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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-15-2011 - 7aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 15, 2011 Action Agenda Item No. -] - (~, SUBJECT: Proposed Orange County Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance DEPARTMENT: Information Technologies (IT) PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes ATTACHMENT(S): Draft Copy of Proposed Orange County Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance Press Release on Public Hearing Presentation INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Averett, 245-2501 PURPOSE: To conduct a public hearing on the proposed Orange County Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance. in preparation for potential consideration/adoption at the Board's December 13, 2011 regular meeting. BACKGROUND: In November 2010, Orange County staff was directed by the BOCC to continue development of an addressing ordinance. Information Technologies' Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff and County legal staff have since worked together to create a draft ordinance that will allow Orange County to formalize its addressing rules and procedures to ensure the most efficient delivery of emergency services. Orange County staff from IT, Planning, Emergency Services, Tax, and the Attorney's office met on May 2, 2011 to discuss the specifics of the proposed ordinance and begin the development of an enforcement model. On May 4, 2011, County staff met with the Orange County Council of Fire Chiefs to receive input on the draft ordinance which had been previously provided to them. The Council provided valuable feedback that has since been evaluated and partially included in the current draft. At the meeting on May 4, all the attending fire chiefs were supportive of the need for an addressing ordinance. On June 16 and August 30, 2011, the draft ordinance was presented to the BOCC at two separate work sessions. The BOCC provided feedback that was incorporated into the proposed ordinance. It is expected the ordinance will affect less than 10% (2000 out of almost 23,000) of the addresses and less than 5% (100 out of almost 2000) of the streets in Orange County's jurisdiction. The biggest impact will be to private unnamed drives that have three or more addresses. These drives will be required to be named and residents will be required to change their addresses to the new drive. Per North Carolina General Statute 153A-239.1, the notice of public hearing was advertised on October 30th in the Chapel Hill Herald and again on November 2"d in the News of Orange. The County also published a press release to assist with informing the public. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with the public hearing on the proposed Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: 1) Conduct the Public Hearing; 2) Provide any feedback to staff; 3) Continue the Public Hearing to the Board's December 5, 2011 regular meeting; 4) Pending any direction otherwise, direct staff to bring the Ordinance back to the December 13, 2011 regular meeting for consideration/adoption. ~RD- aoll- o~-a AN ORDINANCE TO ASSIGN AND REGULATE ROAD NAMES, HOUSE AND BUILDING NUMBERS IN ORANGE COUNTY ARTICLE I. IN GENERAL A. Title. The name of this ordinance is "An Ordinance to Assign and Regulate Road Names, House and Building Numbers in Orange County" and may be cited as the "Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance" (hereinafter referred to as the "Ordinance"). B. Authority. This Ordinance is hereby adopted under the authority and provisions of General Statutes of North Carolina Chapter 153A-238.. and' l•53A-239.1(a) and 147-54.7, and the police powers of the county to protect the :..;health, safety and welfare of its citizens. C. Jurisdictional Coverage. All public and private roads in the unincorporated portions of the county are included within the jurisdiction of this ordinance, unless the municipalities within the County elect to be covered by the Ordinance. Every addressable structure within the County's planning jurisdiction shall be included within the jurisdiction of this ordinance. The municipalities v~thin the County may maintain any current or future road names in unincorporated areas incIuded._within their extraterritorial jurisdiction as they are approved and filed into public records. - __ ___ D. Purpose and Intent. The purpose and intent of this .articld-is to hereby establish a uniform system of addressing and numbering all houses and buildings within the jurisdiction of the county, and to establish a process foz_changing existing addresses, streets and road names so that street, road; and highway -names are not duplicated in the county. The ordinance provides a method to correct inaccurate addresses, ensure that road name ;:_: identification signs are placed at all road intersections, establish a procedure for reviewing road'names and provide an enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the uniform system. of addressing and numbering.. This ordinance is necessary to facilitate the provision of adequate public safety and emergency services and to minimise the difficulty in locating properties and buildings for postal delivery, public service agencies,. and the general public. E. Dele~ationt of Authority. