HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-15-2009 - Information Item 5=n~~nnq~+or, ~.+em
ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT
Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director
Administration ®`°°~c 6`°'
306E Revere Road
(919) 245-2575 P. O. Box 8181
(919j 644-3002 (FAX) 1' S~
Hillsborough, NC 27278
www.co.orange.nc.us ~,r~~ 6&~°,,a°
MEMORANDUM
TO: Frank W. Clifton, Jr., County Manager
Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Craig Benedict, AICP, Planning & Inspections Director
DATE: November 30, 2009
SUBJECT: UNC School of Medicine -Orange County Research Farm
BOCC December 15, 2009 Information Item
in October 2003, UNC asked for a Zoning Determination on a parcel of land in southwest Orange
County, Bingham Township. The property was an approximate 57-acre parcel where UNC-CH had
been operating for approximately 30 years. They wanted to expand the facility and asked what
processes were necessary. The Planning Department consulted with the County Attorney and
County Manager and collectively determined the following regarding this facility.
The project is classified as P23 Universities, Colleges & Institutes of the 4.3 Permitted Use
Table of the Orange County Zoning Ordinance. The university is the principal use and aN
other uses are ancillary and accessory to the principal use. Teaching and research are
the primary results of the activity.
Where the facilities accommodate faculty and students in an office building, these areas
are subject to zoning under the permitted by right category of P23 in Agricultural
Residential areas. Where activities are related to the university in terms of research
regarding agricultural livestock, then these areas may be more clearly related to farm
activities, which are exempt from zoning. The applicant submitted the University
Environmental Assessment plan for comprehensive review as a courtesy and accordingly
subjected themselves to State Clearinghouse environmental review.
The Planning Department has limited authority over activities that are exempt under state statute
regarding farm operations. Most UNC facilities are not inspected by local governments. However,
buildings for office and research were required to go through the site plan process.
The site plan for the facility was approved in September 2004 to include an additional 66,771 square
feet of floor area beyond the existing 23,514 square feet. An environmental assessment (EA) was
conducted by S&ME. The Executive Summary from that EA is enclosed.
Since then Orange County has communicated with UNC regarding their existing state DENR
permits. The facility has expanded a portion (approximately 11,000 square feet) of their original
expansion plan at this time.
Please see additional comments from Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Department (attached).
Environmental Assessment
Research Resources Facility Expansion
S&ME Project No. 1357-02-823
September I5, 2003
1.0 Executive Summary
This Environmental Assessment (EA) describes potential impacts associated with the
cc:.st-uctio;~ of a ;=ew building at the Keseareh Resources Facility (RRF}, located in Orange
County, North Carolina. This EA has been prepared for review by The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hiil (UNC). The purpose of this EA is to provide State Agencies with
information to determine if the planned project has a level of impact on the environment such
that preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required. In the event that
itripacts to the environment resulting from the Proposed Action are kept to a ]evel that does not
evoke preparation of an EIS, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI}will be the anticipated
conclusion.
UNC is obligated under G.S. I I3A to perform this study. This EA was prepared in compliance
with Chapter 25, Section .0500 of SEPA. Accordingly, this EA includes a discussion of the
following items: 1) need for the proposed action; 2) a reasonable alternative to the proposed
action; 3) methods proposed to mitigate or avoid environmental impacts; and 4) the
environmental effects of the proposed activity and alternatives. This EA is organized in
accordance with the guidance and format set forth in the North Carolina Department of
Administration's Environmental Assessment Guidelines, dated Mazeh 1999. This EA was
prepared by S&ME scientists, and pxovides a fair, objective and impartial analysis of the
Proposed Action.
The proposed development will take place within the grounds of the RRF. The RRF is located on
an estimated 57-acre tract approximately 3,000 linear feet (lf) north of the intersection of Orange
Chapel Clover Garden Road/Crawford Dairy Road (NCSR 1956) and Old Greensboro Road
(NCSR 1005) in Orange County, North Carolina {- 35°54'10" North, 79°14'21" West). The
subject property is depicted on Figure 1, Appendix 1. The facility includes aone-story, 6,616
sgr.aze-foot (sf) research building. A portion of the project area is fenced as pasture, and
contains three heated shelters. Several storage buildings, an unoccupied farmhouse and a trailer
used as a residence by an employee of the facility are also located on-site. An incinerator and
storage refrigerator are located adjacent to the loading dock of the existing building.
Environmental Assessment S&ME Project No. 1357-02-823
Research Resources Facility Expansion September 15, 2003
Historically, the main building has been used for a variety ofresearch-related purposes,
including the housing and quarantine of laboratory animals. The RRF is operated on State-owned
land, operated by the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM), and funded in paa ~ by
research grants. The RRF is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC}, is United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
inspected, and is operated in accordance with federal and state regulations governing such
facilities. '
Currently, the RRF is used primarily to house animals used in research at the Francis Owen
Research Laboratory (FORE), which is located in Carrboro, North Carolina. Iri recent years, the
research colony for studies involving gene therapy at FORE has expanded significantly. The
National Institutes of Health (N1H) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
support the important animal research colony housed there as a national resource.
The RRF has been successful in obtaining grants to fund on-going research conducted at the
facility. The amount of grant support, however, has exceeded the capacity of the current
research facilities. The central aim of the Proposed Action is the construction of a new 10,000 sf
`~ . masonry building tha# will house over 26,000 research rodents in 6,000 ventilated cages. The
facility will include cage wash units, locker zooms for staff, lab space and work areas, an office,
storage areas and a loading dock. The size of the proposed facility expansion is based upon the
recommendation of the DLAM. Further, since the RRF is a remotely located ample laboratory,
work space must be included to accommodate personnel engaged in research at the facility.
In addition to construction of the new building, the proposed project further entails the widening
of an existing gravel access road, a grave] parking area for 30 vehicles, new walkways to the
addition, and improvements to the current entrance of the RRF. The project footprint is located
entirely within previously-cleared land currently consisting of maintained lawn, and minimal
grading will be required. The addition of the roadway and parking area will be designed to fit
within the existing topography of the site.
2
Enviaronmental Assessment
Research Resources Facility Expansion
S&ME Project No. 1357-02-823
September 15, 2003
Based upon an evaluation of the proposed project and development area, it is unlikely that
construction of the new building and gravel access road will result in significant impacts to the
resource categories outlined within this document, with the exception cf topography, which will
be altered in a small, local area to accommodate the building pad.
3
From: Tom Konsler
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 5:36 PM
To: Craig Benedict; Rosemary Summers
Cc: Shannon Berry; David Stancil; Greg Wilder
Subject: RE: UNC Research farm in Bingham township
Craig,
I can give you some information regarding the wastewater system which can be incorporated into
your report.
The facility is served by a spray irrigation wastewater system that is reviewed and permitted by
the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) of NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
These systems have pretreatment facilities similar to a package treatment plant, followed by
disinfection and storage. The treated effluent is sprayed on the ground surface for soil absorption
and evapo-transpiration.
This system was permitted by DWQ for an expansion which involved constructing new lagoon
storage, additional tanks and spray fields. The system expansion has been installed and is
currently in use. Our field staff has recently communicated concerns regarding the condition and
the operation of the new system to the DWQ as a result of observations made during our routine
inspection. We are still awaiting a response as to what DWQ plans to do about the concerns.
Tom
Tom Konsler, R.S.
Environmental Health Director
Orange County Health Department
PO Box 8181
Hillsborough, NC 27278
tkonslerCc~co. orange. nc. us