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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 09-04-2025; 6-b - Orange County Land Use Plan 2050 – Board Request for Additional Information 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 4, 2025 Action Agenda Item No. 6-b SUBJECT: Orange County Land Use Plan 2050 — Board Request for Additional Information DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1. Draft Presentation Schedule Tom Altieri, 919-245-2579 2. BOCC Request for Additional Information Cy Stober, 919-245-2592 Perdita Holtz, 919-245-2578 PURPOSE: To receive an updated draft presentation schedule for the Board to receive additional background information requested for the drafting of the Land Use Plan 2050 and make a decision on potential costs associated with guest presenters, Clarion's attendance during presentations, and any meeting facilitation services. BACKGROUND: This item was presented at the August 26, 2025 BOCC meeting and continued to this meeting. At its April 8, 2025 Work Session, the Board reviewed a draft schedule for receiving presentations from County staff and guest presenters. In response, the calendar preference was for staff to schedule agenda items through November and possibly beyond, to receive the information. Subsequently, Planning staff has coordinated with the Clerk's and Manager's Offices to schedule items on BOCC work session agendas and add two half-day retreats to the Board's meeting calendar. Attachment 1 is an updated schedule for the Board to receive the information requested. Presentations are proposed for work sessions on September 9, October 14, and November 11, 2025; and at half-day retreats scheduled for November 14 and November 21, 2025. The subject matter to be addressed at each meeting may be modified based on the time required to execute the contracts associated with independent expert presenters, lead time required for preparation, and availability to attend on scheduled meeting dates. Staff is requesting feedback from the Board on the draft presentation schedule (Attachment 1) and use of County funds for subject matter experts and professional services. Following is a summary with some additional details and associated potential costs: Independent Subject Matter Experts — Subject matter experts are needed to address the topics of groundwater hydrology, market analysis of rural activity nodes, and the economics of housing supply/demand. Planning staff has identified the following organizations and experts for the Board's consideration: Applied Resource Management (ARM) — For groundwater hydrology and community well expertise. To include meeting preparation, attendance, and presentation. $2,250 2 UNC School of Government, Development Finance Initiative (DFI) — For market analysis of rural activity nodes, countywide housing needs, and countywide residential supply/demand. Services include a written final report. $45,100 Randall Arendt— For additional expertise on conservation subdivisions. Includes two days on- site to meet with staff, tour the County's landscape, and present. How conservation subdivisions could be designed to accommodate workforce housing is to be a focus. ($8,500 plus travel est.) $12,000 Sub-Total $59,350 Clarion Associates: For continuity purposes, it would be helpful to have a staff person from Clarion Associates attend the meetings for hearing presentations, Board discussions, and for note taking of items that will require changes to the draft Land Use Plan 2050 prior to its release for public review and comment during Community Engagement Window (CEW) #3. (4 work sessions and 2 retreats) $4,020 Meeting Facilitator: True North Performance Group (TNPG) — It may be helpful for a professional meeting facilitator, with practical experience with governing boards and planning, to work with the BOCC at two key stages of draft Plan development. First, to help the Board identify any changes to the draft Plan prior to scheduling CEW #3 and second, after CEW#3 to inform the public hearing version of the draft Plan. The deliverables would include customized agendas and facilitations plans, facilitation of two retreats, and summary reports. $17,500 Total $80,870 Staff can provide additional information about the services associated with each quote above at the meeting. Why does Orange County Need to Update its Land Use Plan? - In North Carolina, local governments that apply "...zoning regulations... shall adopt and reasonably maintain a comprehensive plan or land-use plan (North Carolina General Statute 160D-501(a)). This statute requires that zoning regulations are "in accordance with a comprehensive plan" and requires that local governments make statements of consistency when making rezoning decisions on a development application. The existing Orange County Comprehensive Plan was adopted in November 2008. Additional information about the project, including e-mail sign-up for project updates, is available on the project website: .https://www.orangecountVIanduseplan.com. Completed project deliverables, including Fact Book; outreach summaries; and more, are also available on the project website: https://www.orangecountVIanduseplan.com/resources Next Steps with the BOCC — Planning staff proposes to present an agenda item covering aspects of County demographics, the planning process, plan implementation, watershed regulations, and planning agreements at the September 9, 2025 BOCC Work Session. 