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners hereby delegates the overall authority and~responsibility for the addressing and naming of public and private roads, as directed by the provisions of this Ordinance, to the County Manager or his/her designee as the Address Administrator. This includes any authorized staff representative acting on behalf of the County Manager or his/her designee. F. Definitions. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: 3 Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance August IS, 2011 4 Address Administrator or Administrator. The official designated by the County Manager to administer this Article, including his/her authorized representatives. 2. Addressable Structure. Any structure requiring the installation of a dedicated, permanent electrical meter or that serves as a utility route management location. 3. Apartment Building. A single building comprised of three or more dwelling units used as rental property. 4. Building. Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering, any use or occupancy. 5. Condominium. A building in which each individual unit is held in separate private ownership and all floor space, facilities and. 'outdoor areas used in common by all tenants are owned, administered and maintained by a corporation created pursuant to the provisions of the appropriate statute. F._ 6. Developer. Any person undertaking any developments as defined in the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance. 7. Driveway. A private way beginning at the prope~tyline of a lot abutting a public road, private road, easement or private right-of--way tliat will give access from public road, recorded easement, recorded private road or private right-of--way, and serves not more than two structures. 8. Duplex Residence. A building that is divided into two dwelling units each of which has an independent entrance either directly or through a common vestibule. 9. Habitable Structure. Any structure suitable for human habitation including, but not limited to, residential homes and commerciaUindustriaUinstitutional structures that consistently serve employees, customers, or students. 10. Master Street Address .Guide (MSAG). Consists of the road name, addresses and emergency providers for that range. 11. Mobile Home /Manufactured Home. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode is 8 body feet (2438 body mm) or more in width or 40 body feet (12 192 body mm) or more in length, or, when erected on site, is 320 square feet (30 m2) or more, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air- conditioning and electrical systems contained therein. 12. Multiple Dwelling Unit. A building used or capable of being used for residential purposed wherein more than two separate and distinct places of habitation exist. Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance 2 August 1 S, 2011 5 13. Office Building. A single building comprised of three or more office units used as individual businesses. 14. Public Road. Any road, street, highway, thoroughfare, or other way of passage that has been irrevocable dedicated to the public or in which the public has acquired rights by prescription, without regard to whether it is open for travel. 15. Private Road. Any one-way or two-way road for ingress and/or egress not for use by the public that serves three or more structures. 16. Single Family Residence. Shall mean any one family dwelling or portion thereof, including townhouses, that is used, or designed or intended to be used for human habitation, for living, sleeping, cooking or eating purposes, or any combination thereof. 17. Strip Commercial Building. A single building vKith multiple accesses that is leased by square footage and allows interior businesses to, vary in size. 18. Road Address. The combination of numbers and road names assigned by Orange County that identifies a particular building or lot... 19. Subdivision Road. ~ Any dedicated and accepted public right-of--way for vehicular traffic, or a private road, either of which were established pursuant to the Orange County Unified Develpment Ordinance. 20. Townhouse. Asingle-family dwelling unit constructed in a group of three or more attached units in which each unit extends from the foundation to roof and. with open space on at least two sides. ARTICLE II ADDRESS ADNIINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES A. Responsibilities. The. Address Admiuustrator shall be responsible for the interpretation arid. administration of this ordinance, including, but not limited to: 1. Maintaining a system and assigning all numbers for addressable structures; 2. Approval of-.change of existing addresses when necessary to facilitate sequential house number assignments along existing roads; 3. Establishment of interdepartmental infrastructure to insure continued operation of addressing system to meet the spirit and the intent of this ordinance; 4. Notification to appropriate