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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda 11-16-2021; 12-2 - Information Item - Memorandum - Outreach Status as Follow-up to the Buckhorn Area Study 1 RANGE COUNTY T NORTH CAROLINA MEMORANDUM TO: Board of County Commissioners Bonnie Hammersley, Orange County Manager Travis Myren, Orange County Deputy Manager Steve Brantley, Orange County Economic Development Director FROM: Craig N. Benedict, Planning Director Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor DATE: November 1, 2021 SUBJECT: BOCC Information Item — Outreach Status as Follow-up to the Buckhom Area Study ATTACHMENT(S): Future Land Use Map (For References Herein to Area A) BACKGROUND: At its June 1, 2021 Business meeting, the BOCC received a report and presentation from staff with a summary of the May 17 Virtual Public Outreach meeting. Following staff's presentation, the BOCC conveyed its request for more public outreach in Area "A. The BOCC also received an Information Item from staff at its September 2, 2021 Business meeting. This memo is intended to provide follow-up information on outreach for Focus Area "A" as identified in the Buckhorn Area Study. The most recent public outreach meetings were held on October 12 and October 13, 2021. The October 12 meeting was an in-person open house at the Efland-Cheeks Community Center while the October 13 meeting was a Q&A session conducted on the Zoom virtual platform. The purposes of the outreach meetings were to: • Continue engagement with the community as a follow-up to previous Buckhorn Area Study meetings; • Communicate that Area "A" is to be the sole focus for outreach and planning coordination between Orange County and the City of Mebane; and • Provide additional context for Outreach Focus Area "A." DETAILS OF PUBLIC OUTREACH MEETINGS October 12 In-Person Open House: Four members of Orange County's Planning Department were present between 1 :00 PM — 5:00 PM at the Efland-Cheeks Community Center to talk with residents and interested parties about Focus Area "A." Sixteen (16) members of the public came by within this window of time and asked a variety of questions regarding the area in, and directly around, Focus Area "A." 2 October 13 Zoom Q&A Meeting: With the help of Chair Renee Price, Orange County Planning Department hosted the Zoom meeting from 6:00 PM — 7:30 PM. Meeting attendees included the Orange County Deputy Manager, five members of Orange County's Planning staff, the City of Mebane's Development Director, three members of the BOCC and 22 members of the public. Access to the Zoom meeting was also provided to some attendees at the Efland Cheeks Community Center. A link to view this meeting can be found here. Some of the key conversation topics between attendees and staff during the October outreach meetings included the following: • Planning jurisdictions (Mebane City Limits, Mebane Extraterritorial Jurisdiction [ETJ], and Orange County planning jurisdiction) and annexation; • Timing of development in Area "A" in relation to sewer installation; • Need to give back to the community, including sidewalks, fiber optic cable, community center, and school sites (these topics were mentioned specifically); • Concern over size and scale of recent development proposals, and a request for more "human-scale" development; • Concern over traffic impacts to major and minor roadways adjacent to the area; • Need to recruit "green" businesses; • Environmental protections (particularly with regard to water/wells) within the area (albeit many uses are supported through public water service); • The potential for development to displace multiple groups of people, some of whom have had land passed down through family for a century; and • Permitted Uses in various zoning districts. Staff will continue to update the Buckhorn Area Study webpage as a source of information for the public. See below, "New Webpage" for additional details. Comments received relating to Economic Development have been shared with the County's Economic Development Director. ORANGE COUNTY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP) for POSSIBLE SEWER EXTENSION The CIP for FY2021-22 adds $1,235,000 to fund sewer installation and associated project management in the Buckhorn EDD. This project would upgrade a supporting lift station and extend sewer service under the interstate to Focus Area "A". Consistent with other County-initiated sewer extensions in the Mebane vicinity, once installed, the system would be owned, operated, and maintained by the City of Mebane. This arrangement, involving the transfer of ownership, is expressed via an Interlocal Agreement between the parties. Through a previous CIP project, a 16" water main was installed under the interstate and looped back to Mebane for fire protection and increased water quantity and quality. While part of the adopted CIP, the BOCC has directed staff to seek its authorization to proceed before beginning any procurement process for the surveying and design to extend sewer service to Focus Area "A". The County's Planning Director will work with the Managers Office on the timing of said request for an authorization to proceed. 3 ONGOING WORK WITH MEBANE NEW WEBPAGE: Orange County Planning staff collects a variety of data on municipal development and annexations. At the request of the BOCC, staff has developed a new webpage to serve as a central location for links to western Orange County development, outreach information, and process documents for proposed developments in the area. Currently, the webpage features historical documentation of the Buckhom Area Study, links to Mebane City Council agendas on the topic, and a table detailing Mebane annexation information since 2013. After the Public Outreach Meetings, Planning staff also included updated maps, a video to the Zoom Q&A Meeting and the table of permitted uses in the zoning districts for the Buckhorn Economic Development District (EDD). The intent of this website is not to be a final destination; instead, the intent is to help direct the public to the information and processes that may be of interest but that fall within municipal limits outside of the County's jurisdiction. COURTESY REVIEW: Orange County Planning staff will continue to actively participate in Mebane's Technical Review Committee (TRC) meetings when development approvals are proposed in Orange County. JOINT BOCC/MEBANE CITY COUNCIL MEETING: The Orange County Manager's Office is coordinating with the City of Mebane to decide the need for a joint meeting between the elected bodies. Future Land Use Map 4 Back Creek ■ Protected ■ Solar Farm Haw Creek Truck Weigh Station i - 0 z o Buckhorn Upper Eno Flea Market Protected ■ Medline ■� Gravelly Hill Outreach Area Rural Residential Middle School - Water Bodies Agricultural Residential Q Water Supply Watersheds City Limits - Resource Protection Areas ETJ 10v t in-,'000 feet OREFeet CO 10 Year Transition Commercial-Industrial Transition WEST TENRp � UNTY� �� 1,000 Planning and Inspections Department(BC) 20 Year Transition Economic Development Transition 9/17/2021 O:\GIS Workspace\Prcjects�Buckhorn Area Study\Oct 12 and 13 Meeting\Oct 12 and 13 Meeting.aprx�FLUM 8.5 x i