Minutes 03-09-2021 Virtual Work Session

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10 Tim Bradley said there is some interest in Area A. He said both Mebane and Orange County have extended utility infrastructure, which helps people plan for the future. He said the city is ready for the next person who comes forward with land they wish to develop in the area. Chair Price asked if the boundaries in the Buckhorn Area Plan are consistent with the Buckhorn EDD. Craig Benedict said some parts of the B, C, D, and E are outside of the EDD. He said the process is to do a study, and then take action based on the study. He said Morinaga is one example of this happening in the past. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the city desires to have the parcels be contiguous, and is that a factor for prioritizing certain parcels. He said the Orange County Comprehensive Plan will expire in 2030, and asked if there is a schedule for the next comprehensive plan. Mayor Ed Hooks said there is no intent to start at the city limits and move forward. He said the City was asked to provide water and sewer, and future growth will be hopscotched due to different needs and priorities of property owners. He said there is no intent to grow, and Mebane is responding to a development request. Chris Rollins, Mebane City Manager, said there is some land in the back that would link to the City limits. He said the Buckhorn area is one of the hottest markets in the 1-40/1-85 corridor right now, and he would not be surprised to see site plans submitted in the next 3-6 months. He said there is a rumor that Area B is already under contract for a housing development. He said the properties annexed in non-contiguous spots are due to requests by property owners. Commissioner Dorosin said the utilities already run through the high priority areas, which makes sense why they are the focus. Craig Benedict said the Comprehensive plan was completed in 2008, and is updated every 5-8 years. He said staff is waiting on 2020 census results, which will be used to create a new comprehensive plan by looking at trends, population and growth. He said this new plan will require a lot of public input, and took 2 years last time it was updated. He said staff will go around the County explaining the trends to residents. He said the process will likely start early 2022. Everette Greene asked if there has been any engagement, thus far, with residents on the comprehensive plan. He said the area will be developed by the time the plan is updated. Chair Price said there has not been a lot of public engagement on new development plans. She said there has not been an open meeting in Orange County. Jesse Day said there were mailings in the area for the November public involvement meeting with the City of Mebane and the meeting with Mebane, PTRC, and County Planning Department. Commissioner Greene referred to an area on the map at the corner of Bowman Road, which is a housing development. She clarified that this was an annexed after a developer requested it to be so. Staff indicated yes. Commissioner Greene asked if Mebane could create a plan, where it would refuse to annex areas not covered by infrastructure, if the land is not in the future growth plan for Mebane. Chris Rollins said the land area, to which Commissioner Greene referred, is in the future growth plan for Mebane, and was there before the housing developer requested annexation. Commissioner Greene said she is hearing concerns from residents south of Bowman Road that more annexations could happen in areas that are not in the future growth plan. She asked if Mebane has a response to requests for development in area B. Chris Rollins said the request just came in today, and the city would have to evaluate it. Commissioner Greene asked if this area is in Mebane's future plan for growth