Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
November the County Commissioners’ approved amendments to adopt the new FIRM maps <br />with an effective date of November 17, 2017. We were informed in May of 2018 by FEMA that <br />they need to update and” tweak” several maps primarily impacting Durham County. FIRM <br />maps don’t respect political boundaries and there are several Orange County FIRMs that <br />include property in Durham County. If FEMA changes flood data in this area, they are effectively <br />changing the effective date of this map. The short and sweet of why we have initiated this <br />amendment is that in order for the County to remain a member of the National Flood Insurance <br />Program we have to update our Unified Development Ordinance to properly reflect the new <br />effective date of the new FIRMs, which is going to be October 19, 2018. If we fail to do this, we <br />will be suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program and local residents will not be <br />able to get flood insurance. It should not come to that but that’s the practical results of us not <br />moving forward and doing this. We are updating the effective FIRM date in the UDO as we are <br />required to do and making a couple of “tweaks” to make existing a little more user friendly. The <br />staff recommendation is that you all take an affirmative action on recommending approval of the <br />statement of consistency and attachment to and recommend the change to the ordinance <br />amendment attachment. <br />Michael Harvey reviewed abstract. <br />Carrie Fletcher asked what this change does for policy holders <br />Michael Harvey said there would be no change for policy holders. If the County didn’t do <br />anything, flood insurance would not be available. If for instance you were going to do a <br />refinance on your house, the most recent data would be used, which is the best available data. <br />We are not looking at major impacts on property owners in Orange County, this is primarily <br />dealing with flood panels that are in Durham County but because they are changing that data set <br />the map has to be updated so we have to include the new effective date it is a “bookkeeping <br />issue”. <br />Carrie Fletcher asked if it will tend to raise rates or have any impact on rates? <br />Michael Harvey answered: it will not have any affect on rates at all. <br />MOTION by Kim Piracci to approve statement of consistency. Seconded by Hunter Spitzer. <br />VOTE: Unanimous <br />MOTION by Hunter Spitzer to approve the UDO text amendment change. Seconded by Laura <br />Nicholson. <br />VOTE: Unanimous <br />AGENDA ITEM 8: EFLAND-BUCKHORN-MEBANE ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN - To <br />review and comment on draft updates to the Efland-Buckhorn-Mebane Access Management <br />Plan <br />. <br />PRESENTER : Nish Trivedi, Transportation Planner <br />I will explain the background of this plan. It was originally adopted in November 2011. A <br />Transportation Study was done in 2017. It looked at existing conditions, environmental <br />constraints and traffic analysis. I will explain the updating processes, some of the findings from <br />the 2017 Transportation Study, show you what the next steps entail and how this plan will be <br />implemented. The Access Management Plan is the proposed long-range plan master plan of <br />existing roads and possible new roads. The main purpose is to maintain the overall safety of the