Orange County NC Website
238 <br /> (agriculture, forestry) and which is an appropriate location for the continuation of these <br /> uses." The proposed R-CD zoning district is recommended as a zoning district in both the <br /> Rural Industrial Activity Node and Agricultural Residential Land Use Classifications <br /> reflected in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan's Appendix F: Relationships Between Land Use <br /> Classifications and Zoning Districts. Furthermore, the proposed residential use is more <br /> harmonious with the present land uses, particularly the two schools, than a "smaller scale <br /> industrial use" would be. <br /> This is the type of development was envisioned by Orange County when it adopted and <br /> further revised the COCA in partnership with the Town of Hillsborough. The COCA <br /> identifies this property as having a future land use of "Mixed Residential Neighborhood", <br /> which recommends a "dominant [residential] land use" that "...may contain a single or <br /> variety of dwelling types and densities or may integrate a variety of supportive <br /> commercial, public and semi-public uses and open or public space." The proposed project <br /> is consistent with this description. The adoption of the COCA and the recommended land <br /> use for the subject property was deemed consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, as the <br /> COCA was adopted after that countywide plan. The subject property is located outside the <br /> Town's incorporated limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction and, as such, was always <br /> envisioned for land use regulation by Orange County as a "Mixed Residential <br /> Neighborhood". <br /> The subdivision proposed with the binding site plan adheres to the density of rural <br /> development reflected in the surrounding area's residential land use patterns, with an <br /> overall density of 1 dwelling unit per 1.6 acres on a 78-acre property. The proposed lot <br /> count for the future subdivision does not exceed the maximum density permitted by the <br /> density regulations in the LIDO. This measured approach is compatible with the nodal <br /> crossroads location, introducing more households in an environmentally-sensitive <br /> conservation cluster pattern that will support the node's present and future non-residential <br /> uses while being consistent with the residential development densities of the surrounding <br /> area. This design approach will also provide a transition in density and land use type from <br /> the larger lots north of the site to the smaller lots within the Town's incorporated limits <br /> south of the site. The new traffic generated by the development will not degrade the <br /> surrounding road network, as reflected by NCDOT's letter noting no objections to the <br /> proposed project. <br /> The proposed Conservation Cluster Flexible Development Subdivision has made efforts to <br /> minimize impacts to the surrounding area and the environment. The applicant proposes a <br /> Flexible Subdivision following the Conservation Cluster model, which concentrates the <br /> development outside of environmentally sensitive areas and maintains contiguous <br /> Common Open Space on 42.25 acres, or 53.97% of the parcel subject to rezoning, <br /> respecting the rural character and environmental protections prioritized by the <br /> Comprehensive Plan. The project is designed to place open space such that neighboring <br /> properties will have minimal impacts with regard to the trees and other vegetation with <br /> which they are accustomed. The developer is also providing amenities, including <br /> gathering areas, for the residents so that they are not reliant upon county and town <br /> facilities. <br />