3 FINANCIAL IMPACT: At this time, existing Planning staff is responding to the BOCC requests for additional information and is seeking feedback on costs associated with procuring the requested information as outlined herein. ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLAN: This item supports: • GOAL 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CLIMATE ACTION OBJECTIVE 4. Incentivize and promote sustainable agriculture and local food systems development through supportive policy, funding, farmland protection and educational outreach. OBJECTIVE 5. Review land use policies to promote and connect Town, County, and private trails and open spaces. OBJECTIVE 6. Protect water supply/watersheds. OBJECTIVE 7. Conserve and protect high priority open space, including Natural Heritage sites, nature preserves, watershed riparian buffers, and prime/threatened farmland. OBJECTIVE 8. Include environmental stewardship objectives in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. • GOAL 2: HEALTHY COMMUNITY OBJECTIVE 7. Invest in services and programs that improve the health and quality of life of the community (e.g., recreation and public open spaces, arts, etc.) • GOAL 3: HOUSING FOR ALL OBJECTIVE 5. Review County ordinances, policies, agreements, and the regulatory processes to streamline practices, and increase opportunities and reduce barriers to construct housing. OBJECTIVE 7. Expand resources and invest in housing designed for our aging and disabled residents. OBJECTIVE 9. Increase representation of people with lived experience on housing related matters. • GOAL 4: MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION OBJECTIVE 1. Identify priorities and resources necessary to implement the Orange County Transit Plan. • GOAL 5: PUBLIC EDUCATION/LEARNING COMMUNITY OBJECTIVE 1. Foster collaborative relationships with formal and informal educational organizations and agencies to provide opportunities for community members to meet, connect, and learn together. • GOAL 6: DIVERSE AND VIBRANT ECONOMY OBJECTIVE 2. Review and revise County policies and regulations to support business investment in Orange County. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the draft schedule for receiving additional information and make a decision on costs associated with independent expert presenters, meeting facilitator, and Clarion's services for maintaining continuity. Attachment 1 4 "ANFT Schedule for Comprehensive Land Use Plan Topics Discussion Date Topic Presenter 9/9/25 Land Use Plan Status & Purpose Tom Altieri & Cy Stober Recap 9/9/25 Watershed Regulations Chris Sandt, P.E. & Cy Stober 9/9/25 WASMPBA&Joint Planning Perdita Holtz Agreement (Rural Buffer) 10/14/25 Utilities Discussion (NOTE: this Chris Sandt, P.E. & Cy Stober will need to be a closed session to protect sensitive information. Meeting in small groups is preferred by staff.) 10/14/25 OR 11/11/25 Hillsborough Utilities Matt Efird and/or Sharman Constraints Campbell 11/11/25 Rural Activity Node Market Tom Altieri &TBD—Have leads Analysis RE: market study 11/14/25 Retreat Community Septic & Tony Whitaker, Board of Health Wastewater Treatment 11/14/25 Retreat Groundwater Resources C.J. Cornette, PG, Applied Resource Management, PC 11/21/25 Retreat Conservation Subdivisions Perdita Holtz, Cy Stober, & potentially Randall Arendt 11/21/25 Retreat Facilitated Discussion RE: next Trained Facilitator from UNC steps SOG 5 Attachment 2 Land Use Plan 2050 - BOCC Request for Additional Information (Items Previously Identified in "Yellow") Yellow: Within Planning staff purview and can be completed in the near-term and with no financial impact 1. Fact Book, Planning Process, and Implementation a) The statistics supporting the "Need for a New Plan" can be misleading if taken out of context. A brief analysis with appropriate statistics would be more informative and provide a rationale for the updated Plan. E.g. Yes growing 8th or whatever in aging, but need to know how fast all of NC is growing. b) Please explain how a land use plan is drafted to reflect changes that may be far in the future and how it can be amended to be a living document. Please include examples from the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the proposed 2050 Land Use Plan. c) Should we change the policy document (Land Use Plan 2050)(Comprehensive Plan) to include proposed changes that could take years to work out? Or do not do that; make sure the Plan is current policy? d) Do not tie our hands in the Plan. e) Could amend the Plan? After working through a change with the towns? 