Zoning doubleheader set

In something of a two-for-one special, the Orange County Planning Commission will take up two significant public hearings next Thursday evening. One will deal with the second rezoning attempt of land owned by Village Motorsports in Unionville and the other will offer citizens a first chance to comment on proposed changes to the county’s subdivision ordinance—specifically the elimination of timed phasing for parcel divisions.

Before unveiling new language addressing land divisions at its Jan. 24 meeting, the Orange County Board of Supervisors hadn’t publically worked on the subdivision ordinance since a special meeting last September. The proposed amendment would repeal the section of the subdivision ordinance which limited divisions of land to only once every four years. In the language passed down to the planning commission, division rights would reside in the zoning ordinance and restrict landowners to five divisions per parcel, with lots restricted to at least two acres in size.

“Discussions have been underway for months, starting with the previous board in the late summer, early fall, wrestling with what to do to change it,” said District 2 Supervisor Jim White, the board’s representative to the planning commission. “As far as the timing now, the new chairman [District 3 Supervisor Teel Goodwin] made it one of his priorities for the year, finding a better way to do the subdivision and zoning ordinances. There’s also a court case pending, where the existing provisions are challenged, so that might be part of what caused the board to look at it.”

White emphasized the board’s view of the proposed draft language as a work in progress and not something the board expected to come back to them from the planning commission unchanged.

“This is very much a working document,” said White. “We’re open to pursuing a lot of different options. We looked around at neighboring counties to see how they [divide land] and everyone does it differently. Some give more divisions for larger parcels and some have a fixed number. We’re looking for a way that fits Orange County and reflects a reasonable and fair way to do it.”

In preparation for the upcoming public hearing on the proposed ordinance changes, White said the planning commission has already had some preliminary deliberations. One thing he said the commissioners have been wrestling with is the new provision that if a division create 20 or more contiguous lots, a rezoning would be required.

“The planning commission has had some difficulty with that one, they’ve been wrestling with how that would work,” said White. “As I understand it, the idea was to protect against too many by-right lots in [close proximity].”

Planning director Gregg Zody said division restrictions are in place to enable the county government to manage growth.

“The issue really comes down to what mechanism we want to use to manage our growth, there are many that exist; the board provided one and the planning commission will look at it and make a recommendation,” said Zody.

The night’s other public hearing is essentially the latest round of an ongoing zoning issue. Nearly a year ago, Village Motorsports’ owner George Carter attempted to rezone a back portion of the Unionville business’ land from residential to commercial. Carter was told by previous planning director Debbie Kendall that he needed the rezoning for the intended use of the land for overflow parking during annual sales events. The board denied Carter’s first attempt, amid an outcry from the business’ neighbors, but Village Motorsports is trying again, this time with additional proffers.

“This public hearing has a much more narrow focus, there’s only one landowner in the situation,” said White.

The most significant proffer attached to the rezoning request, is that Carter and Village Motorsports can only use the rezoned land for up to four annual sales events and will be gated at all other times. The business is also prohibited from building or improving upon that portion of the land in the latest request. The business hours for Village Motorsports would also be restricted to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a detailed site plan would need to be submitted to the county by July 31.

“The goal is to find an outcome that benefits Mr. Carter, who has a right to rezone his land and make proffer amendments, and the neighbors, who also have legitimate concerns,” said Zody.

White said that while one public hearing applies more broadly to the county than the other, it’s important for interested citizens to show up and speak or to write in their comments and concerns.

 “Fortunately it’s easy to stay connected in this day and age,” he said. “Citizens should take the time to get involved and write or email or show up at the hearing and let their voice be heard. It’s important for citizens to get involved and take part in these matters.”

The public hearings will be held Thursday Feb. 16 beginning at 7:15 in the basement meeting room of the Gordon Building.