citizens, governments, agencies, and post offices as required by law; and Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance 3 August IS, 2011 6 B. Clerical or Administrative Errors. The Address Administrator is authorized to correct such clerical or administrative errors that may from time to time occur in keeping with the overall plan and the intent of this ordinance and to approve alternate methods of displaying house numbers which meet the intent of this ordinance when strict adherence to these standards cannot be reasonably met. ARTICLE III ROAD NAMING Roads located within the unincorporated areas of Orange County, whether public and private, shall not be named or renamed by any method except those set forth zn tls~Article. All existing, proposed, or constructed public or private roads or driveways that provides, or will provide, access to three (3) or more habitable structures that are more than- seventy-five feet from the main road shall have a street name and address range assigned A. Road Names 1. New Road Names. a No new public or private road shall be named without approval of the Address Administrator. b. The name of any new road, whether it is public or private, shall not duplicate or be phonetically similar to any other road akeady named within Orange County. This subsection shall not apply to the extension of existing roads, which should whenever possible be given the same name. c. New subdivision roads, whether public or private, shall be named prior to the approval of any proposed subdivision or plat. ~: Renaming Roads. a. Renaming by Address Administrator. Road names may be changed by the Address..: Administrator when the road name is a duplicate of another road name within a designated postal area or within Orange County and interferes with the accurate dispatch of emergency service or postal delivery: In addition, a road name maybe changed when one road has two commonly used names or where portions of what appears to be the same road has two or more names. 1. Renaming Request by Property Owners. Property owners who want to have the name of a public road changed for personal reasons must comply with items i, ii, and iii below. Property owners who want to have the name of a private road changed for personal reasons must comply with items i. and ii only. Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance ¢ August 1 S, 2011 7 i. A petition should include the existing road name, the proposed road name, the reason why the person(s) are requesting the name change, and the signatures of 75% of those persons owning property adjacent to the road. ii. Name changes requests shall conform to Article III, Section B. iii. The name change request shall only be approved after a public hearing is held on the matter as provided in Article V and the Board of County Commissioners have approved the petition for a road name change. The Petitioners shall be required to pay to Orange County the cost of purchasing new signs and erecting them prior to the name change becoming effective. 3. Multifamily Dwelling, Apartment Complexes;` Townhouses, and Condominium Development Road Names. A road with one< name shall serve all multifamily dwelling complexes, including apartment .complexes, townhouses and condominium developments, and other similar uses unless the administrator finds that, in the interest of the public safety, the naming of more than one street in or near the development is warranted. 4. Reserving a Road Name for a New Development. Road names for new developments may be reserved upon written requestfo the Address Administrator for up to one year. If the requirements to finalize the road name are not satisfied within one year from the date of approval, upon written request an extension of one year-.may be granted. If such extension is not received, the road name may no longet be reserved. 5. Limitation. In naming or renamin~'a public road, the county may not change the name of any road ..name designation provided by the North Carolina Board of Transportation or the' Orange County Board of County Commissioners unless the respective body agrees to such change. Numbers assigned to a road by the North Carolina Boazd of Transportation shall not be changed; however, the Board of County Commissioners may name the road in addition to the number given to it by the North Carolina Board of Transportation. B. Content of Road Names 1. Road names must use common spelling found in a standard dictionazy. 2. North, South, East and West are intended to be directional features of the address system and will be used only when necessary, such as for distinguishing regions of a continuous road traversing several municipalities. A directional word should not be contained within the name of a new road and shall be placed ahead of the road name. A street or road may have no more than one directional prefix. Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance S August IS, 2011 8 3. Only letters of the alphabet and blank spaces should be included in a road name. Road names that are numbers (i.e. First Street) must be expressed using alphabetical characters and not numbers. Road names should not contain the following: a. Symbols or punctuation; b. Abbreviations of the main title of the street or road name; c. Initials; d. A single alphabetical character; e. Words that begin with "old" or "new;" f. Offensive words or language in accordance with G.S. 147-54.7; or g. More than 201etters including spaces. 4. All road names shall contain_ a road name suffix designation. Suffix designations of roads include, but are not limited to, the following terms: avenue, boulevard, court, circle, lane, parkway, place, road, street, trail or way. All street suffix . designations may be .abbreviated in :compliance with National .Emergency Number Association (NENA) Addressing Standards. C. Physical Standards for Road Name Signs ;; 1. Signs for public or private roads or drives shall conform with the physical standards set forth in the United States Department of Transportation's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). ARTICLE IV ADDRESSING A. Use of assigned number required. No person may display or cause to be displayed on any house, building or box any number other than the number assigned by the Address`'Admiistrator. B. Removal,'obliteration and destruction prohibited. No person may remove, obliterate or destroy any number displayed in accordance with this Ordinance. C. Road Address Number Assi ent. The administrator shall assign house and building road address numbers in accordance with a system that adheres as closely as possible to the principles set forth in this section. However, matters of interpretation of the assignment of road address numbers shall be in the sound discretion of the address administrator. Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance 6 August I5, 2011 9 D. Methodolo~y. The methodology used to determine the assignment of house and building address numbers shall be: 1. The County shall be divided by two axes. The north-south axis shall be NC 86 N (New Highway 86 from the Caswell County line to I-85, Old NC 86 from I-85 to Calvander). The east-west axis shall be St. Mary's Road (from the Durham County line to US 70) and a continuance of US 70 from that intersection westward to the Alamance County line: = __ 2. Directionality of the road of origin used to determine "right" and "left" shall be determined as one travels away from the intersection of the aforementioned axis. 3. Addresses shall be assigned at either the federal standard of .5.82 feet or twenty feet intervals along the length of the road as determined ;by the Address Administrator. The intent of this practice is to ensure there.- are.:- available addresses between addressable structures that can be assigned at a later date. 4. The range of addresses shall begin with the lowest number in the range being closest to the road of origin with the numbers increasing as the distance from the road of origin increases. If the road to be addressed does not have an immediately discernable origin but connects two roads, the road closest to the intersection of the aforementioned axis shall be deemed the road of origin. 5. For all new roads, addresses shall be assigned along roads with odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. 6. Address ranges for new roads in a subdivision will begin with either even or odd integers but not both. If a right turn must be taken to enter the subdivision from the toad of origin, all address ranges will begin with an even integer. If a left turn must be taken to enter the subdivision from the road of origin, all address ranges _ shall begin with an odd integer. •.::. _, E. Display of Road Address Numbers. Once assigned, road address numbers must be clearly displayed so the location can be easily identified from the road. l . The official address number must be displayed on the front of a building or at the entrance to a building, which is most clearly visible from the street or road during both day and night. 2. If a building is more than seventy-five feet from any road, the address number shall be displayed at the end of the driveway or easement nearest the road, which provides access to the building. Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance August I5, 2011 10 3. Numerals indicating the address number of asingle-family dwelling shall be at least three inches in height and shall be posted and maintained so as to be legible from the road from both directions of travel. 4. Numerals for buildings with multiple dwelling units and nonresidential buildings shall be at least six inches in height and shall be placed on the front of the building facing the road or on the end of the building nearest the road. 5. Mobile home lots shall have address numbers assigned to each lot throughout the park. The address number of each lot must be clearly displayed on the lot so as to be legible from the road rather than mounted on the mobile home unit. 6. All numerals must be made of durable, cleazly visible material and must contrast with the color of the background. 