Agenda - 05-27-2003-c2b - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ~ ~ ~ PUBLIC HEARING AND PLANNING BOARD AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 27, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. G ~, SUBJECT: Amendment to Open Space Standards for Flexible Development Subdivisions DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections ATTACHMENT(S): Proposed Amendments to the Orange County Subdivision Regulations PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) YES INFORMATION CONTACT: Craig Benedict, Director, ext. 2592 David Lentzner, Planner II, ext. 2611 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane (336)227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive a staff report and public comments on proposed Amendments to Open Space Standards in Subdivisions following the Flexible Development option. BACKGROUND: Flexible Development, Section IV-B-10 of the Subdivision Regulations, was adopted on July 1, 1996. Section C of the code requires that Flexible Subdivisions set aside at least 33% of the total land area as protected open space. The open space standards apply required compositional elements for Primary and Secondary Conservation Areas (open space designations), and some guidelines for open space shape design in Sections D and F. Open space design is believed to be an important component of rural character in county subdivisions. The preservation of rural character through open space comes from defining functionality in open space uses, and preventing the creation of urban-styled open space, which may lack conservation values and remove a rural sense of space. In particular, concern has been raised that a lack of a requirement for contiguous access to open space in Flexible Subdivisions has compromised the goals of the open space regulation, because it allows for the creation of urban or suburban `sprawl' development patterns with numerous adjacent lots that have no open areas between them. The proposed amendment would define open space in more detail. Significantly, it would require direct access to open space for 75% of subdivision parcels and require the remainder to be within 300 feet of open space (except where more than half of the site open space was Primary Conservation Area, in which case 50% of parcels would be required to have direct access and the remainder would have to be 600 feet from open space). It is anticipated that the use of 50-foot wide pedestrian paths would be the easiest way to satisfy the requirement without causing a significant loss of buildable subdivision lots. However, the regulation would probably require, in most cases, that site plans pay considerable attention to open space planning to maximize the proximity of lots to open space areas. Primary Conservation Areas would be intended to be