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74 <br /> Staff Comment: The applicant provided an Environmental Assessment as part of the <br /> application package. Staff has reviewed and determined no significant environmental <br /> impact is expected from this project based on existing conditions. The project site plan <br /> protects the existing stream on site with provided stream buffering and strives to <br /> maintain existing trees as part of the landscape buffer (Attachment 1). <br /> 5. Preservation of Rural Land Use Pattern: The County's rural areas are a cherished <br /> component of the County's character. Future development should preserve and enhance the <br /> county's rural landscape. <br /> Staff Comment: The 2030 Comprehensive Plan, Appendix G, Land Use Classification <br /> and Overlay Locational Criteria, identifies Rural Buffer as land designated in the <br /> Comprehensive Plan as land adjacent to an urban or transition area which is rural in <br /> character and which should remain rural, contain very low-density residential uses, and <br /> not require urban services during the plan period. The resource-related activities with <br /> the use are consistent with the rural nature of the area and, as presented, will not <br /> disrupt that character, being on the perimeter of the Town of Chapel Hill's ETJ, <br /> surrounded by managed forests and County-owned lands that will not serve residential <br /> or commercial purposes. <br /> 6. Water Resources Preservation: The County has finite water resources to provide to future <br /> populations. The protection and management of the County's water resources should be a high <br /> priority. <br /> Staff Comment: The proposed project will utilize groundwater to service the future land <br /> use, as permitted by the Orange County Division of Environmental Health (Attachment <br /> 5). In addition, the site plan provides for a 65-foot stream buffer to protect water quality <br /> downstream (Attachment 1). <br /> 7. Promotion of Economic Prosperity and Diversity: Development of a diversity of new <br /> businesses and expansion of existing businesses should occur in Orange County. <br /> Staff Comment: The applicant will provide an underserved market with needed service, <br /> particularly for the nearby municipalities. The applicant is proposing to relocate an <br /> existing tree care and consulting company currently operating in Carrboro to this site. <br /> Relocation of this business to a rural setting will more appropriately allow for it to <br /> operate while continuing to serve the nearby municipal market than it can from its <br /> current placement in a municipality. The applicant estimates that approval could create <br /> 10 — 20 new jobs. <br /> 8. Preservation of Community Character: Future growth and development should occur in a <br /> manner that preserves and enhances the existing character of the County, its townships, and <br /> rural crossroads communities. <br /> Staff Comment: This agricultural support enterprise will be appropriately placed within the <br /> Rural Buffer designated by both the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the Orange County- <br /> Chapel Hill-Carrboro Joint Planning Agreement Land Use Plan. It shall be situated such <br /> that it is surrounded by an actively-managed forest, a former landfill, and a proposed <br /> recreation facility. There will be no disruption to residential quality of life, and the approval <br /> will introduce a new business to the area and to the county's business community. <br /> Placement of this business is in harmony with the immediately surrounding area on the <br /> edge of the Town of Chapel Hill's ETJ, and in the public interest, placing an arborist near <br /> 11 <br />