Minutes 10-13-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 The purpose of this agenda item is to provide an opportunity for the Board of Aldermen and the Board of County Commissioners to discuss the Town's interest in extending its extraterritorial jurisdiction to encompass the entirety of five lots along NC Highway 54 West, the jurisdiction and zoning of which are currently split between the Town and County. Trish McGuire presented several maps via PowerPoint. She reviewed the following information: Carrboro town staff along with County staff have been studying opportunities for development in the NC Hwy 54 West corridor within Carrboro's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) since this is one of the few areas in or near the Town that are zoned for light manufacturing. Most of the properties on the north side of Hwy 54 are split by Town and County jurisdictional boundaries. Real estate professionals have indicated that this can be a barrier to development by potential buyers of commercial properties. The zoning of these parcels is also split with the portions in Carrboro's ETJ zoned Watershed Manufacturing (WM-3) and the portions in County jurisdiction zoned Rural Buffer (RB). With such disparate zoning and the associated limitations on impervious surface area in the University Lake watershed, the development potential of these parcels is limited. Most of the neighboring parcels split by the jurisdictional boundary in this area are zoned RB and WR (Watershed Residential), zoning which mostly allows the same type and amount of development activity to occur in either jurisdiction. Currently on these five properties, all aspects of a commercial, manufacturing development have to be contained on the portion of the parcel that lies within Carrboro's ETJ —about half of each lot. The Town has received several inquiries about redevelopment opportunities for one of the parcels. Another property owner has discussed with staff challenges associated with the conditions described above. The complications associated with the split jurisdiction and zoning have apparently proved to be a deterrent to the submittal of formal applications. The Board of Aldermen has discussed the benefits of uniform jurisdiction and zoning for these parcels, which could be achieved by an extension of the Town's ETJ to cover the parcels in full or by encouraging owners to request voluntary annexation into the Town limits and is seeking the Board of County Commissioners' perspective. Information letters have been sent to the affected property owners regarding possible extension of the Town's ETJ. The initial feedback from property owners is they would like to see an expansion of existing uses that are allowed in the town's WM3 zoning district. Town staff will be reviewing this for a possible land use ordinance amendment. Expansion of the town's ETJ will require approval from the County Board of Commissioners. The state statutes describe the procedural requirements that apply to the County and municipal governments. These requirements are summarized below, with notes indicating which party has responsibility for the action: 1. Extraterritorial area must be set by an ordinance adopted by the city governing board. Newspaper notice, mailed notice and public hearing requirements apply (Town). 2. Approval of a request for the extension into any area where the county is enforcing zoning, subdivision regulations, and the building code (County and Town).