Town forecasts rapid growth

Orange County officials are looking for ways to face the challenges caused by its growing population.

At a public hearing Monday night, the Orange County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation to down-zone some of the county’s rural areas.

To offset potential problems that could be caused by development, the county is considering possible reductions to future housing density and an increase in the minimum lost size for its rural areas.

Commissioners were provided Monday with six zoning density options and a recommendation to increase the minimum lot size from .92 acres to 2 acres.

“We’re looking to the future,” Planning Director Craig Benedict said Monday.

According to staff reports, the population of Orange County is increasing at a rate of 2.6 percent yearly and will reach build-out within 75 to 100 years.

Furthermore, increased development in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and surrounding counties will most likely accelerate that growth rate.

Not only will the zoning and lot-size changes counter rapid growth and urban sprawl, but county staff believe that the alterations will also have several benefits.

The staff report concludes that lower density will mean more open space and fewer vehicle miles traveled for Orange County.

If 300 homes are built on a 1,000-acre tract, fewer cars are using the roads than if the tract contained 600 houses, Benedict explained in a phone interview Tuesday.

Benedict also assured commissioners and residents that the changes would not decrease the available housing options or affordable housing because urban areas could be up-zoned.

“We do have potential growth in urban transition areas,” he said, adding that staff first must determine if these areas have an adequate infrastructure in place to accommodate more development.

But residents who spoke at Monday’s hearing were not convinced the proposals were the best solution.

Concerns primarily centered on whether the proposals were the most sustainable means of accommodating future growth in the area.

“When space and resources are limited, you round out,” said James Carnahan, chairman of the Village Project in Chapel Hill.“We make room around the hearth.”

Concerns primarily entered on whether the proposals were the most sustainable means of accommodating future growth.

But Benedict said Tuesday that it was important for the county to begin implementing changes soon so that the county does not find itself in the midst of a major growth crisis down the road.

He cited traffic, air quality problems and water quality problems in portions of Jordan Lake as being indicators of potential problems.

“All of these are identified challenges that are here now,” he said.

Another public hearing on the proposals is slated for November after further review by planning board and staff.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.