Agenda - 01-05-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHEREAS, the Orange county Board of Commissioners adopted the OranQ 4 4 8 County-Chapel Hill -Carrboro Joint Plannino Land Use Plan on October 13, 1986; and WHEREAS, the Joint Planning Land Use Plan contains a land use classification of Rural Residential and describes said classification as a low-density area consisting of single-family homes situated on large lots two acres in size or greater ; and WHEREAS, Orange County has required compliance with the two-acre lot size standard through application of its Subdivision Regulations ; and WHEREAS, Orange County conducted a public hearing on November 24, 1986, for the purpose of amending its Zoning Ordinance and Zoning' Atlas to conform with the Joint Planning Land Use Plan, including the establishment of a Rural Buffer (RB) zoning district and dimensional requirements applicable therein; and WHEREAS, the two-acre minimum lot substantially increases the cost' of housing and is therefore directly contrary to any idtg-ntion- the county has of providing affordable housing; and WHEREAS, the two-acre minimum lot imposes hardship on the majority of land owners, most of whom have struggled for many years to pay for their land and the taxes thereon, and would like to use the land for their children or realize some benefit to themselves rather than lose the value thereof ; and WHEREAS, the two-acre minimum lot standard makes the extension of public water and sewer lines to new developments uneconomic , . thereby encouraging the use of septic tanks and wells, both of which are already causing increasing health and sanitation problems; and WHEREAS, as more and more people settle in the county, public water and sewer will of necessity have to be extended to both old and new lots at a cost that will be devastating if lots are large ; and WHEREAS, there are other ways to obtain open space such as public parks and cluster developments with dedicated open space ; and WHEREAS, the two-acre minimum standard has made most of the platted lots in the Rural Buffer (RB) zoning non-conforming and therefore less valuable since fiduciary institutions have reservations about making loans on non-conforming property; and WHEREAS, under the present two arel --standard, existing structures on non-conforming lots, if damaged by catastrophe , might not be rebuildable in a manner suitable to the owner's needs: THE FOLLOWING RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS LIVING WITHIN THE PROPOSED RURAL BUFFER (RB) ZONING DISTRICT AND ELSEWHERE IN ORANGE COUNTY RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AMEND THE ORANGE COUNTY-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO JOINT PLlNNNING LAND USE PLAN TO CHANGE THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE PER DWELLING FROM IWO (2) ACRES TO ONE ( I ) ACRE WITHIN THE RURAL RESIDENTIAL LAUD USE PLAN CLASSIFICATION: SIGNATURE E ADDRESS