Agenda 03-19-24; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 1 1 1 DRAFT MINUTES 2 ORANGE COUNTY 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4 BUSINESS MEETING 5 February 6, 2024 6 7:00 p.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 9 6, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. 10 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Sally Greene 12 and Commissioners Amy Fowler, Jean Hamilton, Earl McKee, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, and Anna 13 Richards 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. 15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 17 Travis Myren, and Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified 18 appropriately below) 19 20 Chair Bedford called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commissioners were present. 21 22 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 23 24 Chair Bedford dispensed with reading the public charge. 25 26 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) 27 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 28 Terri Buckner said in the information item from Orange County Planning staff, Chapel 29 Hill's zoning and stormwater regulations as urban, and the County's as rural. She said that 30 observation fails to recognize that the area under concern for WASMPBA extension is neither 31 urban nor rural. She said there are both farms and suburban neighborhoods and it is a transition 32 area without infrastructure and community services to support high density development. She 33 said building out that infrastructure will not fall to Chapel Hill alone and Orange County and 34 Carrboro will be forced to support that growth in one way or another. She said cost estimates to 35 the county cannot be done until there is a plan in place so why open the area to sewer without 36 the plan. She said bringing in water and sewer and opening the area to high density development 37 without a plan is the antithesis of sustainable development. She said it conflicts with the county's 38 own Climate Action Plan among other plans. She reminded the Board that the county has already 39 had to buy out three homes in Heritage Hills due to nuisance flooding, which arises from past 40 planning decisions that did not anticipate climate change by allowing construction in watersheds 41 and floodplains. She said that further destruction of currently functional watershed, which is less 42 than 10% impervious surface, will exacerbate the effects of the nuisance flooding events. She 43 said two homes in Heritage Hills have experienced flooding within the past 30 days, forecasting 44 the probability that more homes will need to be condemned down the line. She said a recent 45 report from a group of UNC researchers claims that new housing construction in flood prone areas 46 has contributed to increased risks across NC despite community and government efforts to 47 reduce flood damage. She said the report further claims that due to climate change and 48 development within watersheds and floodplains, the technical BMPs are not working. She said 49 Chapel Hill has stated that WASMPBA must be changed before they can put zoning in place, 50 OWASA said the zoning must be in place before they can accurately estimate the cost and design 51 of the new sewer lines, and Orange County staff claims that University Lake won't be affected,