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ORANGE COUNTY <br />PLANNING BOARD <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: February 4, 2015 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Review of Draft Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) Extension Policy <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1. Draft Policy for Review of ETJ <br /> Expansion Requests <br /> <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Craig Benedict, Planning Director, <br /> 919-245-2592 <br />Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning <br /> Supervisor, 919-245-2579 <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To review and provide comments on a draft policy for the County’s review of <br />municipal ETJ expansion requests. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: ETJs are afforded to cities in accordance with North Carolina G.S. 160A- <br />360. It is within these areas that the County relinquishes its zoning, subdivision, and building <br />code regulations to the adjacent municipality. Although outside of municipal corporate limits, <br />these areas are most likely within urban growth areas and would develop more compatibly <br />with nearby city/town regulations compared to County because of the proximity to existing or <br />planned urban form. <br /> <br />Counties have to review and act upon these requests using general statutes. The majority of <br />the procedures and processing is done by the municipality but incumbent upon the County to <br />monitor the process. However, counties can develop their own review policies to assist in an <br />orderly transition from rural to urban environments whether the area is likely to be annexed or <br />not in the future. <br /> <br />The Planning Board heard an ETJ expansion request from Chapel Hill at its November 5, 2015 <br />meeting. This was an information item at that time since there was not a formal policy for the <br />Planning Board to process such an item. <br /> <br />Orange County Planning staff presented some of its ideas for ETJ expansion request policies <br />at a November 11, 2014 BOCC work session. In general, comments from the Commissioners <br />included the need to incorporate the Planning Board, as well as consideration of comments <br />and opinions of residents and property owners within the area requested for ETJ, into a future <br />policy (Attachment 1). Draft policies are to be returned to the BOCC at its March 3 meeting <br />along with any comments that the Planning Board would like to provide. <br /> <br />We will circulate this draft to the municipalities after the Planning Board meeting for their input. <br /> <br /> <br />15