Minutes 01-30-2018 AOG - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 Commissioner Price said she did not know there was a committee. Commissioner Jacobs said Commissioner Price was welcomed to participate. Alderman Slade said this presentation was timely, and all are on the same page. He said he would like to see one of those metrics be a means for understanding successes regarding making things more walkable, transit friendly, and bikeable; and to be able to go forward with some foresight. He said he is concerned about maintaining the rural buffer, and he encouraged them all to have more conversations about this. Alderman Chaney said this presentation has helped her learn the genesis of the JPA and what they want to celebrate. She said they cannot just celebrate the rural buffer and the JPA, because the effects of the JPA are starting to be felt: creating a dense urban environment, and to limiting growth in ways that increases the expense of living here. She said these two are directly related to the affordability problems in the County, and if they are going to recommit to the JPA, they must also commit to how to use the remaining public lands in the terms of equity. She said they need to mitigate what they can now. Alderman Gist agreed, and asked if an evaluation of the opportunities lost by the JPA could be conducted, such as loss of middle class, affordable housing, jobs, commercial growth, etc. He said the JPA lead to a lot of gains, but a lot was also lost. She said to concentrate on how to compensate for these losses. Commissioner Price agreed, and said to look at the changes that have happened, with a view to the future. She said when change occurs; it does not always go according to plan, and what does all this mean in terms of the County’s current situation. Council Member Oates said she does not want to lose sight that the rural buffer is not the only thing that has caused a loss of affordable housing, and if the rural buffer is opened to development, housing prices will plummet. 1. Water and Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Agreement (WASMPBA) – Discussion Regarding “Essential Public Facilities” for Future Millhouse Road Park BACKGROUND: Staffs of Orange County and Chapel Hill have engaged in discussions this year regarding the future development of a County-owned 78-acre parcel of land on Millhouse Road for a park facility, sometimes referred to as Millhouse Road Park. The park is expected to have a sizeable active recreation component, including fields for sports such as soccer. For the possible intensity of an active park facility, connection to a public water and sewer system is typical for restroom and other facilities, such as concession stands, fire hydrants, possible irrigation systems, etc.; however, the parcel of property is located on the edge of the Rural Buffer and, therefore, is not within a “primary service area,” (where public water and sewer is permitted) as depicted on the WASMPBA map (see attachments). Orange County is researching other private onsite water and sewer facilities and technologies that could accommodate peak water and sewer demands. No change in jurisdiction is being proposed. Subsequent to a suggestion earlier this year that the Town of Chapel Hill’s ETJ (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction) could be extended and the WASMPBA Map could be amended to designate the proposed park area as “primary service area,” staff was asked to instead investigate the possibility of using existing provisions in the WASMPBA that could designate park facilities as “essential public facilities.” As is shown in the highlighted portions of the attached WASMPBA, essential public facilities are permitted within “Long-Term Interest Areas.” Also of note (and highlighted) is language that restricts the size of lines into long-term interest areas such that only the intended use would be served.