7. The Address Administrator shall have:; the right to authorize and approve alternate methods of displaying house .numbers, which meet the .intent of this article when strict adherence of these standazds cannot reasonably be met. F. Address Corrections. The Address Administrator is authorized to correct any errors in a numeric address or street range. This includes: 1. Addresses that aze out of sequence with other addresses on the same _ road; 2. Addresses that are-not-inside the range of values assigned to the street of origin;'` 3. Address ranges assigned to street segments that are not sequential or are out of sequence with preceding or succeeding segments of the same street. The Address Administrator shall provide written notice to the owner in accordance with section VI.B.S of this ordinance which shall include the reason for the error, the new numeric address, and that the address change will be effective sixty (60) days from receipt of the notice. A resident who does not display the new address after the effective date shall be in violation of this Ordinance. V. PUBLIC HEARING AND NOTICE REQUIRED A. Naming or Renaming Public Roads. Prior to naming or renaming a road, the Address Administrator shall request a public hearing date be set by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and provide notice in accordance with G.S. 153A- Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance g August 1 S, 2011 11 239.1(a), except an initial name for a new road that has been approved by the address administrator may be assigned without a public hearing if recorded in the Register of Deeds Office on an approved subdivision plat. B. Adoption of Ordinance. ,Prior to adopting an ordinance to establish a procedure to assign or reassign street numbers on the road, the Board of County Commissioners shall provide notice and hold a public hearing in accordance with G.S. 153A-239.1(a}. C. Notice. After naming or renaming a public or private. road, or assigning or reassigning street numbers on a public or private road, the "Address Administrator shall provide notice to be given to the local postmaster with jurisdiction over the road, to the North Carolina Board of Transportation and any city within five miles of the road. VI. PENALTY A. Structures Reg a Certificate of Occupancy The certificate ofoccupancy for any structure erected, repaired or modified after the effective date of~'this Ordinance shall be withheld by the Orange County Building and Inspections Department until the address is posted correctly on the structure as outlined in this Ordinance. B. Existing Structures. If an addressable structure is not in compliance with this Ordinance, the Administrator shall provide a"written notice of violation to an owner or occupant, of legal age, that the building is not in compliance with this Ordinance specifying that within sixty (60) days -'the addressable structure must be brought into compliance. 1. If the owner or occupant of an addressable structure fails to bring the addressable structure into compliance within sixty (60) days of receiving written notice of violation the owner or occupant shall be in violation of this Ordinance. _ 2. Means of notice deemed sufficient and proper include but are not limited to registered or certified mail sent to the last known address of an owner or occupant as ascertained fzom the County's tax listing, posting on the front door of the building, or hand delivery to an occupant of legal age found at the addressable structure. 3. Written notice of violation and citations pursuant to this section shall be deemed.- delivered and properly served upon: depositing said notice and/or citation into a receptacle of the United States Postal Service; posting on the front door of the addressable structure; or hand delivery to an occupant of legal age found at the addressable structure. C. Penalties. If an owner or occupant does not bring an addressable structure into compliance with this Ordinance after proper notice and sixty days (60) has elapsed, Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance August 1 S, 2011 12 the County Attorney may enforce this article by any one or more of the remedies authorized by G.S. 153A-123, save and except no criminal penalties shall accrue to any owner or occupant as a result of a violation of this Ordinance. The violation of any provision of this Ordinance shall subject the owner or occupant to a civil penalty in the amount of $50 to be recovered by the County in a civil action the nature of a debt. If, at the expiration of the sixty (60) day notice period the owner or occupant has not complied with the provisions of this Ordinance the Administrator shall issue a citation and civil penalty as set out herein. If the owner or occupant does not correct the violation and pay the penalty within 14 days after being, cited for a violation of the Ordinance the owner or occupant shall be deemed to have committed a separate violation of this Ordinance and the Administrator shall issue another citation and penalty. Thereafter, every seven day period the building remains non-compliant shall constitute a separate violation and the Admimstrator shall issue a citation and penalty for each such violation. Payment of the civil penalty imposed pursuant to this subsection does not relieve a person of their