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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 10-01-19 Item 12-5 - Information Item - Memorandum - Petition Regarding Assessment of “Southeast Rural Buffer Triangle” 1 PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director Administration 131 W. Margaret Lane (919) 245-2575 Suite 201 (919) 644-3002 (FAX) ORANGE COUNTY P. O. Box 8181 www.orangecountync.gov NORTH CAROLINA Hillsborough, NC 27278 MEMORANDUM TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Perdita Holtz, Planner III — Planning Systems Coordinator CC: Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director DATE: September 16, 2019 SUBJECT: Petition Regarding Assessment of "Southeast Rural Buffer Triangle" Attached for your use and information is an assessment of the Southeast Rural Buffer Triangle. This assessment was prepared by Planning staff in response to a petition made at the February 5, 2019 BOCC meeting requesting an assessment of the area. If you have any questions regarding the information contained in the assessment, please contact Perdita Holtz at 919.245.2578 (email: pholtz@orangecountync.gov) or Craig Benedict at 919.245.2575 (email: cbenedict@orangecountync.gov). 2 Assessment of "Southeast Rural Buffer Triangle" Prepared by: Perdita Holtz,AICP Orange County Planning Department September 2019 Purpose and Contents This assessment of the Southeast Rural Buffer Triangle has been prepared as a result of a Board of County Commissioner (BOCC) request at the February 5, 2019 BOCC meeting. The assessment area contains approximately 2,001 acres under the County's planning jurisdiction. The area is immediately east of 208 acres within the Town of Chapel Hill's urban transition area, as designated by the Joint Planning Agreement(JPA), and immediately south of the Town's ETJ (Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction). Assessment Area �r i 000011�2 ❑ soi Chapel Mill ETJ i 9 # Ca r cba ro c Y 2,001 ac. ' w a 9VY ❑urha . County 8 C. rt f Chatham County r._4 Study Area -water Bodies Future Land use ©Orange County Boundary _10 Year Transihan Q WdlEf Supply WatgishBds Rural Buffer __ n + •s.iou r.w ©paroels Q 0ClCWCAA)int planning Area -City Units AO 2.1w Streams ETJ o:nng.ca,ny eno wsp.ciara ec W a��lro�r_o+a - 1 - LIRA s l J_/���Rs•►� .f+•I�� " r�•�'_L"HI' • 1� il1111+rya 411 ����fr .ram— 11' �/�S:i Mj rt�+r rN*■■_'. ro� ;i 1L■�A R�� �1� rl:.i: � 1111.1�1��, i 1 ��i�� ! \ • Inert Ilia� V�+ ~�I ��� i* ■ 4 Additionally, a large portion of the area is overlaid by the "Resource Protection Area" overlay category (see Map 2). The eastern-most portion of the Resource Protection Area (approximately 535 acres) is an identified Natural Area/Wildlife Habitat area and also contains 100-year floodplain and/or alluvial soils. Of these 535 acres, 355 acres are owned by either the State of North Carolina,the University of North Carolina, or the United States of America (Army Corps of Engineers). Other lands overlaid with Resource Protection Area contain steep slopes (discussed below). Future Land Use Map ti• jai%}�}p�i,a ���.�.r��1►1�►� coil is IWE SDI f • f Orange County Boundary Q Water Supply watersheds ! Stuff Area Future Land Use Parcels -0 10 Year Transition OCICWCAJvir!Poanning Area Rural Buffer x. -Streams public Intereztkeas City A � Gi Limits o 2"1w Alter Bodies Cs Ny cim-gwd Imp�r,bnv _Resource Protection Areas ETJ BG M02DIQ - 3 - 5 Ownership of Eastern Resource Protection Area ON �ter►+ ♦i 11:: �*� .:��!in•e Mrt. � ■/ ��til OR {I. � gOTN71ElLL_ DEN Iff'!4 wca'e°wvicu �laoRn �■ H r CAR CITL IHA 501 A'4Sic:k �e�`,�1�"•'.�, - JNI;JlR3l I Y STATE I MERI". RE S7ATE 5' 'ILLIRAI g CK - FFIRRkSI BLA�I�iROy�A �CKr N fLED STATE S 'M L gLACKVYODO OF�AI�IERIC FORREST gLAGI(4'JOO AKFADYEN BRENT E HELLOT:r FAVILYLLC S:13AH u'M FLLDIT IN Study Area Future Land Use OFarKA COUnty Boundary 10 Year Transition Rural puffer 0 Parcels _Duty Limits N 1 v'x•+°°r°°' ••=RN(.F .f„ 0 QCICHA Joint Plaming Area ET'J D ziw Wang.cwKy?lennrly ane Imparlbnv -Resource Protection Areas gC glID,QGIQ Topography and Steep Slopes Topographically, the area outside of the eastern floodplain tends to be hilly and have steep slopes (slopes above 15%; 15 feet of vertical change per 100 feet of horizontal distance). Lands with steep slopes are generally considered to be unsuitable for intensive development and can be subject to economic challenges when building utility (water and sewer)facilities. The presence of steep slopes does not, in and of itself, prohibit development, as can be seen on the map below where many subdivision lots within the Town of Chapel Hill's ETJ are located in areas with steep slopes. However, the County's Comprehensive Plan designates lands with slopes of 15%or greater as Resource Protection Areas and the County's UDO requires that lands with slopes greater than 25% be part of any required open space areas. -4- 6 Topology •; r ■ sou � R • • r r ■ • a I ■a ■r-rwa�� i Study ArCa Q Parcels r�r 10'CaMOur$(NCp4T) _City Limits Orange County Boundary ETJ o.-Ur ca,ac MMWQ se inp.ww. - 5 - 7 Slopes ■ r ■• r ■ a is ■ � � sai - r a f • a i it r ■ r i ■■ r ra-■■- ■ 95 SIopE ©orange County Boundary Favorable(s 8%) Q Parcels Moderate(8.1%-14.9%) -Severe(�l 4.9%} ■ Study Area ❑.