Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
11 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 30, 1994 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item # C 1 (b-f) <br /> SUBJECT: PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT <br /> Article 6.23 Watershed Protection Overlay Districts • <br /> (stream and reservoir buffers) <br /> DEPARTMENT: PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING Yes _x_No <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Report on Stream/Reservoir Buffers Mary Willis <br /> Proposed Amendment Extension 2583 <br /> Citizen Correspondence <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Hillsborough-732-8181 <br /> Durham -688-7331 <br /> Mebane -227-2031 <br /> Chapel Hill -967-9251 <br /> PURPOSE: To receive citizen comment on a proposed amendment which would allow for the reduction of setbacks <br /> adjacent to streams and reservoirs to the extent necessary to allow development of an existing lot of <br /> record. <br /> BACKGROUND: Attached is a report concerning stream buffer provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, as applied to <br /> existing lots of record. There have been a number of complaints concerning the impact of stream <br /> and reservoir buffer requirements. In some cases, the required buffers render an existing lot <br /> unbuildable without a variance,since the width of the buffer was not taken into account when the <br /> lot was created. This issue creates a particular problem for the existing lots surrounding Lake <br /> Orange. <br /> On September 6, 1994, the Planning Staff presented to the Board of Commissioners a proposed <br /> strategy to address situations which now require a variance of stream or reservoir buffer <br /> requirements. The Board of Commissioners referred the proposed strategy to the Planning Board <br /> and Ordinance Review Committee for development of an ordinance amendment for the November <br /> 30, 1994 public hearing. The proposed strategy is included in the attached report,and would allow <br /> the Planning Staff,in consultation with Environmental Health and the County Engineer, to issue <br /> a zoning compliance permit for development which does not meet the minimum buffer <br /> requirements,when specified findings could be documented. In all other cases,a variance request <br /> would be presented to the Board of Adjustment according to current procedures. It was also <br /> recommended that wells be permitted in stream buffers and that consideration be given to <br /> providing greater flexibility in setback requirements in cases where use of a septic pump could be <br /> avoided. <br /> Planning Staff and the County Attorney met with a group of Lake Orange property owners on <br /> September 9 to discuss the proposed strategy. Two major concerns which were expressed <br /> 1 <br />