Agenda - 02-18-1986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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06'4 AN ARGUMENT FOR DENYING APPROVAL OF THE SCOTSWOOD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT JAN. 1986 Barry Jacobs "The concept of the public welfare is broad and inclusive. The values it represents are spiritual as well as physical , aesthetic as well as monetary. " William O. Douglas SUMMARY: Scotswood fails on two counts to meet the burden of proof necessary to receive approval as a planned development, as stipulated in Section 8. 2. 2 of the Orange County zoning ordinance. As proposed, Scotswood violates ordinance sections 7. 1, 7.4, 71.4.2 and 7. 15. 1. Therefore it fails to meet the required test that it not violate the county's intent for physical development as embodied in the land-use plan. Equally important, Scotswood ' s impact would result in a failure to maintain the public health, safety and general welfare, another required test. Orange County' s ordinance on Planned Development Districts states in section 7. 1 that "The Planned Development technique offers distinct advantages to the public , while affording private property owners greater flexibility in the development of their land, the opportunity for the application of new and ingenuous development techniques and more prudent use of time, money, and effort. The public benefits include more efficient and effective use of land, more efficient use of energy, the reduction of the costs of continuing maintenance responsibilities and a higher average level of amenity in all types of development." Scotswood fails to meet these standards, certainly in its provision of public benefits and even in its usefulness for the developer: . . .more efficient and effective use of land.. . As designed, Scotswood employs the least efficient and effective use of land, as nearly 88 percent of its 329. 96 acres will be taken up by detached single-family housing. Such design necessarily involves more land per unit than would clustered housing, which is appropriate to an urban construction such as Scotswood. By choosing standard subdivision spacing, and an R-2 density, Scotswood will require nearly the largest possible public and private expenditures to provide water, sewer, power, telephone and road facilities. Clustering would reduce these costs. As Proposed, Scotswood also increases amounts of impervious surface ( roads, sidewalks, etc . ) and stormwater runoff, concerns of major import on a property so close to the Eno River.