Agenda - 04-02-1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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UNIVERSITY LAKE WATERSHED PROTECTION w_ECTIOti At the March 8 , :990 meeting or the Chatham-Orange Work Croup, , the group tailed to achieve a consensus for modification of t.e impervious surface provisions in the :3-point agreement . The Orange County Planning Director , Marv:n Collins , has proposed changing the impervious surface limit from 4% to 6) for 5-acre lots and a sliding scale for lots smaller than 5 acres . Ideas discussed at the March 8 meeting included: 1 . Reduction in the number of 2-acre lots permitted under point number 5 .a. 2 . Public acquisition of land or development rights sufficient to result in equivalent protection. 3 . Use of impervious coefficient somewhere between 0 and 1 . 0 to recognize that gravel driveways are not as impervious as roof tops or paved roads . 4 . Use 4% figure for new developments, 6% for existing lots . THE DEBATE Those in favor modifying the impervious surface limit argued that, according to Mr . Collins ' calculations , the number of •non- conforming lots would be unacceptably high (approx. 40%) . Those opposed to modification argued that the CDM recommendations were aimed at minimizing further po 2utant loading of the Lake and that the 13-point agreement already included compromises that were less stringent that recommended by CDM. CDM SHORT-COMINGS The CDM report recommended that impervious surfaces be limited to 4% if the non-structural approached were utilized. They failed to take into account difficulties this approached would encounter in dealing with that portion of the watershed in Chatham County and with existing roads and lots smaller than 5 acres. RECONCILIATION The d__ ference between the 23-po:_ti+ `agreement and he Orange 4 County staff proposals is not as s:gn:f:cant as has been thought if a distinction is made between average imperviousness and the maximum permitted for individual lots . Mr . Collins ' calculations indicate that , for an assortment of 5-acre lots, approximately 98% compliance can be achieved by use of an _mperv:ous surface maximum of 6% ter lot and that the average for the assortment would be about 4%. Thus, if the intent of the 13-point agreement was to li...it impervious surface to an average of 4% , the two proposals are ecuivalent .