Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
131 <br /> 1 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if Commissioners Greene and Fowler were saying the <br /> 2 county would deny rezoning because the Board would not allow housing to be developed in the <br /> 3 county. <br /> 4 Commissioner Greene said no, the Board is talking about conservation subdivisions and <br /> 5 other ways to create housing. She said that the municipalities are creating plans to grow densely, <br /> 6 and to provide affordable housing within those boundaries. She said a house located in rural <br /> 7 Orange County, far from a transit line creates a less affordable living situation than an identical <br /> 8 house in Chapel Hill on a transit line near services. She said they have to remember they are in <br /> 9 a county with municipalities that are well equipped to absorb a lot of this growth. <br /> 10 Commissioner Carter said they don't have enough data to say that the municipal plans will <br /> 11 meet the housing needs in the county, and that the county should keep their options open. She <br /> 12 said the county should look at strategic, targeted areas that are proximal to the things the Board <br /> 13 talks about with smart growth and look at what we can do with conservation subdivisions. She <br /> 14 said they should think about how they position those in targeted, strategic ways enabling the <br /> 15 county to learn how they work or don't work. She said out in the county where the goals are for <br /> 16 farmland preservation, they should think about a different type of conservation subdivision <br /> 17 approach. She said this conversation might create changes to the comment draft land use plan. <br /> 18 Commissioner McKee said farmland preservation and development is diametrically <br /> 19 opposed. He said you can't have both. He said farming in Orange County is going to be small <br /> 20 scale in the future and won't be widespread. He said he wanted to understand what is affordable. <br /> 21 He said that he also wants to know how they will achieve it, how the county will pay for it, and <br /> 22 what the county will not do as a result. He said he wants the Board to focus and define what they <br /> 23 are trying to accomplish. <br /> 24 Commissioner Greene said each year she attends the farm tour, and she sees more small- <br /> 25 scale farms. <br /> 26 Commissioner McKee explained how farming will be very different than what he grew up <br /> 27 with. <br /> 28 Commissioner Greene said that it will be difficult to get affordable housing in Orange <br /> 29 County given the price of land. <br /> 30 Commissioner McKee said he wants the Board to remain focused on the endpoint. <br /> 31 Vice-Chair Hamilton said the Board will have to hash some of this out, but in the retreat <br /> 32 today they needed to focus on the topics at hand. <br /> 33 Kelly Guadalupe reviewed what the Board agreed that they still wanted information on: 1) <br /> 34 Affordable housing market analysis; 2) Municipal housing units as part of a Board discussion <br /> 35 Kelly Guadalupe reviewed the steps for engagement window three, which will last 8-10 <br /> 36 weeks. She said that Clarion will take the feedback from engagement window 3, and incorporate <br /> 37 into another draft of the plan. She said it will go back to the Board and that will be the time to go <br /> 38 through the plan page by page. She said after the Board reviews it, the plan would go to the <br /> 39 Planning Board and back to the Board of County Commissioners for formal action to adopt the <br /> 40 plan. <br /> 41 Kelly Guadalupe asked what parts of the draft plan should be removed or revised before <br /> 42 it goes out for the next round of engagement. She showed two charts, pictured below: <br /> 43 <br /> 44 <br /> 45 <br /> 46 <br /> 47 <br /> 48 <br /> 49 <br /> 50 <br /> 51 <br />