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ORANGE COUNTY <br />PLANNING BOARD ORDINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: January 8, 2014 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 3 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Review of Proposed UDO Text Amendments Related to a new General Use <br />Zoning District called Research Development and Applied Manufacturing (RDAM) <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1. Draft UDO Amendment Package <br />2. Land Use Comparison Chart <br />Michael D. Harvey, Planner III (919) 245-2597 <br />Jennifer Leaf, Planner I (919) 245-2599 <br />Craig Benedict, Director (919) 245-2575 <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To review and comment upon a Planning Director initiated UDO text amendment <br />concerning the development of a new general use zoning district called Research Development <br />and Applied Manufacturing (RDAM). <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: There is a concern over possible limitations in allowing light manufacturing <br />activities on properties where research facilities are developed. While ancillary <br />manufacturing/assembly activities would be allowed, in support of the principal ‘research’ land use, <br />current regulations might restrict the allowable level of manufacturing that can occur on-site. <br /> <br />A research facility is allowed as a permitted use of property (i.e. administrative approval of a site <br />plan) in the following general use zoning districts: <br />a. Neighborhood Commercial (NC-2) <br />b. Community Commercial (CC-3) <br />c. General Commercial (GC-4) <br />d. Office Institutional (O/I) <br />e. Light Industrial (I-1) <br />f. Medium Industrial (I-2) <br />g. Heavy Industrial (I-3) <br />h. Economic Development Buckhorn Higher Intensity (EDB-2) <br />i. Economic Development Eno Higher Intensity (EDE-2) <br />We can foresee a situation where a research facility might have to move manufacturing activities off- <br />site as the scope of the manufacturing operation might exceed what it considered an ‘ancillary’ or <br />accessory activity or would have to apply for a Conditional Use permit, which also necessitates a <br />Class A Special Use Permit. <br /> <br />Staff is proposing to revise the UDO to create a new general use zoning designation, specifically the <br />Research Development and Applied Manufacturing (RDAM), in an effort to address this concern with <br />the goal of allowing research and manufacturing activities to occur on one parcel with a more simple <br />approval process. The district seeks to blend aspects of the O/I and I-1 districts to allow for <br />expanded manufacturing operations associated with research/development and office activities.