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<br />B. RATIONALE <br />1. Purpose/Mission <br />In accordance with the provisions of Section 2.8 Zoning Atlas and Unified <br />Development Ordinance Amendments of the UDO, the Planning Director is <br />proposing to initiate text amendments to create a new conditional zoning district, <br />specifically the Rural Master Plan Development Conditional Zoning (RMPD-CZ) <br />district. <br /> <br />2. Analysis <br />As required under Section 2.8.5 of the UDO, the Planning Director is required to: <br />‘cause an analysis to be made of the application and, based upon that analysis, <br />prepare a recommendation for consideration by the Planning Board and the Board of <br />County Commissioners’. <br />In response to a petition submitted by Commissioner Pelissier, staff conducted a <br />work session with the BOCC on February 18, 2016 to: <br />a. Review the County’s subdivision development and review processes, <br />b. Discuss minimum lot size and density limitations/requirements, and <br />c. Identify opportunities and constraints associated with the clustering of <br />subdivision lots. <br />Agenda materials from this meeting can be viewed <br />at: http://www.orangecountync.gov/document_center/BOCCAgendaMinutes/160218. <br />pdf. <br />During this work session, staff recommended the creation of a rural master planned <br />district, modeled on the existing Master Plan Development Conditional Zoning (MPD- <br />CZ) district. <br />As envisioned this new district would provide a mechanism where residential <br />developments in the rural areas of the County could develop a project with greater <br />flexibility with respect to minimum lot sizes and cluster options. The clustering of lots <br />would be directly proportional to the percentage of the tract left in dedicated open <br />space. <br />Allowable density for such a district would still be based on the Watershed Protection <br />Overlay District where the parcel subject to development is located in accordance <br />with Section 4.2.4 of the UDO. <br />As with all Conditional Zoning districts the project would involve the negotiation of <br />design elements between the BOCC and applicant to ensure the viability of the <br />project. Requests to develop this new district would be reviewed as a rezoning <br />request (i.e. legislative review only) and acted upon by the BOCC in accordance with <br />Section 2.9.2 of the UDO. <br /> <br />3. Comprehensive Plan Linkage (i.e. Principles, Goals and Objectives) <br /> 109