Agenda 7-b - Millhouse Road Park Affordable Housing Options Feasibility Update

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Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The property was acquired in 2004 and 2007 with 2001 Orange County Parks and Open Space bond funds. Staff and Civil Consultants, the Site-Civil Engineering Firm engaged to assist in the feasibility analysis, has examined the physical, land record, land-use, operational, and financial characteristics that would support the dual use. Representatives from Civil Consultants will present summary findings (note Attachment 2 – “Civil Consultants Feasibility Summary”) of the feasibility study to the Board. All primary feasibility reports and analysis can be found at: http://www.orangecountync.gov/Millhouse%20Road%20Park%20Housing%20Options%20Feasi bility%20Information.pdf Transportation Infrastructure, Circulation, and Land Records Assessment. Adequate on- site traffic circulation and off-site transportation infrastructure considerations appear feasible and reasonable for a potential housing development. Land records assessments yielded no findings that would inhibit the proposed development. Environmental Considerations. An extensive set of environmental criteria have been considered in this initial feasibility analysis, and would also apply to any design and operation of a potential development. Initial environmental and cultural/archaeological assessments yielded findings that would not inhibit the proposed development. Soils, Hydrology, Public Water Supply Well, Wastewater, and Storm Water Considerations. The most limiting set of factors emerging from this study involve soils, on-site public well and wastewater capacity and wetlands. The available quantity and quality of on-site soils for sanitary septic compatibility, in addition to the wells and wetlands pose significant challenges to the development of a manufactured home park on this site. Based on a preliminary site evaluation by a licensed soil scientist, there is insufficient area of usable soils for a subsurface wastewater treatment and disposal system of adequate capacity to support the contemplated development. An on-site septic system, if possible, would include a containment lagoon for either a surface drip or surface irrigation system. Delineation of jurisdictional and isolated wetlands onsite introduces considerable site planning challenges and preliminary site grading analysis requires some soil import for site balancing. Although constructing (multiple) public water supply wells is theoretically possible on the site, County environmental health representatives opine that obtaining the flow volume required for the contemplated development (minimum of 7,000 gallons per day for a 28 lot manufactured home park alone) is questionable. The only definitive method for measuring water flow volume is to dig test wells at a cost of approximately $45,000. Moreover, the North Carolina Public Water Supply Section, as well as the Orange County Environmental Health Services Division, must permit public water supply wells. The close availability of Orange Water & Sewer Authority (OWASA) public water (within an estimated 500 feet) may be a negative factor in obtaining the required state permit(s). Alternative Wastewater Treatment Options. Because of the lack of adequate subsurface soil to support a sanitary septic system, pre-treatment surface drip or spray irrigation system with a containment lagoon or a state-approved innovative package sewer system could be considered for this site. Stream discharge, which is required for the innovative package sewer type system, is physically possible, but requires an exhaustive permitting process by the North Carolina 2