Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />PLANNING BOARD ORDINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE <br />AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: June 6, 2018 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 2 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendments – Modification of <br />Impervious Surface Requirements <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 2018-06 <br />2. Draft UDO Text Amendments <br />Craig Benedict, Director (919) 245-2575 <br />Michael D. Harvey, Planner III (919) 245-2597 <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To review and comment upon government-initiated Unified Development Ordinance <br />(UDO) text amendments updating and modifying existing impervious surface regulations. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: The Planning Director has initiated text amendments to the UDO intended to: <br />1. Clarify existing regulations related to the enforcement of impervious surface standards <br />on subdivisions platted and developed before January 1,1994, and <br />2. Modify existing standards governing the transfer of imperious surface area between <br />parcels located within the same watershed protection overlay district. <br />Current regulation(s) require subdivision applicants to identify the cumulative amount of <br />allowable impervious surface area on a parcel and subtract proposed road surfaces (public or <br />private roads). Once roadways are subtracted, the remaining area is distributed amongst the <br />proposed individual parcels. <br /> <br />Unfortunately the majority of subdivisions approved and recorded before 1994, the year the <br />County implemented county-wide watershed protection regulations, did not abide by this <br />practice. As a result impervious surface area within roads has to be included within the <br />calculation of allowable impervious surface area for a parcel on which they are located. <br />Concerns have been expressed this unduly restricts development opportunities. <br /> <br />Existing regulations also permit the transfer of impervious surface area between parcels with the <br />establishment of a conservation easement in accordance with State law. Per existing <br />regulations the parcels have to be adjacent to one another. <br /> <br />Staff believes there is an opportunity to modify existing regulations to address unintended <br />impacts. For more information please refer to Attachment 1. <br /> <br /> 2