Agenda - 03-10-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2. Affordable Kousing Another concern focused on housing prices in Orange County, particularly the southeast portion . Statements were made that prices were already too high for most county residents to afford and raising the minimum lot size to two (2) acres would increase the cost of housing in the Rural Buffer even more. An ancillary argument is that some property owners who want to subdivide their land to create building lots for their children would be prevented from doing so by the two (2) acre lot requirement. Their children would not be able to afford a two (2) acre lot near their parents because of the high cost and would be forced to live elsewhere. 3. Environmental Impacts Concerns were voiced about the reliance on on-site water and sewage disposal and the potential for undesirable environmental impacts . Soil conditions in the Rural Buffer are limited with regard to their capacity to absorb septic tank effluent. This may result in septic system failures, contaminating surface and ground water supplies. The low density development would make retro- installation of public water and sewer in areas of septic field failures or well contamination very expensive. 4. Tax Increases The cost of providing public services to low density residential development exceeds the tax revenues produced by the development. The lower density in the Rural Buffer would produce a higher tax liability, resulting in higher taxes in the future. 5 . Leap Frog Development. The more stringent requirements of the Rural Buffer would encourage development in areas beyond the Buffer. This would result in an undesirable devel - opment pattern. On January 5, 1987, the Board of County Commissioners approved the proposed Zoning Ordinance/Atlas amendments. The Board also instructed the Planning Staff to prepare a RURAL BUFFER STUDY which would, address citizen concerns and propose a set of standards for the Rural Buffer district. A