Minutes 09-11-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 She said there is some confusion about how many events can be held per year, and what type of events count towards the allotted 12 per year. She asked if the Planning Department monitor these events, and when boundaries are violated. Laura Streitfeld said she is here on behalf of Preserve Rural Orange (PRO), and thanked Representative Meyer for his efforts on this issue. She also thanked the Planning Department for its help on this issue. She said PRO strongly supports farmers and farms, but has serious concerns about this issue. She read the following requests being made by PRO: Preserve Rural Orange and Community Members' Request to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners Quarterly Public Hearing September 11, 2017 1. Arrange a meeting for rural residents with the Planning Director and staff to discuss specific concerns regarding permits, reported events and incidents, violations, investigations and enforcement. Community members have requested this meeting for four months. 2. Post public documents proactively on the Planning Department's Current Interest Projects web page, including permit-related documents and Board of Adjustment hearing documents, decisions, orders and findings of fact. 3. Clarify Rural Special Events in the UDO to exclude weddings, and: require specific advance notice of exact dates and times of rural special events; post permits and related documents on Planning web page; and notify neighbors within a two-mile radius of property. 4. Appoint an independent counsel to prevent dual roles by legal staff, and appoint independent staff to coordinate Board of Adjustment communications, to prevent dual roles. Rhett Macomson said he lives in southwest Orange County, and he said a true use of agritourism is Maple View Farms, or pumpkin patches and corn mazes. He said the community is facing a situation of people purchasing property that has a farm id number, and then claiming exemptions like legitimate agritourism, like Maple View Farms, but use the land to hold business events such as weddings, conferences, etc. He asked that the BOCC consider the intent of the State law, and he does not believe that the intent of the law is for people to come in and find loop holes to exploit the law. Bryna Rapp said she is an architect and has lived in rural Orange County for 27 years, about a mile from The Barn in Chapel Hill. She said, in an effort to assist farmers in supplementing their income, the County and State have relaxed building regulations and enforcements while creating attractive opportunities for developers to build and renovate large structures for use as lucrative wedding venues, without having to meet basic life safety standards. She said in the case of The Barn of Chapel Hill, the County allowed commercial development on an undeveloped piece of property without a special use permit. She said County officials exempted this facility from NC Building Codes for Assembly Occupancies by allowing it to be classified as a utility building. She said the original floor plans clearly indicated that the developer intends to use this barn primarily as a wedding venue for up to 250 guests, but is exempt from typical code requirements for such assembly occupancy, such as overhead sprinklers, emergency egress, etc. She said these codes being met keep people safe in the event of an emergency, and by bypassing these regulations, the County is putting guests at risk. She said she does not understand why the County does not require codes and