Agenda - 02-05-1990 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 watersheds. University Lake has a small watershed and the entire watershed is considered to be a critical area. He also mentioned that the CDM report indicated that the recommended five acre minimum was probably more severe than would be recommended for other watersheds. Ed Holland indicated that the important aspect of the University Lake watershed that requires the five acres is the size of University Lake watershed itself. X. ITEMS FOR DECISION--REGULAR AGENDA A. PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENTS--INTERIM DEVELOPMEN STANDARDS This presentation was made by Marvin Collins. The purpose of this item was to consider proposed amendments to the interim development standards applicable in University Lake watershed. The proposed amendments, if adopted, would provide more flexibility in the administration and application of the current standards contained in Article 6. 15.2 of the Zoning Ordinance and Section IV-C-2 of the Subdivision Regulations. In March, 1989, the Final Report - University Lake Watershed Study was issued by Camp, Dresser, McKee (CDM). Orange County subsequently adopted interim development standards for the watershed for a six -month period, including a five-acre minimum lot size where more than five lots are created. OWASA also continued its moratorium on water and sewer extensions into the watershed. The Joint Chatham-Orange Work Group reviewed the study and provided recommended watershed protection strategies to its constituent jurisdictions. In October the Work Group completed a proposed agreement on University Lake watershed protection and circulated it to the respective governing boards for comment and adoption. The proposed agreement included several provisions which, if implemented, would provide greater flexibility in the interim development standards by addressing potential hardships experienced by landowners in the watershed. The current standards require each lot to be at least five acres in size. The proposed standards would allow the subdivision to be approved, provided all other non-watershed standards were met. The proposed amendments were presented at public hearing on November 27, 1989. While many comments were received, those persons in opposition focused almost exclusively on the five-acre minimum lot size requirement adopted on October 2, 1989. A specific concern raised at the hearing involved the applicability of the proposed four percent impervious surface ratio in conjunction with the five-acre minimum lot size. The same concern was voiced about the six percent ratio as applied to two-acre lots. At the December 12, 1989 Planning Board meeting the Planning Director was requested to present additional information to address the potential hardships resulting from the inability of citizens to comply with the proposed ratios. At the January 9, 1990 Planning Board meeting, the Planning Director presented a more in-depth analysis of lot-by-lot development scenarios using the four percent and six percent ratios. He indicated that compliance with the four percent ratio was feasible (60 percent compliance) but would require significant education and design initiatives The proposed six percent ratio was of greater concern, since only 30 percent of the lot scenarios indicated compliance with the standard. At the Planning Board's request, the Planning Director presented various options utilizing technical solutions which would allow the raising of the impervious surface limits. The options