1-3-24 PB Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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standards except as noted, and meets the standards of evaluations as reviewed by the Board of County Commissioners. 3.A. Encouragement of Energy Efficiency, Lower Energy Consumption and Use of Nonpolluting Renewable Energy Resources 3.B. Promotion of Both Air Quality Protection and the Development of an Effective Transportation System: Decreasing the use of non-renewable resources and lowering energy consumption are encouraged in both public and private activities. The county’s transportation system should be enhanced to promote more energy efficient modes of travel and improve air quality. Staff Comment: The applicant will introduce a wood processing and reuse facility within close proximity to municipal centers where arborist needs and tree processing are most needed. The other options are to otherwise rely upon vendors who travel farther distances, redistribute by-products to non-local markets, and extract these resources from Orange County while only contributing immediate services and a higher carbon footprint. The proposed use supports a local enterprise that can immediately contribute to the reuse of the related materials and reduce traveled miles to support the business. 4. Natural Area Resource Preservation: Protection of the County’s natural areas, including forests, wildlife habitat, and other important open spaces should be a priority. The County should work with regional and local organizations, the towns, and private landowners to promote and achieve preservation of the County’s important natural resources. Staff Comment: The applicant provided an Environmental Assessment as part of the application package. Staff has reviewed and determined no significant environmental impact is expected from this project based on existing conditions. The project site plan protects the existing stream on site with provided stream buffering and strives to maintain existing trees as part of the landscape buffer (Attachment 1). 5. Preservation of Rural Land Use Pattern: The County’s rural areas are a cherished component of the County’s character. Future development should preserve and enhance the county’s rural landscape. Staff Comment: The 2030 Comprehensive Plan, Appendix G, Land Use Classification and Overlay Locational Criteria, identifies Rural Buffer as land designated in the Comprehensive Plan as land adjacent to an urban or transition area which is rural in character and which should remain rural, contain very low-density residential uses, and not require urban services during the plan period. The resource-related activities with the use are consistent with the rural nature of the area and, as presented, will not disrupt that character, being on the perimeter of the Town of Chapel Hill’s ETJ, surrounded by managed forests and County-owned lands that will not serve residential or commercial purposes. 6. Water Resources Preservation: The County has finite water resources to provide to future populations. The protection and management of the County’s water resources should be a high priority. Staff Comment: The proposed project will utilize groundwater to service the future land use, as permitted by the Orange County Division of Environmental Health (Attachment 5). In addition, the site plan provides for an 65-foot stream buffer to protect water quality downstream (Attachment 1). 76