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APPROVED 05/06/2003 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISISONERS <br />WORK SESSION <br />AGENDA <br />March 25, 2003 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Tuesday, March 25, <br />2003 p.m. at 7:30 p.m. at the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret W. Brown, Alice M. Gordon, <br />Stephen Halkiotis and Barry Jacobs <br />COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr. <br />COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill, Sean Borhanian <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County <br />Managers Rod Visser and Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker {All other staff <br />members will be identified appropriately below) <br />NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE <br />PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. <br />1. Housing Band Policy -Land Banking Policy Approval <br />The Board considered approval of a Land Banking Policy for incorporation into the <br />County's Affordable Housing Bond Policy. <br />Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes said that at the Board's <br />January 21St meeting the Affordable Housing Advisory Board brought forth a land banking policy <br />and now they have revised the policy as recommended by the Board. They also made some <br />further revisions. She made reference to page two of the agenda abstract and the three main <br />points. The first point is project completion. There was much discussion at the last meeting <br />about athree-year versus afive-year project initiation requirement in the Land Banking Policy, <br />and the advisory board continues to recommend the three-year project initiation requirement. <br />This is the just to begin the project and not to complete it. <br />The second point is pre-development due diligence. There was some discussion of the <br />efficacy of requiring the applicant to submit a Project Feasibility Assessment as part of the Land <br />Banking Policy. The advisory board recommends a redistribution of points to de-emphasize the <br />project feasibility. There will now be more points for pre-development due diligence {from 30 to <br />50). <br />The third point is affirmative language regarding utilities and site conditions. The <br />advisory board recommended the addition of some language, which is in the abstract. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked how the County's purchase of land for land banking fits into <br />the thinking and if a program would have to be initiated within three years. Tara Fikes said that <br />the advisory board was not thinking about the County purchasing land. There was always the <br />assumption that there would be some other group purchasing the land. There can be <br />exceptions to the criteria. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he is still not comfortable with the three years but he <br />would like to let the county be exempt if they purchase land because it takes a couple of years <br />to get a project going. He made reference to page 10 and suggested two changes. In item C at <br />