Orange County NC Website
18 <br /> <br />Planning staffs chose to apply the most stringent development regulation of the three <br />jurisdictions when determining stream and wetland buffers and preservation of other <br />environmental features such as forest types. For example, if one jurisdiction requires a 50-foot <br />stream buffer and another requires a 65-foot stream buffer, a 65-foot stream buffer was used <br />as the stream buffer on the conceptual plan. <br /> <br />The Upland Hardwood Forest areas were slated for preservation as at least one jurisdiction <br />would normally request/require preservation of these types of forests if a development <br />proposal were made. <br /> <br />Road Configuration <br />All previous planning efforts of the Greene Tract/Rogers Road area have strongly stated that <br />Purefoy Drive and/or Lizzie Lane should not be the only access to the Greene <br />Tract. Connections to the south, north, and/or east must be made. The early iterations of maps <br />(not included in materials) sought to avoid a stream crossing and connected to <br />Merin Road, near the southeast corner of the Greene Tract, by traversing the area <br />between two stream buffer areas. However, this configuration was revised as <br />environmental and stormwater staff members stated that a stream crossing would be <br />preferable to impacting the Upland Hardwood Forest areas while also bisecting <br />preserve connectivity. <br /> <br />Staffs have spoken with Norfolk Southern railroad representatives regarding a crossing on the <br />east side of the Greene Tract. While Norfolk Southern is amendable to reviewing any requests, <br />the railroad generally requires closure of at least one existing crossing for each new <br />crossing. Staff has not been able to identify existing crossing(s) that could be proposed <br />for closure in order to make a connection from <br />the Greene Tract to Weaver Dairy Road Extension to the east. <br /> <br />A connection to the north (to Eubanks Road) might be possible through an edge corridor of the <br />“Neville Tract” if an alternative site can be found to conduct the Solid Waste activities occurring <br />on the Neville Tract. <br /> <br />Reconfigured Preserve Area <br />Quarterly “Managers, Mayors, Chair” (MMC) meetings have been taking place to provide the <br />opportunity for staffs and the Town/County managers, Town mayors, and <br />County Chair to meet and receive updates/guidance on Rogers Road sewer system and <br />planning issue status, including progress on Greene Tract planning. Staff received direction to <br />consider the reconfiguration of the County-owned 60-acre portion of the Greene Tract to <br />encumber the most preservation-worthy lands. Staffs conducted the analysis and the <br />conceptual plans incorporate a reconfigured County-owned preserve area. <br /> <br />If a reconfigured preserve area is desired, future work would include re-platting the parcels to <br />reflect different parcel boundaries and ownership from those that currently exist. <br /> <br />Travis Myren said his PowerPoint presentation does not contain new information, since <br />the BOCC reviewed this topic at the Assemblies of Governments (AOG) meeting. He said <br />Commissioner Jacobs reminded staff that the Board wants to take a walking tour of the <br />property, and this will be done prior to the development of a resolution. He said the Housing