Agenda - 10-15-2003-3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~~ 2 Summa of the Chapel Hill and Joint Plannin¢ Area Land Use Plans A Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan was adopted in 1986. Chapel Hill has since adopted a new Land Use Plan in May 2000 which was also adopted by Orange County on October 1St, 2003 as an amendment to the 1986 Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. The 2000 Land Use Plan designates the site proposed for rezoning (the land south of Eubanks Road between the Northwood Subdivision to the east and the University Branch Southern Railroad to the west) as "Medium Residential," which calls for 4-8 units per acre. The site is also designated as a "Potential School Site," which requires that the Town Manager notify the Chapel Hi1UCarrboro Board of Education if an application for a subdivision is submitted. (No such application has been submitted to date.) In such a case, if a subdivision application were to be submitted and notice is given to the School Board, the Board is expected to notify the Town Manager if there is interest in acquiring the property. We note that at this time the "Potential School Site" designation for this site only pertains to subdivision applications. Zonin Atlas Amendments Zoning determines the type and intensity of uses and development that are allowed on a piece of land. A Zoning Atlas Amendment involves a change to the current zoning, and thus the permitted types and intensity of land uses. In accordance with the Town of Chapel Hill's Zoning Ordinance, a rezoning maybe requested in two ways: general use and conditional use rezoning requests. A general use rezoning request is a proposal to change the zoning to a different zoning district in which any of several kinds of developments and uses are permissible. A conditional use rezoning request is a proposal to allow development and uses only with (1) specific limitations, and (2) the approval of a Special Use Permit. The Chapel Watch Village rezoning application is a conditional use rezoning request. Consequently, if the Chapel Watch Village conditional use rezoning request were to be approved, the applicant would still need to receive approval for a Special Use Permit application from the Town of Chapel Hill, prior to development actually occurring on the site. The zoning designation of a property determines the range of land uses and development intensities permitted on the property. Article. 4.4 of the Town of Chapel Hill's Land Use Management Ordinance establishes the intent of Zoning Atlas Amendments by stating that, "In order to establish and maintain sound, stable, and desirable development within the planning jurisdiction of the Town it is intended that this chapter shall not be amended except: a) to correct a manifest error in the chapter; or b) because of changed or changing conditions in a particular area or in the jurisdiction generally; or c) to achieve the purposes of the Comprehensive Plan.