Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 12, 2006 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. "~- q, <br />SUBJECT: Piedmont Electric Request for an Expedited Review of a Replacement Tower <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENTS: INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1) Piedmont EMC Letter of Request Craig Benedict, Planning Director <br />2) Legal Advertisement 245- 2592 <br />3) Potential Approval Process Time Line Glenn Bowles, Planner II 245-2577 <br />4) August 22, 2006 BOCC Resolution <br />5) August 30, 2006 Memorandum <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving a request from Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation <br />(PEMC) for an expedited review of a replacement tower, set a public hearing date, and approve <br />the legal ad far a public hearing to be held on October 3, 2006 for a Planned Development <br />amendment with a Class "A" Special Use Permit modification. <br />BACKGROUND: In their letter of July 18, 2006, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation <br />requested an expedited review for the rezoning of the existing Planned Development - <br />Office/Institutional (PD-OI) and Glass "A" Special Use Permit for a replacement 350-foot tower <br />at their administrative headquarters located at 2500 NC Highway 86 South. Responding to this <br />request the BOCC, at their August 22, 2006 meeting, directed Planning Staff to prepare a <br />process, timeline, and other supporting materials related to a potential expedited review. <br />Attached are the Piedmont letter of .July 18 and the proposed expedited review time line. <br />The legal advertisement is attached targeting an October 3, 2006 Public Hearing for the purpose <br />of receiving a staff report, hearing public testimony and referring the case to the Planning Board <br />far a recommendation. Dates showing the required adjoining property owner notification to <br />affected property owners, the sign posting of the property, and submitting legal advertisement <br />for publication in local newspapers are also shown in the process. <br />The approved BOCC resolution and Board comments directed staff to address the pros and <br />cons of PEMC's request. Other issues listed in the resolution, such as flight patterns of <br />migratory birds and the effect the tower may have on such patterns, the number and distribution <br />of similar towers in the county, and historical/archaeological issues are presented in the <br />attached memorandum.. <br />Pros and Cons <br />Positives. PEMC provides domestic and commercial electrical services to much of Orange <br />County. The proposed system is part of an update of their total system throughout Orange, <br />Person, and Caswell Counties. New towers in Caswell and Person Counties have already <br />received their local approvals.. This new tower will allow PEMC to complete improvements to <br />