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allowing for the modification of allowable impervious surface area. There has been an increase in inquires and interest from local residents and property owners with respect to increasing allowable impervious surface area on parcels of property including: • Increasing allowable impervious surface percentages in Watershed Protection Overlay Districts in accordance with State standards, • Allow additional impervious surface area on property based on the installation of a stormwater feature, and • Exempt gravel from being considered an ‘impervious surface area’. 2. Analysis As required under Section 2.8.5 of the UDO, the Planning Director is required to: ‘cause an analysis to be made of the application and, based upon that analysis, prepare a recommendation for consideration by the Planning Board and the Board of County Commissioners’. The amendments are necessary to address current concerns our impervious surface limits are too restrictive and unnecessary limit development of property and to provide a mechanism for modifying said limits consistent with current State policies. Staff generated an information item on this topic, which was provided to the BOCC at its March 3, 2015 regular meeting. Agenda materials from this meeting can be viewed at: http://www.orangecountync.gov/document_center/BOCCAgendaMinutes/March_3__ 2015.pdf. As detailed within this information item, in certain circumstances the State allows the installation of a stormwater feature, commonly referred to as a Best Management Practice (BMP), providing an opportunity for the installation of additional impervious surface area. At this time the State only recognizes the use/installation of permeable pavement as a means of receiving additional impervious surface area on a parcel. The State is in the process, however, of revising their policies with respect to the types of features where additional impervious surface could be permitted based on the installation of a BMP designed to capture and allow for the infiltration of stormwater. The result could be the expansion of the types of features allowing for an additional allotment of impervious surface area. The proposed amendment(s) seeks to incorporate the use of infiltration based/designed BMPs as a means of modifying allowable impervious surface area within the County. This is consistent with current, and anticipated, State allowances. The review of these requests will have to be done on a case-by-case basis with the property owner assuming the responsibility for completing the necessary engineering studies justifying the modification as well as the responsibility for the maintenance, inspection, and upkeep of said BMP in perpetuity. 46