Orange County NC Website
9 <br />Authority (OWASA), and was at one time a quarry. With the closing of this quarry, OWASA <br />obtained the site to be used as an emergency backup water source. The storage capacity of this <br />quarry reservoir is purportedly 200 million gallons with a safe yield of O.S million gallons per <br />day (mgd). Finally, it should be noted that if this (and subsequent) application is approved, <br />Bethel-Hickory Grove Church Road will ultimately be relocated (at applicant's expense) east of <br />its current alignment. <br />The JPA amendment application requests that the extractive use category be extended to the <br />American Stone and OWASA properties as noted in the above table, an increase of 75.20 acres of <br />extractive use. Amendments to the JPA Land Use Plan require the una~mous approval of Chapel <br />Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County as specified in the Joint Planning Agreement. <br />CP-1-00 requests the establishment of a 180.51 acre Rural Industrial Activity Node covering the <br />subject properties. A Rural Industrial Activity Node is land focused on designated road <br />intersections in the rural areas that is appropriate for industrial uses such as quarry operations which <br />do not require urban-type services. Such an amendment requires only the approval of the Orange <br />County Commissioners. This proposal falls within the jurisdiction of the Joint PlanningArea for <br />Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. Accordingly, all of this area is currently designated and <br />zoned Rural Buffer and University Lake Watershed in the Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. <br />Historical Pers ective <br />Currently there are three existing land uses relevant to this proposal: <br />1. The former American Stone Quarry (1969-1978) located on property 9759-62-1992. This <br />quarry is now an OWASA reservoir. <br />2. The current American Stone Quarry on property 9759-54-4097 which began operation in <br />1977. <br />3. An existing asphalt plant operated by Nello L. Teer Company on property 9759-63-9$13. <br />The original former American Stone quarry came into existence in 1969, prior to the existence of <br />zoning in Bingham Township. This quarry was in operation until 1978. In 1979, OWASA obtained <br />the former quarry as a backup water supply reservoir, for which it is currently used. <br />American Stone began operation at the current quarry site in 1977. Orange County public hearing <br />minutes from October 6, 1981 indicate that the quarry complied with state and federal regulations <br />in place at the time for new quarrying operations. The enaction of zoning for Bingham Township <br />on September 2, 1981 required the approval of a Special Use Permit for all quarrying operations. <br />Around the time of adoption of zoning, American Stone applied for a Special Use Permit in order <br />to make the quarry use consistent with adopted zoning. The Special Use Permit for the current <br />