Minutes 03-10-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 DOTMSTA study and they will be reviewing the information so that hopefully the constituents can have their concerns better heard through improvements. He said there is a possible casino being built in southern Virginia and that would affect the traffic on NC 86, and they are paying attention to issues like that. He said they are looking at alternative means to address local issues and smaller projects. He said that for example, when light rail was a thing, there was a tax, and it would be nice to be able to use those funds within the bounds that have been set. He said they are trying to figure out how to do smaller projects within the boundaries that are set. Commissioner Greene said the county was updating the Orange County transit plan and revise it since light rail has ended. She asked if the OUT Board was consulted. Erik Broo said yes, and they talk about it every meeting. Commissioner Greene said the transit policy steering committee was meeting the next day and they will be receiving results of the second round of input. Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said the OUT Board is made of planning staff and Orange County public transportation and they discuss the plan at each meeting. Commissioner Greene asked if the OUT Board was specifically included. Nish Trivedi said yes, they have been included in the input process. Erik Broo said Nish Trivedi and his team were reviewing the document every meeting. Chair Price said the bridge study discussion has been going on for over a decade. She said she hopes this time something happens. Erik Broo said the topic comes up frequently. Chair Price said that over the years, NCDOT has begun listening to Orange County's desire for bike lanes. She said they have to be called "4-foot shoulders," but are intended for bikes. Erik Broo said that he hopes NCDOT would offer funding for projects that are not directly adjacent to roads, because it would show North Carolinians that they do care about multi-modal. He said transportation does happen with bikes even though they are not on the road. Chair Price said they are changing the culture. Lamar Proctor presented for the Orange County Planning Board. He said the board met ten times. He said they revised the UDO as an update as required to meet the updates to NC General Statute 160E. He said there were some substantive changes that were also discussed by the Board of Commissioners. He said they also reviewed projects within the county. He said they also reviewed changes that are happening in Durham that affect the Eno economic development district because they are reducing public water and sewer to the area. He said that it will not be as big as they wanted, regarding future growth, in that area. He said they have a new chair, Adam Beeman. He said that Adam Beeman led a discussion on residential solar. He said that it was eye opening to see the hoops they had to jump through and unforeseen expenses to add solar to residential. He said that it dovetails with issues that the Planning Board is concerned with. He said they will likely work more with other boards in the future. He said new census data will require an update to the comprehensive plan. He said they will continue to work on community outreach. He said they may teach a Planning 101 course to the public, to help them learn the process and where their voice can be heard. He said that broadband access is important to the Planning Board, as is climate change. He said that the growth of Mebane into western Orange County is creating concern for residents. He said they want to encourage renewable energy development. He said the Planning Board is concerned with maintaining water resources. He said Orange County has some clean ecosystems that should be protected and used wisely. Commissioner Richards said there is a need to update the planning. She said that between the UDO, the comprehensive plan, and the new census data, it all needs to be