Orange County NC Website
7 <br /> Attachments #3-#8 provide impervious surface calculations for one and two-acre lots to <br /> illustrate the difficulties a property owner may experience in complying with impervious <br /> surface ratios of 12% and 6% respectively. The results of these calculations are summarized <br /> in the table below. <br /> Impervious Surface One-Acre Lots Two-Acre Lots <br /> Coverage W/12% Limit W/ 6% Limit <br /> W/ One-Story House of <br /> 2,200 SqFt Centered on Lot 11.77% 7.00% <br /> W/Two-Story House <br /> (1,100 SqFt Ground Floor) <br /> Centered on Lot 9.26% 5.817o <br /> W/One Story House of <br /> 2,200 SqFt Placed at 40 10.58% 5.66% <br /> Foot Building Setback Line <br /> As is evident in the table, the principal limitation involves two-acre lots where homes are <br /> set back from the street. The length of the driveway, combined with lot frontage and <br /> building area, results in situations where the impervious surface standard of 6% cannot be <br /> met. Through construction of a two-story home or setting the house at the building setback <br /> line, compliance is possible. <br /> These simple illustrations point to the fact that impervious surface ratios can be met, <br /> particularly if addressed during the subdivision design phase. Lots which are limited may be <br /> dealt with through transfers of "surplus" impervious surface. Furthermore, the proposed <br /> watershed standards incorporate a provision contained in the State's model ordinance which <br /> provides for the Board of Adjustment to grant variances of up to 10% to property owners <br /> experiencing difficulty in meeting the impervious surface standards. <br /> RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above analysis, the Planning Staff is altering its <br /> original recommendation. For new subdivisions, developers and property owners must <br /> comply with the 6% impervious surface ratio for two-acre lots and 12%for one-acre lots. <br /> For example, a proposed subdivision located in the Critical Area of a WS-II watershed must <br /> have minimum lot sizes of two acres, and the development as a whole may not exceed an <br /> impervious surface ratio of 6%. For existing lots of record, the current sliding scale would <br /> apply throughout the county. <br /> 3. What does the concept of "travel time" mean in terms of watershed protection? <br /> "Travel time" refers to the time it takes pollutants to reach the reservoir once they have <br /> entered streams which drain into the reservoir. Pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen <br /> are washed into streams during rainstorms from fields, parking lots, etc. <br /> Travel time is a consideration in watershed protection, since the stream itself may have a <br /> "cleansing" effect through deposition and/or aeration prior to the time the pollutants enter <br /> the reservoir. How much of the pollutant load; e.g., 100%. 75%, 50%, etc., is delivered <br /> to the reservoir is referred to as the "delivery ratio". <br />