "southern triangle", By itself, steep slope conditions are not necessarily a prohibitive constraint on small scale development. However, the level of constraint does increase when this con- dition is superimposed upon additional environmental constraints such as floodplains or water supply watersheds.