Orange County NC Website
Meeting Highlights: <br />Orange County Planning staff presented the 20 attendees with an overview of: the <br />application; the site; surrounding area; site environmental constraints, the zoning and subdivision <br />requirements and the tentative schedule for the plan’s review and approval or denial by the Orange <br />County Board of Commissioners. <br /> <br /> Mr. Hefner, presented his site analysis, the Concept Plan, the basis for the design, plan <br />revisions based on meetings with Orange County staff, NCDOT recommendations, site <br />observations, environmental assessments and environmental and developments constraints <br />associated with the property. He then opened up the meeting to comments, ideas and questions <br />from the residents. Dr. Humphries was not present at the meeting. <br /> <br />The questions and concerns from residents centered on the following categories: <br /> <br />1. Vehicular Access and Traffic. <br /> Residents expressed concerns about the potential for traffic congestion on Erwin and <br />Whitfield (especially during the AM and PM peak hours). Residents with access via <br />Shakori Trails were also concerned with maintaining their current legal access. <br />Residents who live off Turkey Farm Road also raised concerns that they would be <br />negatively affected by traffic <br /> <br /> Orange County Planning Staff outlined the access, public and private street <br />standards, the merits of locating the proposed access onto Whitfield Road vs. Erwin <br />Road, the connections to Shakori Trails, and the internal circulation of the proposed <br />plan. <br /> <br /> Mr. Hefner outlined his meetings with NCDOT, the site constraints, legal obligations <br />to provide access to Erwin Road for the two Shakori Trails homes, Emergency <br />Service Access. He also noted the AM and PM traffic patterns that had been <br />observed on Whitfield and Erwin Roads, and that the estimated amount of additional <br />cars (approximately 38 new cars) from the proposed new residencies would not <br />cause a harmful impact to the road network. <br /> <br />2. Lot Size, Density and Open Space . <br /> Residents expressed concerns about the 1 acre minimum lot size, the number of <br />units, preserving the character of the area, the Rural Buffer, New Hope Creek and <br />Duke Forest. <br /> <br /> Orange Planning Staff reviewed the UDO requirements, the perimeter setback and <br />buffers, the value of the Flexible Design Option with dedicated common Open <br />Space, the effective density (2.5 dwelling units per acre), and best planning practices <br />for environmentally sensitive design. Staff also noted that the site’s zoning and <br />watershed would allow for up to 24 dwelling units. <br /> <br /> Mr. Hefner reviewed the market analysis, site constraints, the initial concept plans <br />which yielded 22-24 lots, the suitable soils, and steep slopes. He noted the desire to <br />preserve common areas in dedicated open space vs. 19 lots. In response to a <br />resident inquiry, he also noted that that any person with a lot can choose his/her own <br />residential builder. <br /> <br />3. Setbacks, Buffers and Tree Preservation. <br /> Residents asked questions about setbacks, buffers and areas along the perimeter of <br />the project. <br />22