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PAGE 60-a – JPA LAND USE PLAN The Rural Buffer is defined as being a low-density area consisting of single-family homes situated on large lots having a minimum size of two (2) acres. The Rural Buffer is further defined as land which, although adjacent to an Urban or Transition Area, is rural in character and which will remain rural, contain low-density residential uses, and not require urban services (public utilities and other Town services). The Rural Buffer is expected to contain low density residential uses as well as agricultural uses The Rural Buffer and consists of the following Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan categories: Rural Residential and Agricultural; Agricultural; 2 Public-Private Open Space; Resource Conservation; New Hope Creek Corridor Open Space; Extractive Use; and the overlay category designated University Lake Watershed Area. Rural Residential and Agricultural Areas are low-density areas consisting of single-family homes situated on large lots two acres in size or greater with a minimum lot size of two acres, except when part of a cluster subdivision and then adhering to a density limit of 1 unit for every 2 acres of property. Cluster subdivisions, reducing parcels to at least 1 acre in area, are allowed so long as density limits for the entire subdivision are maintained. 3 In that respect, Rural Residential Areas are identical to the definition of the Rural Buffer. The area includes property supporting farming operations, including forestry activities, established in accordance with the provisions of the North Carolina General Statutes. Agricultural Areas include land areas currently in use for farming and forestry operations and which qualify for, or are listed for, use value taxation purposes.4 Public-Private Open Space Areas include major land areas owned or controlled by public and private interests in the Rural Buffer. Such holdings as Duke Forest, Camp New Hope, U.S. Government lands associated with Jordan Lake, the 100-foot buffer along I-40, and Orange Water and Sewer Authority lands adjacent to University Lake and the quarry site on N.C. Highway 54 provide open space through research, educational, forest management, and recreational functions. Resource Conservation Areas in the Rural Buffer are identical to those in the Transition Areas; i.e., floodplains, wetlands along drainage tributaries, and steep slope areas (15% or greater). The areas form the basis for a parks and open space system (see Strategy Map) which provided the framework within which other land uses are situated. New Hope Creek Corridor Open Space Areas include some of the Resource Protection Areas and a portion of the Public/Private Open Space Areas which were designated as significant and worthy of protection according to the New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan completed in April of 1991. (See Master Plan Map following Strategy Maps). The areas are part of a system of open space in Durham and Orange Counties along New Hope Creek and its tributaries between Eno River State Park and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land north and south of Jordan Lake. This category is made up of critical environmental areas such as steam beds, floodplains, steep slopes, and larger tracts of historic, educational, or recreational value. Extractive Use Areas encompass mining and quarry operations. Only one such site exists in the Rural Buffer, the American Stone Company quarry on N.C. Highway 54 west of Carrboro. 2 County governments do not have the authority to restrict the location of agricultural activities while municipalities can regulate farms located within their corporate limits. Agricultural activities, as defined within State law, are allowed in all areas subject to the Plan. Staff is clarifying existing language accordingly and eliminating references to ‘Agricultural Areas’ as being a separate Plan land use category and combining it with the Rural Residential Land Use Category. 3 Cluster subdivisions are allowed throughout the County, including the University Lake Watershed Area, with the exception of the Rural Residential area of the Rural Buffer. We are modifying existing language to allow cluster subdivisions in the Rural Buffer, outside of the University Lake Watershed Area, so long as a density limit of 1 dwelling unit per 2 acres is maintained. This proposed amendment does not impact existing density limits in the University Lake Watershed Area, which only allows 1 dwelling unit for every 5 acres of land area. Staff has incorporated comments received by the County Attorney’s office as well as Chapel Hill and Carrboro Planning staff. 4 This information has been captured within the renamed ‘Rural Residential and Agricultural Areas’ land use category. 124