Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
3 :1 <br /> areas were identified by the Planning Board/EDC Work <br /> Group as focal points for its efforts. They included: <br /> 1. The northeast quadrant of the I-85/Buckhorn Road <br /> Interchange; <br /> 2 . The I-40/Old NC 86 Interchange; <br /> 3. The I-85/US Highway 70 Interchange including NC 10 <br /> and NC 751; and <br /> 4 . The NC Highway 54-West area near White Cross and <br /> Morrow Mill Road. <br /> Using construction cost data supplied by an area <br /> contractor and a spreadsheet template to evaluate the <br /> economic feasibility of development scenarios, the <br /> PB/EDC Work Group identified the preferred distribution <br /> of land uses for the selected target areas. Land uses <br /> considered appropriate for such areas included light <br /> industrial, distribution, flex space, office, and <br /> service/retail categories. <br /> Rather than limit itself to traditional techniques, the <br /> PB/EDC Work Group decided to evaluate other methods of <br /> controlling land use intensity. Among the techniques <br /> were those promoted by performance zoning advocates. To <br /> help the PB/EDC Work Group understand the application <br /> of the standards, the staff conducted detailed analyses <br /> of selected business sites to illustrate the <br /> relationship between development character and <br /> intensity standards. <br /> All of the work completed by the PB/EDC Work Group led <br /> to the formulation of a more definitive goal; i.e. , to <br /> develop an "economic development district" proposal <br /> with acceptable performance standards and streamlined <br /> approval procedures. This goal was adopted by the Board <br /> of Commissioners for FY 1992-93. <br /> The concept of an economic development district is not <br /> new. The zoning district designation currently exists <br /> in the Zoning Ordinance, and the purpose of the <br /> district is "to provide locations for a wide range of <br /> low intensity industrial, institutional, office, and <br /> research use with no adverse impacts beyond the space <br /> occupied by the use. " <br /> While such districts are currently associated with the <br /> Land Use Plan designations of "Industrial" and <br /> "Commercial-Industrial" Activity Node, and designated <br /> in close association with interstate highways, some <br /> changes to the Land Use Element are required to <br /> "target" economic development districts at specific <br /> locations. Thus, a new land use category entitled <br />