Orange County NC Website
Approved 4/22/2014 <br /> <br />OC Board of Adjustment – 11/11/2013 Page 33 of 123 <br />site suitability requirements which say that land provided or dedicated for active recreational purposes, active 1 <br />recreational purposes shall be of a character slope and location suitable for use as play areas, tennis courts, 2 <br />multi-purpose courts, picnic areas, ball fields and other similar recreation uses. The type of recreation area shall 3 <br />be located on land that is relatively flat, 07 and one half percent slope free of wetlands, free of flood plains, 4 <br />easements for public utility, transmission lines and otherwise capable of accommodating active recreation uses. 5 <br />One thing I would like to point out to you and this will persist on some of the further slides; active recreation has a 6 <br />specific connotation. The County has tried to say that the walking paths can count as active recreation. That is 7 <br />not the intent of ordinance and that is not what it says. Active recreation is intended for your sports type of 8 <br />activities, tennis courts, play areas, multi-play areas, picnic areas and so forth. Passive recreation certainly, 9 <br />walking, jogging, reading, similar quiet activities. The paths can certainly be construed as passive recreation, no 10 <br />problem. There is an additional requirement in the same section of code regarding location. I will not read the 11 <br />whole ordinance to you but it basically says that you need to properly locate your active recreation space. 12 <br />Parking has been a question I want to make sure we are clear on. I did point out the significant area of the lot 13 <br />which is encumbered by parking spaces and the 1986 code specifically excludes parking spaces from counting 14 <br />as active recreation. It says, “In addition to land provided or dedicated for active recreation purposes, sufficient 15 <br />area must be provided to make available parking lot spaces”. The parking lot spaces have to be in addition to 16 <br />whatever is allocated for active recreation. The implications of all this are that it is clear that if you decide that the 17 <br />1998 rezoning date is the relevant date and its ordinances in effect as of 1998, if you find that is the case, then 18 <br />the 1986 site suitability ordinances I have sited and the other active recreation claims, those all are in effect and I 19 <br />think it is very hard to argue that the active recreation has been met. If the August 1986 ordinance applies, some 20 <br />quantity of the claimed active recreation must be deemed invalid. The plan-o-meter gives you some reasonable 21 <br />estimates but you are free to make your own determinations there. Again, the County has offered no evidence to 22 <br />dispute the land characteristics. Their only contention is none of this matter because the ordinance wasn’t in 23 <br />effect. I think that is not true but so be it. I believe that the County incorrectly claims that the 1986 ordinance 24 <br />does not apply. What if you agree with the County? Really it is the 1986 ordinance. It is before the site 25 <br />suitability and other subdivision changes are in effect. What does that mean? I am going to walk you through Mr. 26 <br />Harvey’s testimony where he describes what parts of the ordinance he is using to justify his claims. He points to 27 <br />Section 6.12.2. What does 6.12.2 say? Here I am going to quote, regarding definitions and methods of 28 <br />measurements relating to standard land use intensity ratios, “Subject to modifications made herein specifically or 29 <br />in general where further detail is needed in connection with standards, definitions, or methods of measurements, 30 <br />referral shall be made to appropriate sections of MPS or MAP.” Mr. Gledhill made a big point about the 31 <br />importance of the word shall so there is no provision for the County not look at the definitions if there are any 32 <br />questions about what does something mean if, in fact, those definitions are more fully explained in MPS or MAP. 33 <br />What is MPS or MAP? Section 6.12.1 of the ordinance and this is the ordinance in 1986 at the time the County is 34 <br />claiming this is what we must follow. MPS and MAP are document provided by the U.S. Department of Housing 35 <br />and Urban Development and I am going to quote 6.12.1, “Accept as generally or specifically modified herein 36 <br />minimum property standards and manual of acceptable practices in their current editions as published by the U.S. 37 <br />Department of Housing and Urban Development together with related standards and explanatory material shall 38 <br />be a supplementary guide on site and building planning and related definitions, measurements, ratio and 39 <br />requirements”. I have submitted the minimum property standards and minimum acceptable use practices but I 40 <br />am going to show you the key portions on the screen. Looking at the Manual of Acceptable Practices and this is 41 <br />Attachment 1F for the record and it is on what they call in the document Section 3.14-1, “Active Recreation Area 42 <br />(Title). Active recreation space design should include appropriate locations for sports such as baseball, football, 43 <br />basketball, volley ball and tennis.” Looking at the minimum property standards, Attachment 1G, Section 3.14-2.1, 44 <br />Recreation, “Adequate recreation space appropriately equipped shall be provided, consisting of open areas for 45 <br />active recreation such as playgrounds or major sports” and goes on to talk about passive recreational 46 <br />requirements as well. So that is what is in effect in 1986 to the extent there are any questions about what is 47 <br />active recreation. The implications of this are that sites that are encumbered by the items I previously described, 48