Orange County NC Website
COLEMAN, BERNHOLZ, DICKERSON, <br /> BERNHOLZ. GLEDHILL & HARGRAVE 056 <br /> ATTORNEYS AT LAW - <br /> 110 C HCRTON STREET <br /> HILLSBOROUGH.N.C. 27278 <br /> 919-732-'2196 <br /> 919-942.8000 <br /> CHAPEL LO E <br /> I E0.F SRBUILDING December 15, 1986 <br /> 137 E.FRANKLIN STREET <br /> CHAPEL HILL,N.C.27514 <br /> 919-929 4151 <br /> • <br /> ALONZO B.COLEMAN.J8. <br /> STEVEN A.BERNHOLZ <br /> DONALD R. DICKERSON <br /> ROGER B•BERNHOLZ <br /> GEOFFREY E.GLEDHILL <br /> DOUGLAS HARGRAVE <br /> MARTIN J•BERNHOLZ <br /> RICHARD J. SNIDE4R,JR. - Mr. Marvin Collins <br /> G. <br /> KAREN NICHOLAS HrE Orange County Planning Director <br /> Orange County Planning Department <br /> 0,counsei <br /> BONNER D.SAWYER 106 East Margaret Lane <br /> (1902-1972) Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 <br /> Re: Two (2) acre minimum lot size requirement in <br /> the rural buffer <br /> Dear Marvin: <br /> This letter confirms recent conversations we've <br /> had concerning pending amendments to the County's <br /> Zoning Ordinance, including. the Zoning Atlas, to <br /> conform the ordinance to the adopted 2 acre minimum lot <br /> size requirement in the rural buffer of the Joint <br /> Planning Area Land Use Plan. Much of the discussion <br /> during the recently concluded public hearing on this <br /> point concerned the effect the proposed amendments <br /> would have on lots that are less than 2 acres. These <br /> lots will become nonconforming upon the adoption of the <br /> amendment. Section 11. 7.1 of the Zoning Ordinance <br /> allows the use of a single nonconforming lot for a one- <br /> family detached dwelling. However, Section 11.7.2 of <br /> the Zoning Ordinance requires the combination of <br /> contiguous nonconforming lots in the same ownership and <br /> with contiguous frontage under most circumstances. <br /> The amount of opposition to the conforming <br /> amendments has apparently caused some Planning Board <br /> members and perhaps members of the Board of County <br /> Commissioners to consider delaying the conforming <br /> amendments or adopting an amendment which would only <br /> rezone some of the._prQperty to the RB zone (2 acre <br /> minimum lot size) . I strongly recommend against both <br /> of these notions. The first, delaying the adoption of <br /> the ordinance amendment that will conform the Zoning <br /> Ordinance to the Land Use Plan, is ill-advised because <br /> of the close relationship between the County's Land Use <br /> Plan and its Zoning Ordinance, which relationship is <br /> both philosophical and legal. I have detailed that <br />