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1 <br /> APPROVED 4/21/26 <br /> MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> MEBANE CITY COUNCIL <br /> JOINT MEETING <br /> March 19, 2026 <br /> 7:00 p.m. <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint meeting with the Mebane City Council on <br /> Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whiffed Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jean Hamilton, Vice-Chair Amy Fowler, and Commissioners <br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, and Phyllis Portie-Ascott <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Marilyn Carter <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager Caitlin Fenhagen, and <br /> Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) <br /> MEBANE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ed Hooks, Mayor Pro Tern Tim Bradley, and Council <br /> Members Katie Burkholder, Sean Ewing, Montrena Hadley, and Jonathan White <br /> MEBANE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: <br /> CITY OF MEBANE STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Richard White III and Assistant City Manager Preston <br /> Mitchell (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) <br /> Chair Hamilton and Mayor Hooks called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. <br /> Chair Hamilton noted that Commissioner Carter would not be in attendance. She invited the <br /> Mebane City Council Members, Orange County Board of Commissioners, and staff to introduce <br /> themselves. <br /> Chair Hamilton and Mayor Hooks welcomed everyone to the meeting.Chair Hamilton emphasized <br /> the importance of collaboration given current fiscal challenges. <br /> Mayor Hooks said Mebane is honored to meet with the Board and acknowledged that both <br /> jurisdictions have a lot going on, but have the right people in the right place to make things happen. <br /> 1. City of Mebane and Orange County Comprehensive Land Use Plan Updates <br /> The City of Mebane adopted its 2045 Comprehensive Plan in December 2025. Orange County has <br /> been engaged in the process of developing its 2050 Land Use Plan since 2023.Approximately 30% <br /> of Mebane's incorporated area and just under half of Mebane's "Planning Area" lies in Orange <br /> County. <br /> Much of the City's Planning Area in Orange County is not currently served by utilities and remains <br /> in Orange County's planning jurisdiction for zoning, permitting, and environmental regulation. <br /> Staff have communicated about identifying similar "Development Activity Centers" or "Activity <br /> Nodes" on their respective Future Land Use Maps (FLUMs). Both FLUMs generally share a <br /> common vision of the areas around Mebane's incorporated limits in Orange County: lower density <br /> residential or agricultural land uses, with the exception of the Buckhorn Economic Development <br /> District (BEDD). Orange County is proposing"conservation subdivisions" in proximity to the city's <br /> extraterritorial jurisdiction that would allow for smaller lots in exchange for larger dedications of <br /> open space surrounding a development. Mebane's adopted FLUM is available at this interactive <br />