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Article 2: Procedures <br /> Section 2.3: Comprehensive Plan Amendments <br /> <br /> <br />Orange County, North Carolina – Unified Development Ordinance Page 2-5 <br /> <br />(3) In response to a change in the policies, objectives, principles or standards <br />governing the physical development of the County. <br />2.3.3 Initiation of Amendments <br />An amendment to the Comprehensive Plan or portion thereof may be initiated by: <br />(A) The Board of Commissioners on its own motion; <br />(B) The Planning Board; <br />(C) Application, by any person or agency, which accurately and completely sets forth the <br />reason(s) for the proposed amendment as prescribed in Section 2.3.2(B); or <br />(D) The Planning Director. <br />2.3.4 Classification of Amendments 4 <br />Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan or portion thereof are classified as "principal" or <br />"secondary" amendments. <br />(A) Principal Amendments Include <br />(1) Additions to or modifications of policies, objectives, principles or standards; <br />(2) The creation of new activity nodes or additions to existing activity nodes which <br />exceed ten acres in land area; or <br />(3) Proposals for new freestanding plan areas or additions to existing areas that <br />exceed 100 acres in land area. <br />(B) Secondary Amendments Include <br />(1) The expansion of an activity node where the additional area is contiguous to an <br />existing node and does not increase its land area by more than ten acres; <br />(2) The expansion of a designated plan area where the additional area is contiguous <br />to the existing plan designation and does not increase its land area by more than <br />100 acres; <br />(3) A correction of an error or omission; or <br />(4) Revisions to any factual or descriptive material. <br />2.3.5 Public Hearing Required <br />A public hearing shall be held before adoption of any proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment. <br />The Board of County Commissioners and the Planning Board 5 shall hear applications and receive <br />public comment for proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments in a Quarterly Public Hearing. <br />2.3.6 Notice Requirements for Public Hearings <br />(A) The Planning Director shall provide public notice for any Comprehensive Plan <br />amendment to be heard at a Quarterly Public Hearing. The notice shall include the time <br />and location of the public hearing.6 <br /> <br />4 Staff proposes that this entire section (2.3.4) be deleted because it is relevant only in conjunction with Section <br />2.3.7. Rather than limiting “principal” amendments to being heard “generally” only once per year, staff proposes <br />that any Comprehensive Plan amendment could be heard at any of the quarterly public hearings. If this Section is <br />deleted, subsequent sections would be renumbered and section reference updates might occur in other <br />sections/articles of the UDO. <br />5 Since a quorum of Planning Board members will no longer be necessary to hold a public hearing, the public <br />hearing would no longer be a joint hearing. <br />6 Proposed addition made by the Staff Attorney. <br />Staff <br />proposes <br />this entire <br />section <br />for <br />deletion <br />(see <br />footnote <br />below) - <br />request <br />ORC <br />comment <br />45