Agenda - 03-16-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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22 1 jurisdictions funded the planning study to help inform future land use and potential utility service 2 that could be mutually beneficial. 3 4 Orange County utilized funds available in the FY 2019-2020 budget to reimburse the City of 5 Mebane for half of the consulting expenses of the Buckhorn Area Plan. The original goals have 6 been to work together with a consultant to further analyze areas within Orange County— 7 adjacent to and near Mebane — and to develop recommendations for a growth strategy. In 8 January 2020, Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) was selected as the consultant, and 9 beginning on February 6, 2020, Orange County, Mebane, and PTRC have met monthly to 10 discuss the geographic area of the study, the parcel development suitability criteria and 11 mechanisms for feedback on the analysis. 12 13 During the course of the study, there have been developments in Orange County brought to 14 Mebane with a focus to rezone and to annex into Mebane. Any development proposals that are 15 in Orange County and that fall within the study area have been noted as such in Orange County 16 Planning's feedback to Mebane during the informal courtesy review process. While Mebane has 17 the ability to annex properties that are willing to be annexed pursuant to state law without 18 County `approval', Orange County Planning Staff's review of proposals has included language 19 that informally recommends Mebane delay any further development of parcels that fall within the 20 Buckhorn Area (but outside the existing utility service agreement) until the Plan is finalized and 21 has been shared with the public and elected officials. 22 23 The BOCC received an Information Item on the Buckhorn Area Plan in its December 15, 2020 24 agenda packet. 25 26 THE BUCKHORN AREA PLAN (STUDY): 27 Staff will provide an overview of the Buckhorn Area Plan, which functions as a technical study, 28 at the BOCC meeting. Some key aspects are provided as attachments herein. A copy of the 29 full document can be downloaded via the following link: 30 https://www.ptrc.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=l0489 31 32 The study uses GIS mapping to determine parcels most suitable for development within the 33 focus area. The process allows for a technical review of multiple development factors including: 34 developable acres, preservation areas, mean slope, watershed, sewer infrastructure, water 35 infrastructure, interstate access, interstate visibility, roadway access, and access to existing rail. 36 In addition to the parcel-level scoring based on objective suitability criteria, there are a few 37 areas of clustered parcels that have been recommended for long-term growth based on a 38 combination of final score and high economic development use potential. 39 40 The focus area (Attachment 1) for this study was defined after significant consideration of 41 existing land uses, environmental impacts, and economic development potential. This does not 42 mean that all areas in the study are proposed for potential change but just an area/base 43 element of research. The boundaries for the focus area are the rail line to the North; Ben Wilson 44 and Mattress Factory Roads to the west, Mt. Willing Road and parcels along the 1-85 connector 45 to the East; Bushy Cook Road and Seven Mile Creek to the South. The City of Mebane and 46 Orange County Planning, Administrative, Public Works, and Economic Development staffs 47 worked with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to ensure parcels with the highest potential 48 were included in the analysis. It is worth noting, however, that parcels with significant public 49 utility (schools, churches, cemeteries) were marked as not available for development, 50 regardless of how well they scored on the parcel suitability criteria. 51