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20 <br />14 <br />COMPATIBILITY OF AMENDMENT WITH JPA OPERATING PRINCIPLES <br />The applicant has indicated that the amendment is not in response to a change in policies, <br />objectives, principles or standards governing the physical development of the County. It is <br />therefore appropriate to analyze the amendment within the framework of the Operating Principles <br />of the Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. These policy statements are listed on pages S2 and S3 of <br />the Plan. A Staff Response follows each statement. <br />A) ,OPEN SPACE <br />1) ~ The existing open space system in Chapel Hill Township, which includes Duke Forest <br />Lands, the UNC buffer around University Lake, the Morgan Creek Wildlife area, and <br />existing agricultural and forest land, should be protected from intrusion by incompatible <br />land uses. (OC) <br />STAFF RESPONSE. The expansion of the quarry is compatible with, albeit a <br />departure from the desired land uses within the Rural Buffer. The quarry operation <br />has existed on this site for a significant period, and the classification of Extractive Uses <br />was created to accommodate this particular use. It should also be noted that the <br />proposal is an addition, not an "intrusion" as it represents the connection of a former <br />quarry (now reservoir) to an existing quarry. <br />The applicant states that this use serves the rural community in providing f 11 for <br />septic tank systems and gravel roads that the expansion of this operation will be <br />contained within the current and expanded site. <br />B) UNIVERSITY LAKE WATERSHED <br />1) University Lake water supply watershed should be developed in a manner which will <br />protect the quality of the water supply. Very low density residential, low intensity <br />commercial, and agricultural land uses are appropriate in this area (OC) <br />2) The University Lake Watershed should be protected for reasons of water quality; <br />development should occur only at low densities, and water and sewer lines should not be <br />extended into this watershed. (C) <br />STAFF RESPONSE. The Orange County Land Use Element states that ground <br />water is the only supply available to persons in the vast majority of rural areas in the <br />County. While ground water reserves are estimated to be quite large, the crystalline <br />fractured rock of the Piedmont make ground water use impractical for most uses <br />other than small scale residential development. This situation forces most urban areas <br />in the Piedmont to rely almost exclusively on surface water reservoirs for public water <br />supply. <br />