Agenda - 03-10-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. 005 soils in this area,the poor nature of soi , we believe that a 2-acre minimum lot size will help assure that public sewer will not be required in the future. We also believe that development in this low-density pattern will make extension of water and sewer lines infeasible. And with development occuring at this low density (if at all) , we believe that the nature and character of central Orange County will be preserved. During our discussions on this point, we rejected the concept of a 5-acre minimum lot size as being too restrictive. We believe that a 2-acre minimum is a compromise that still achieves the purposes of the plan. We believe that, if development were to occur at a higher density (eg. , 1 unit per acre) , we would have the worst of both worlds. We would have a sprawling pattern of development at near-urban intensities, which would inevitably be followed by demands for urban services. Providing urban services to a large geographic area developed at a density of 1 unit per acre would be disastrous. • Development Standards Chapel Hill' s Development Ordinance contains a set of standards for areas called "Rural Transition. " This is roughly equivalent to the Joint Planning category of "Rural Buffer. " Standards in our Rural Transition zone are as follows: - Minimum Lot Size: 100, 000 square feet - Mimimum Lot Width: 200 feet - Floor Area Ration: .031 - Street Setback: 30 feet - Maximum Height: 35 feet We have a limited amount of Rural Buffer currently in our Extraterritorial Planning Area. The Town Council will be considering rezoning these areas "RT" in April. SUMMARY We believe that the concept of a Rural Buffer is critical to the future of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Urban Area. It has been a component of Orange County's Land Use Plan for years, and is a cornerstone of the new Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. We are basing all of our plans upon this cornerstone (annexation, expansion of community facilites, etc. ) . We believe that a 2-acre minimum lot size is critical to the success of the Rural Buffer concept.