��r ca,aC vrI1MI9e inp.narn Streams and Stream Buffers Much of the assessment area is a headwaters area fort he Jordan Lake watershed. Headwaters are where streams begin because ridgelines split drainage areas into different drainage basins. The eastern portion of the area contains floodplain for Morgan Creek, which drains into Jordan Lake. As is normal for any large geographic area, numerous streams are located in the assessment area. State and County regulations require buffer areas adjacent to streams. The exact required stream buffer width varies depending on other considerations such as slope and groundcover. The map below shows the streams and depicts a buffer width of 100-feet (50-feet on each side of the stream). This buffer width is the general minimum width required by the County's UDO and could be more, depending on the presence of floodplain and the slope of the adjacent land. - 6 - a=nl1�►�4�!_MY 11irri'i• __��� ;�j�11��" 1 Ma Am �OMA I��'* Aires - 4s.;m.I x"YIN r.. 9 Gravity Sewer Boundary in Southern Orange County Triangle University Lake Watershed , Gravity Sewer Boundary WSMPBA Boundary 4? m i c 'iG�� J A N �j 4 0.5 1 Niles Legend Gravity Sewer Boundary WSMPBA Boundary Zoning City Limits PI Gravity Sewer Mains University Lake Watershed CH Transition EC5 RB Water Lines ETJ Streams As is discussed in the attached letter from OWASA, extending sewer lines to and within the southeast rural buffer triangle would require multiple pump stations,force mains, and other necessary infrastructure. Costs to do so would be significant, in the millions of dollars. The map above also depicts the WASMPBA"primary service area" boundary. Areas to the south of the boundary cannot be served by public water and sewer systems unless the boundary is modified. Modification to the boundary requires the approval of all five signatories to the Agreement (Orange County, OWASA, and the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough). OWASA staff notes in the attached letter that the area in the map above between the red line (gravity sewer boundary) and the WASMPBA boundary (black line) may be serviceable by extension of gravity sewer lines. County Planning staff notes the existing incongruity of Chapel Hill ETJ and Transition Area outside of the WASMPBA boundary and how the sewershed seems to reflect why the Transition Area was incorporated into the JPA land use plan rather than designating it Rural Buffer. -8 - 10 Agricultural"Present Use Value"Parcels Approximately 678 acres (17 parcels in their entirety and 3 partial parcels)within the assessment area are registered for"present use value"with the County's Tax Assessor. This program is for properties that meet State of North Carolina definitions for agricultural uses and results in valuations for property tax purposes to be based on the present use of the property instead of market value. Uses can include activities such as actively farmed land, livestock pastures and facilities, horticulture, and forestry(with an active forest management plan). Present Use Value W ■ �. I i is 7 • •y / ❑Q .6 r rr � ■ r r s a ■ .■-rt�-i*■�- F■-�r r r a r r r.r■ Parcels with Present Use Value �•_�Oranye County Bumdary CRAW,F ®Fes Parcels CO_M 0 410o j Study Area _or.ng.ceu ecsniiro�ee irep.rwns Current Zoning and Watershed Protection Overlay District The map below depicts current zoning of parcels, both County jurisdiction and Town of Chapel Hill jurisdiction. Within the County's jurisdiction,the predominant zoning district is Rural Buffer(RB)with three small parcels zoned EC-5 (Existing Commercial). Lands owned by the Army Corps of Engineers is zoned PID (Public Interest District). -9 - Fijir*� s 11l1I'm LwlFllre�i► �[■� ► .,,� 5 �r�i— •i ► u1 a / 11���►r+l�'+1 rl J •�r AL OR�_�_�_��R �■ I ► � I+ram- �'�•" /\+r Or= 1y ME ,ilmL r rM. VAF r 411 ZA 1 12 • All uses: o New septic tanks and their nitrification fields must be located outside of any stream buffers and at least 100 feet from a perennial or intermittent stream as shown on the USGS Quadrangle maps. Town of Chapel Hill—Charting Our Future The Town of Chapel Hill is currently involved in a project to plan for its future through adoption of a new Future Land Use Map/Land Use Plan. A future phase will rewrite the town's Land Use Management Ordinance (which is the Town's development regulations, similar to the County's LIDO). Further information on the project is available at http://chartingourfuture.info/ As part of the process,the Town has designated six "Focus Areas"for further evaluation for future growth. In April of this year Town staff held a public meeting to receive feedback on potentially adding an additional focus area south of Southern Village that would extend along 15-501 to the Chatham County line. To date,the issue has not been on a Town Council agenda. A general update by Town staff on the Charting Our Future project is currently scheduled for the October 2, 2019 Town Council agenda. The potential additional focus area is wholly within the Town's planning jurisdiction. It is mentioned here because of its proximity to the assessment area detailed in this report. - 11- 13 Attachment- Letter and Map from OWASA Orange Water and Sewer Authority 10WASA OWASA is Carrboro-Chapel Hill's not-for-profit public service agency delivering