Agenda - 10-16-2018 8-a - Minutes

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10 1 2 Chair Dorosin said no one wants to abandon the EDDs, but there seemed a merging 3 consensus of revisiting the redevelopment of them. He said on the maps the EDDs look huge, 4 but in reality they are much smaller areas, in which to achieve some substantive economic 5 development. 6 Commissioner Burroughs said she finds it important to work rather quickly on pre- 7 zoning, which is a defensive move. 8 Chair Dorosin asked if the number of these areas that are already pre-zoned is known. 9 Craig Benedict said the whole purple area in the Buckhorn EDD (900 acres gross) has 10 been pre-zoned. He said the Commercial Industrial Transition Activity Node (CITAN) are areas 11 that were not pre-zoned; 1300 acres total in the Buckhorn/Mebane area, and only 300 have 12 been pre-zoned. He said there are more areas in the yellow and green that can be pre-zoned. 13 He said in the New Year, some land uses may be combined to allow for more streamlined ED 14 zones. 15 Chair Dorosin clarified that the purple area cannot be zoned residential. 16 Craig Benedict said that is correct. 17 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a downside of pre-zoning. 18 Craig Benedict said the property owners may be in agreement with pre-zoning, or not. 19 He said the pre-zoning in the CITAN area went smoothly, and pre-zoning needs to be done 20 comprehensively, and not by small areas. He said in 1994 the Board pre-zoned the Buckhorn, 21 Hillsborough, and Eno EDDs. 22 Chair Dorosin asked if there is a difference between pre-zoning and zoning. 23 Craig Benedict said pre-zoning means to have zoning consistent with the land use 24 already, so that it does not have to be done retroactively. 25 Craig Benedict said, in contrast, the CITAN areas have been left at base zones, and 26 everyone would have to ask for different zoning, unless residential were permitted by right. 27 Commissioner Burroughs said she is focused on preventing residential areas. 28 Commissioner Jacobs said in the 1990s there was pre-zoning, but with the idea that the 29 developers had to bring the infrastructure, which is why nothing happened. He said a different 30 Board put Gravely Hills Middle School in the middle of an EDD to get water and sewer into the 31 EDD. 32 Commissioner Jacobs said the Board did turn down a subdivision in the EDD. He said 33 the Board has discussed the idea of housing above shops - more of a mixed use. He said he 34 would not preclude having some form of mixed use in the some the EDDs. He said the main 35 reason it was not zoned any further is because it gives more negotiating leverage, but he is not 36 sure what the County is trying to negotiate at this point. 37 Commissioner Marcoplos said his main questions are if the Board decides to go ahead 38 and do this, what would it look like, how long would it take, and is there any advantage to 39 finding a likely place for a mixed-use area. He said the Board ought to go ahead and pre-zone. 40 Craig Benedict said there was a work session on this 8-10 years ago that discussed 41 permitting uses that fit certain areas; and zoning according to the type of development that 42 would naturally fit. 43 Craig Benedict said this could probably be accomplished in 3-4 months, and would have 44 to have additional community meetings. He said there are has been some community meetings 45 in the Buckhorn/Efland area when utilities were installed. He said the residential property that 46 has been mentioned closer to Mebane cannot contain an industrial building, due to the 47 topography. 48 Craig Benedict said staff can come up with a proposal for rezoning in the next month or 49 so. 50 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there are any anticipated speed bumps.