liability for any other fees, fines or other penalties imposed under this Ordinance. D. The Owner or Occupant may appeal the citation and civil penalty within 10 days of receipt of the citation or civil penalty to the County Manager who shall have the authority to hear and settle disputes related to violations of this Ordinance. VII. SEVERABILITY If any provision of this Ordinance is for any reason heldto:he:invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be deemed a separate, independent provision and such holding shall not affect the validity of any other provision hereof, and to that end, the provisions of this Ordinance are declared'to be severable. VIII. EFFECTIVE DATE This Ordinance shall be effective on the -day of , 20 Draft Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance 1 p August I5, 2011 13 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release Date: November 9, 2011 Contact: Steve Averett, Orange County GIS Director, 919-245-2501 Orange County to Hold Public Hearing on Addressing Ordinance ORANGE COUNTY, NC -Orange County maintains nearly 23,000 addresses and 2,000 unique streets in its jurisdiction. On November 15, 2011 the Orange County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive input on the proposed address and road naming ordinance. The meeting at the Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road in Chapel Hill will begin at 7:00 p.m. . The proposed addxessrng and road naming ordinance will provide Orange County the authority to correct issues and ensure efficient delivery of emergency services. Nearly 10% of the addressable structures in Orange County do not display addresses correctly, addresses are out of sequence, or are addressed to the wrong road. The biggest impact will be to private unnamed drives that have three or more addressable structures. Less than 100 private drives will need to be named and the associated structures re-addressed. If adopted, the ordinance will go into effect after twelve months. During that year, County staff will be conducting an educational campaign for property owners on the ordinance requirements. This effort is being led by the Orange County Information Technologies' GIS division. The department is responsible for assigning addresses and road names into the 9-1-1 address database used by Orange County Emergency Services. To read the proposed ordinance, go to the main Orange County website, www.co.orange.nc.us and look under "What's New." 14 ORANGE COUNTY Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance presented by Steve Averett, GIS Manager Orange Co. Information Technologies November 15, 2011 i j SCOPE ~:: `"i ~ i 33.9% _ - - r (22,834 cut of 67,404) i of all addresses are s 1 in the County's addressing . S ' jurisdiction .`may- ~_~`~~ !. , Address Court b7t Jurlsdietioe Specific Addressing and Street Centerline issues Orange County has more than 2000 addresses that are: • Out of sequeice • Not addressed to the proper road • Addressed to the wring side of the road • Not displaying the cored house numbers • Not displaying the address in an appropriate manner • Not displaying the address at all And more than 100 streets that: • Have Improper rarges • Have duplicate or phonetically similar street names • Do not have street sign; posted • Are private drives that need.names andaddress range assign 15 Issues Caused by Non-Conforming Addresses and Streets • Delayed response of emergency services increasing the likelihood of loss of life and/or property • Loss of revenue due to likelihood of impoper assessment of real and/or persmal property • Loss of revalue due to inefficient assesment of 3R fees • Inefficient Environmental. Health and Building Inspe#ions processes • Ineffidencies In identifying proper oting precincts for voters • Inefridencies in verifying resideoy for libraries • Ineffident delivery of malbnd package deliveries Primary Items to be Enforced • Address not displayed at all • Address not displayed properly (numbers smaller than three inches, not on anon-contrasting background, not in the right location, not posted from both directions) • Address out of range (ex: 200 addnss located on a 500 block) • Addresses & Streets out of sequence • Three or more habitable structuresmore than 75 feet from the main road that share a wmmon drive must name and place signage on Lire private drive and address/readdress the thre: or more habitable structures to the rawly named private drive. Penalties & Timeline - If the. property owner does not comply within 60 days of receipt of a notice of violation, a #50 penalty will be assessed • Continued non-compliance 14 days after tfie first penalty wil result in another #50 penalty. Additional penalties wilt follow every 7 days for continued non-compliance. • There will be a grace period of ONE YEAR from the adoption of the ordinance with no penalties assessed County staff will work directly and indirectly with property owners on assistance with compliance 16 Staff Time -- Develop - ~ ~ ~i~ ~ .~ ~~_ ~~ Violation Tracking J - ~ j 'Software - _. _. +•"' Paper, Postage, & Fuet ORANGE COUNTY Addressing and Road Naming Ordinance Discussion?