Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 10:47:45 -0400
From: Debra Henzey
Subject: Chatham County Extends Moratorium Six Months to Complete Ordinance Revisions
PITTSBORO – At its meeting on June 2, 2008, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved a six-month extension to the existing development moratorium to complete several major revisions to land use ordinances.
The moratorium applies only to residential developments with at least 26 residential units or lots and will expire on Dec. 2, 2008. Commercial development is exempt.
“We have made major strides with the activities outlined in the original moratorium ordinance approved last June,” said George Lucier, chair of the Board of Commissioners. “However, important components are still being reviewed and adjusted due to changing circumstances and public input.”
Lucier said that “rushing to get such important issues resolved would not serve the county or its citizens effectively. The six-month extension will allow us the time we need to make sure that proposed amendments have been subjected to a thorough examination and public input.”
Much of the work has been done by volunteer committee members, who have donated countless hours of service,” Lucier said. “In the process, they have had to adjust to changing circumstances. Some committees have found that they had to broaden their focus, while others had to produce more detailed recommendations than they expected.”
Lucier said that among the “unexpected factors were new initiatives to increase our water supply and to obtain sewer capacity. The County Attorney resigned in February, and we had to change attorneys midstream. We also had a severe drought that heightened the need for stronger water conservation measures. All of these factors must be considered in our subdivision requirements.”
The six-month extension period will focus on completing two of the major initiatives identified in the original moratorium ordinance:
1. Reviewing & Revising the Subdivision Ordinance & Regulations:
The Subdivision Subcommittee of the Planning Board will need to prepare a revised review process for major subdivisions and further develop objective standards that must be met during the subdivision process. The subcommittee will also incorporate amendments on standards for environmental impact statements and increased stream and wetlands buffers.
In the next six months, the subcommittee will incorporate additional environmental assessment and review standards, complete its low-impact design standards, develop provisions for Planning Board site visits and design requirements for developers to meet with local residents before submitting applications.
2. Completing Environmental Review Standards & Procedures: In January 2008, the Board of Commissioners adopted Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance & Regulations amendments proposed by the Environmental Review Board. The amendments established minimum threshold criteria that would require developers to provide environmental assessments and related documentation.
However, the effective date of these amendments has been postponed to allow time to develop more detailed standards for reviews of submitted environmental assessments and to define environmental features that will require mitigation and what types of mitigation will be required.
“Other moratorium-related activities will certainly be underway, but they may not be completed in the six-month period,” Lucier said. These include:
* Finalizing and adopting a Major Corridor Plan for seven highways in the county;
* Completing a review of the entire Zoning Ordinance and incorporating needed revisions;
* Reviewing the Land Use Plan to ensure that it incorporates all of the revisions to ordinances and regulations;
* Producing a revised Land Use Map based on the updated Land Use Plan; and
* Developing an affordable housing plan and a proposed affordable housing ordinance. These would be based on the recently completed needs assessment study and input received at the Affordable Housing Summit in April.
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