Orange County NC Website
Commissioner Price saidshe believes another concern about the drive-throughs was the <br />concern of car stacking and all of the associated fumes. <br />Perdita Holtz said thatwas a concern in theCounty, buttheconcern specific to this plan <br />was about the proliferation of fast food restaurants on Highway 70. <br />Commissioner Rich said she remembers this as one of the first things that came before <br />the Board when she came on, and she didn't have a lot of information. She said her concern at <br />that time was calling things urban when there are no sidewalks being put in. She said she still <br />has concerns withcalling things urban, whenthere is no way for people to use their feet to get <br />there, because there are no sidewalks. She is unsure of why the word urban is used in these <br />settings. <br />Perdita Holtz said thegrowth management systems map adopted in 2003 calls areas <br />rural designated and urban designated, and this is in one of theurban designated areas. <br />Commissioner Rich questioned whether this is really urban. She said the County is just <br />creating an area where people are being allowed to build density. <br />Perdita Holtz said it depends on yourdefinition of urban, but this is creatingareas where <br />people can not only build density, but can put non- residential uses. <br />Commissioner Rich said you can't walk there; you have to drive your car there. <br />Perdita Holtz said it is true that you cannot walk there on a sidewalk. <br />Commissioner Pelissier said the difficulty is that this is just a smallarea compared to an <br />urban area like Chapel Hill or Carrboro. She said, even in Chapel Hill, 15-501 by-pass isin an <br />urban area, but there are no sidewalks. She said it is difficult becauseof the scope of what is <br />being looked at. <br />Commissioner Rich said it might just be her getting stuck on the word urban; but when <br />theseoverlays are done, there are all these districtsof overlays that are supposed to be urban, <br />but none of them connect. <br />Perdita Holtzsaid the small area plan is supportiveof having a sidewalk network, but <br />right now, counties in North Carolina have trouble providing, funding, and maintaining <br />sidewalks. She questioned whether you holdthis up just because sidewalks can't be provided <br />rightnow. She asked if development regulation should be kept in place that sometimes requires <br />a bufferof 100 feet, when lots are only 100 feet wide; or if the County should implement <br />something that is good for development now, and the sidewalk issue will continue to be worked <br />on. <br />Commissioner Rich said she understands that, and if the County willbe forwardthinking <br />and work toward sidewalks, then she is fine with this. She just doesn't want to approve an <br />urban overlay and then that's the end of it. <br />Perdita Holtz said this is just one aspect of implementing thesmall area plan, and there <br />is still more to do. She said keeping sidewalks and bike lanes in mind is part of the plan, and it <br />is something she thinks Orange County willdo when the time is right. <br />Commissioner McKee referred to the statement on creating non-conforming uses. He <br />asked how "operating in the manner in which they are currently operating" will be defined. He <br />said he is aware of multiple parcels of property where newregulations prevent expansion of <br />existing business. He is concernedthat this is what will happen here. <br />Perdita Holtz said this wouldcreate non-conforming uses if someone wanted to expand <br />their businesses. <br />Commissioner Price asked if there would be a time limit for a non-conformingbusiness if <br />there is a change in ownership and a gap in use. <br />Michael Harvey said there is a timelimit of 6 months within any 180 day given period. <br />Greg Andrews said he lives in the Efland Community and he owns a business in the <br />proposed overlay district. He said he is alsohere in part to represent the Efland Ruritan Club. <br />He proposed a public hearing in the Efland community. He said there are a lot of elderly folks <br />who cannot come sit at this meeting for 3 or 4 hours to get tothis part. He said he would like to <br />53