Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> NORTH CAROLINA <br /> PLANNING and INSPECI`IONS <br /> Cy Stober,AICP,Director I cstober@orangecountync.gov 1 131 W.Margaret Lane,Hillsborough,NC 27278 1919.245 2575 <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> DATE: January 21, 2024 <br /> TO: Orange County Board of County Commissioners <br /> Travis Myren, Orange County Manager <br /> CC: Perdita Holtz, Deputy Director, Long-Range Planning & Administration <br /> Patrick Mallett, Deputy Director, Development Services <br /> FROM: Cy Stober, Director, Planning and Inspections <br /> RE: Pending Amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance <br /> The purpose of this Information Item is to provide an update and proposed schedule for <br /> pending amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance. <br /> Subdivision Amendment <br /> At the March 7, 2024, business meeting, Commissioner Greene petitioned the Board for <br /> staff to initiate amendments to the UDO to better support the realization of"conservation <br /> subdivisions" in Orange County. <br /> Preliminary research of the UDO identified Articles 2 and 7 as requiring amendment to <br /> better realize conservation subdivision. Language is also being drafted to administratively <br /> approve major subdivisions and to streamline the administrative process for conservation <br /> subdivisions. This requires comprehensive amendment of Sections 2.9, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, <br /> 5.21, 7.1, 7.2, 7.12, and Article 10 of the U DO. <br /> Creating regulations and standards for "conservation subdivisions" (rather than the <br /> current "flexible subdivision" standards) that are more explicit in their goals of <br /> environmental resource, open space, and agricultural lands protection requires <br /> comprehensive amendment of all of Article 7 of the UDO, which is 71 pages long. Upon <br /> review, staff also identified outdated language, statutory compliance concerns, and other <br /> needs that would assist staff in better administering the subdivision standards on behalf <br /> of Orange County. Many of these are directly related to "conservation subdivisions", <br /> though many are not. <br /> Upon review of subdivision standards in peer NC counties, as well as Loudon County, <br /> Virginia, staff concluded that amendment needs will be best served by bundling them in <br /> at least two (2) amendments packages. The first will focus on a direct response to the <br /> petition to better encourage flexible developments in Orange County, with emphasis on <br /> the administrative processes and review criteria of these applications, as well as <br /> addressing statutory compliance concerns. <br />