2. Joint Planning Agreements (Including WASMPBA) and Rural Buffer a) Remind us about the rural buffer/Joint planning and distinguish that from the WASMPBA (Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement). b) What is the rationale for each? c) Where does the WASMPBA interact? d) Who are the Agreement partners? e) Which includes policies and practices that would be implemented if there were failing wells and septic systems and/or a water/sewer emergency? f) If appropriate, please reference other joint agreements with the towns and utility providers. g) What can be built and/or operated in the rural buffer? h) What are the processes to make changes to the agreements? i) If the Board does wish to have an action item say to explore expanding water/sewer at some location on the map where it is not currently allowed, then is that in the Land Use Plan 2050? Or is that a separate work as petitioned by the Board? What is the order of doing things? Seems like it matters? What would that process look like? j) On that map of Carrboro Transition and/or ETJ area, is that blue dot in the rural buffer? 3. Watersheds and Their Impact on Development a) Show us map view of watersheds and boundaries. b) Include any known/potential changes due to regulations. c) Review the differences between watersheds and how that impacts what can be built or operate within them. 4. Water and Sewer Service Areas and Providers a) Where is water and sewer now and who is the provider? (within existing EDDs) b) Show us map views of the county and the OWASA, Hillsborough water/sewer, Durham water/sewer, Orange Alamance water/sewer, Mebane water/sewer and any other public providers with their current boundaries and any proposed boundaries. 6 c) Within these providers' service areas, where is water now? Where is sewer now? Plans under development for extension? (Planning Staff Note: Release of specific locations of water and sewer utility lines and connections is prohibited by the utility providers) d) Give us a map view of the existing EDDs. e) What is proposed to change? (within existing EDDs) f) How many residential units are in existing EDDs? g) Was Blackwood Station dropped from water/sewer expansion? Please explain the project and the outcome. 5. Rural Activity Nodes a) Remind us why there are two, what uses are allowed in each of them, and for which sizes of population. b) What uses are currently in the existing rural activity nodes? c) Why combine them? d) If commercial is allowed, what specific commercial uses? e) Additional residential? What types? 6. Conservation Subdivisions a) Are they allowed in the rural buffer now? What parameters? b) Are they allowed in any area of the county now? What parameters? c) Are there large parcels remaining in the rural buffer? d) Distinguish the policy aspect and the zoning aspect where density or# units could be limited? e) Can we put the clustered housing on land in the area least favorable for"farmable" land? 7 Land Use Plan 2050 - BOCC Request for Additional Information (Items Previously Identified in "Blue" and "Red") Blue: Within Planning staff purview and can be completed in the near-term and with no financial impact. Red: Beyond Planning Staff purview and may have financial impacts. 1) WHY does Hillsborough want to constrict their water/sewer boundary? a) Cost? Of what? Maintenance? Expansion? Other? b) Lack of water supply? c) Or combination of factors? E.g., Choosing to be denser in smaller footprint not related to water supply? d) Seem like density should be near the train station. 2) Input from Developers a) What do developers suggest to build more housing? b) Types of housing? c) CH Chamber big bold ideas summary for housing w their builders and developers info; Include Hillsborough Chamber d) What do nonprofit developers say? What's different for them? 3) Preserving Farmland and Open Space a) We want to receive the preserving farmland report before we make comments on the Land Use Plan 2050 b) Concept of"farmable" land c) Refresh or update from Jan on "smaller" farms in OC 4) Now pull it together and go with map view of county to go over area by area to consider all the competing trade-offs (Planning Staff Note: Requires some scoping) a. What are current rules for that area? b. What is there now? c. Pros and Cons of plan suggested changes? Segment or small area by segment and tie these changes to our strategic plan. d. Housing; Focus on Housing plus Transit/Transportation; Climate Change 5) a. How do the types of rocks matter for water supply to wells b. Can any portion of our county be predictable or not for water supply/aquifer? c. Can well be tested ahead of approval for zoning change or building? Guildford Co ordinance was referenced with Fiddlehead?? d. What is the science re community wells? Impacting other wells? Costs to drill? Costs to Maintain? Reliability? Failure rates? What is known and what is not known? In face of climate change?? e. What else do we not know about wells that we should for health and for ample water supply? 6) 8 a) Costs to build? Costs to maintain? Failure rates? What can be done if fail? b) What else do we not know about community septic that we should know to make decisions for our current residents and our grandchildren/future generations? 7) a. So does more housing lead to affordable housing in our county? b. How to think about this issue of supply/demand, elasticity and limits on resources. 8) a. Provide the report, and go over a summary b. The number of units needed and does the report say the town can meet that growth within town boundaries? HOW? c. Do Carrboro, Hillsborough and/or Mebane have any similar studies? How are they then planning?