high quality water,wastewater,and reclaimed water,services. August 20.2019 Perdita Holtz,AICP Planner ill-Planning Systems Coordinator Orange County,NC Planning Department 200 South Cameron Street PO BOX 8181 Hillsborough NC 27278 Dear Ms.Holtz: I am writing in response to your July 3,2019 email request regarding the potential provision of water and sewer in southern Orange County. Thank you for meeting with me to clarify your request and for supplying the GIS layer for your area of interest to overlay on our service area maps. You defined the area of interest in G I S as the triangle along the southeastern part of the county,i not uding 1,901 acres of southern rural buffer and 208 acres of Chapel Hill transition zone{shown in green and cross hatch,respectively,on the attached map}. I have also looked at the unserved area north of the triangle and south of the OWASA service boundary. The County is of course aware that OWASA wilI not accept new water or sewer customersautsida of the Water and Sewer Management Planning Boundary Agreement(WSMPBA),and that changes to the boundary would be necessary to serve such areas. Answering your questions in detail would require contractor and modeling assistance, however, I've taken a high-level look to provide you some information for early planning. Watershed areas were delineated by GIS using LIDAR data, and the general direction of surface flows was used to determine whether a watershed flowed toward or away from OWASA's infrastructure. No review of parcels was performed to determine if an individual parcel was serviceable. In addition, easements which do not follow roadways may be required along very specific routes to open areas for service. Sewer The attached map delineates the areas where topography directs surface flow both toward and away from the OWASA service area, shown on the map by the Gravity Sewer Boundary. This boundary should correlate with the areas which should be serviceable by gravity sewers and areas which cannot. You will note the similarity between the Gravity Sewer Boundary and the WSMPBA boundary east of Old Lystra Road. In general,the region located to the south and east of the Gravity Sewer Boundary cannot be served without pumping to the OWASA system. Planning to serve this area would require consideration of several factors,including the need and costs for: ■ new gravity sewer lines for the new development to carry the wastewater to pump stations, • multiple pump stations, • force mains to carry pumped wastewater northward toward the service area, 400]anes ferry Road,Carrboro NC 77S W 0 919-968-4411 Q info@"asa.org © GOWASAI v rrvrx.awasa.org - 12- 14 • significant upgrades to the existing wastewater collection system to handle the increased flow from this large area, • upgrades to the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant, and • operation and maintenance of the new infrastructure. The area north and west of the Gravity Sewer Boundary generally flows northward to Morgan Creek and may be serviceable by gravity. A small area near the intersection of Smith Level Road and US 15-501,while not flowing northward to Morgan Creek,appears to have adequate slope to reach a gravity system. The boundary for the University Lake watershed to the west, which also restricts extension of water and sewer service,follows closely with Smith Level Road. Planning to serve the area above the Gravity Sewer Boundary would require consideration of several factors,including the need and costs for. • new gravity sewer lines for the new development, • upgrades to the existing wastewater collection system to handle the increased flow, ■ long-range planning for upgrades to the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant,and • operation and maintenance of the new infrastructure. Rule of thumb cost estimates include$200 per foot for 8-inch sewer lines and$750,000- $1,000,000 for a typical wastewater pump station. Water Water can be provided within the area of interest. Planning to serve this area with water, however,would require consideration and analysis of several factors,including the need and costs for • new water distribution lines for the new development; • upgrades to the existing distribution system to handle the increased flow,including the possibility of a new elevated water storage tank and pump station to serve portions of the Chapel Hill transition zone; ■ long-range planning for upgrades to the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant;and • operation and maintenance of the new infrastructure. Rule of thumb cost estimates include$200 per foot for 8-inch water lines and$1,500,000 - $2,000,000 for an elevated storage tank and pump station, should modeling indicate a new tank was needed. I hope you find this information helpful. Let me know if you have questions. Si cerely, n� essica C.Godreau,PE,BCEE Engineering Manager,Systems Development cc: Mary Darr,QWASA Judy Johnson,Town of Chapel Hill - 13- 15 Gravity Sewer Boundary in Southern Grange County Triangle University Lake Watershed Gravity Sewer Boundary f WSMPBA Boundary $ y 1 C Ile N 0 0.5 1 Miles `f Legend Gravity Sewer Boundary WSM P BA Bo u n da ry Zoning City Limits PID Gravity Sewer Mains University Lake Watershed CH Transition - EC5 RB Water Lines ETJ Streams