Agenda - 02-04-2025; 5-a - Applications for Zoning Atlas Amendment, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, & UDO Text Amendments to Realize “Fiddlehead Corner”, a Master Plan Development – Conditional District

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325 Land Use classifications specified in the zoning district's description in Article 3 of the UDO. Approval of the zoning application would require amendment of these texts to bring the application into consistency and conformance with the county's adopted plans and regulations.As such, it is non-conforming and inconsistent with the county's adopted ordinance and plans, respectively, and cannot be approved. Furthermore, the majority of the proposed development lies outside the "Rural Neighborhood Activity Node" in an "Agricultural Residential" Future Land Use Classification. This land use is described in the Comprehensive Plan as where "[a]gricultural activities and associated residential and commercial uses predominate". The proposed development is a 150-unit master plan development subdivision at a density of approximately 5 dwelling units per acre, and features multifamily structures and a layout that is more suitable for, as acknowledged in the applicant's narrative, an urban environment; it does not fit in an Agricultural Residential area. In the event that the applicant's text and Future Land Use Map amendments are approved, the zoning application remains inconsistent with the Orange County Comprehensive Plan for its intensity in a rural area and adjacency to agricultural lands, including voluntary agricultural districts. As such, it does not "preserve and enhance the county's rural landscape," nor its character (Planning Principles 5 and 8). Though somewhat insulated from the neighboring properties by open spaces and buffers, the loss of forested open space and creation of 150 new homes on roughly 30 acres of land, at densities greater than 1 dwelling unit per acre, are incompatible with the area and will likely generate traffic and land use patterns that could degrade the rural character of the area. This is in direct conflict with the Comprehensive Plan's objectives to "...discourage the location of new non-farm development, particularly more intensive residential development, within farming areas" and, rather, to place them "...near employment centers and commercial centers and that efficiently uses existing and planned public services" (Objectives H-1.5, LU-3.4, and NA-17). The applicant's assertion of sustainability is predicated upon assumptions that its plan will meet an untapped demand for senior-targeted housing serving individuals who will behave in a manner described by the applicant. As described in the narrative, residents will rely upon transit services, enjoy healthy outdoor lifestyles, and maintain cordial relationships with each other and their neighbors. Their outpatient medical needs will be met through onsite care at the Family Care facilities. These guarantees are largely only enforceable through private covenants. If not realized, Fiddlehead Corner will create an isolated and dense community of seniors who must travel miles to the Town of Chapel Hill (or farther) for their medical, recreational, retail, and other needs, presumably using their individual automobiles, as is the case for the majority of Orange County residents. The Statement of Inconsistency must focus upon land use concerns and the consequences of (dis)approval, but if the sustainability ethic is not realized by the