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in agriculture or natural open space, and develop on the <br />remaining 1/3 using lots of 1 /3 acre on average. This <br />development option would require community water and sewer. <br />Recognizing that unmonitored community water and sewer could <br />become a problem in the future, the committee recommends <br />allowing this option if, and only if a proposed public <br />monitoring and maintenance program is instituted and has <br />oversight over the facilities. In this manner such <br />facilities may be safely run and responsibility may be <br />clearly defined. <br />The final development option is that of the Rural Village - <br />OPTION E. The Rural Village is a concept that is beginning to <br />be seen in many areas striving to protect their rural <br />character while allowing community service provision and <br />affordable residential development options. The Rural Village <br />as proposed by the RCSC is similar in some respects to the <br />Fearrington Village south of Chapel Hill. <br />The Rural Village would be a self -sustaining community <br />that allows residential lots averaging at 1 /4-acre <br />surrounding a commercial core designed to provide services <br />such a bankingg, dining and goods to the village residents <br />onl . This urGan -like atmosphere would be surrounded by <br />vasyt amounts of open space on all sides, such that it would <br />be buffered from roadways and environmentally - sensitive areas <br />80% , or four of every five acres in a tract to be developed <br />as a rural village must be left in open space. Only one of <br />every five acres could be developed. Public water and sewer <br />would be required, and therefore these developments would be <br />Permitted only in a predefined corridor mutually-agreed upon <br />by the County, Towns and OWASA. A minimum tract size of 200 <br />acres would be required. <br />In order to augment the package proposed by the Committee, <br />there are several issues for furfher study that the Committee <br />identifies: the potential use of a Transfer of Development <br />Rights System, the endorsement of a Purchase of Development <br />Rights system where prioritized agricultural and natural <br />sites might be preserved* the endorsement of the roposed <br />County Monitoring and Maintenance for wastewater systems, <br />and others. <br />Orange County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro are at a crossroads <br />in their collective futures. We have, in the Rural Buffer, <br />abundant natural and visual resources contained largely <br />within private ownership. The concepts of land as a <br />