Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />PLANNING BOARD ORDINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: July 6, 2016 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 2 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Review of Proposed Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Ordinance <br />(UDO) Amendments – Modify Use Standards <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1. Comprehensive Plan and Unified <br />Development Ordinance (UDO) <br />Amendment Outline Form <br />2. Proposed Amendments <br />Ashley Moncado, Planner II (919) 245-2589 <br />Craig Benedict, Director (919) 245-2575 <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To review and comment upon on a Planning Director initiated text amendment to <br />the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would establish standards to allow certain <br />principal uses to include a small component of other specific uses in the O/RM (Office/Research <br />and Manufacturing) zoning district. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: In working with site selection specialists for various economic development <br />projects, Planning staff has noted that the County could be more competitive in attracting <br />economic development projects if the UDO were to include a by-right process that allows for <br />mixed use developments. Currently, an office, research, and manufacturing business park which <br />includes, for example, a restaurant primarily serving onsite employees, but also open to the <br />public could not be permitted by right in the general use zoning districts. Instead the project <br />would be required to follow either the Master Development Plan Conditional Zoning District <br />(MDP-CZ) process or Conditional Use District process. In order to make the County more <br />competitive in the site selection process for these types of multi-use projects, Planning staff is <br />proposing to allow for additional uses to be permitted in conjunction with a specific identified <br />principal use (Industrial (Light), Research Facility, or Research and Manufacturing Facility) as <br />part of an overall project development plan. <br /> <br />This amendment will allow for uses that primarily serve and support the needs of the business, <br />facility, and employees involved in the principal use without overpowering the intended purpose <br />of the O/RM zoning district. In addition, the amendment will allow for a more efficient review <br />process for future mixed use developments. Therefore, allowing an office, research, and <br />manufacturing business park which includes, for example, a restaurant serving onsite <br />employees and the general public to be permitted by-right in the O/RM zoning district. <br /> <br />Originally, this text amendment package was envisioned to establish and permit secondary uses <br />in the UDO. Following a recommendation from the Orange County Attorney’s Office, Planning <br />staff revised the amendment in order to permit the uses initially proposed as secondary uses in <br />a more concise manner. As a result, the secondary use concept will not be established in the <br /> 3