02FebruaryPB - Work Session tbA
4 "°s' MINUTES
1719 '�.
RANDOLPH COUNTY PLANNING BOARD
February 1, 1996
There was a special working session held at 10: 00 a.m. ,
on Thursday, February 1, 1996, of the Randolph County
Planning Board in the County Manager' s Conference Room,
County Office Building, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, North
Carolina.
1. Chairman Charles Adams called the meeting to Order.
2. Hal Johnson, Planning Director, called roll of the
members: Charles Adams, Chairman, present; Aweilda
Williams, Vice Chairman, present; Lynden Craven,
present; Bill Dorsett, present; Jim Routh, present; Tim
Poole, present; Phil Brower, absent; and Maxton
McDowell, Alternate, present.
3 . Johnson explained that this meeting was a working
session to discuss the proposed zoning ordinance and
Growth Management Plan. Johnson said that this has
been a assertive effort of the Planning Staff with
involvement from the N.C. Division of Community
Assistance, County Health Department, and County Public
Works Department. Johnson said that we used
experiences gain since countywide zoning in 1987 .
Johnson said that this is such a critical time for
Randolph County because we have experienced tremendous
growth and abstained this growth of the past ten years .
Johnson said that if the Planning Board and the Board
of Commissioners don' t take the time to look at this
issue now , no other Board will be able to because it
will be too late. The County is taking the opportunity
to develop a Growth Management Plan to assist with
determining goals and guidelines for what we want to
accomplish in Randolph County. This proposed plan is
relatively short to be a "user friendly" guide. The
Plan looks at Randolph County as a single unit divided
into growth areas :
1 . Primary Growth
2 . Secondary Growth
3 . Rural Conservation
4 . Watershed Overlay
and is designed with broad policy statements and
objectives for each of these growth areas. Johnson
presented a proposed map of these areas. Johnson said
the Rural Conservation Area has not yet been
dramatically effect by the tremendous growth, the
Secondary Growth Area has sustained more intense
primarily residential growth, and the Primary Growth
Area we believe may someday have available water and
possibly sewer lines where we would want to encourage
growth. Johnson said that the Plan deals with some
basic policies grouped into types of development
issues:
**Economic Development
**Public Infrastructure
**Industrial Development
**Commercial Development
**Office and Institutional Development
**Residential Development
**Rural Conservation and Open Space
**Environmental Quality
**Planning Coordination
This Plan will assist the County in making land use
decisions to protect the integrity of Randolph County.
4 . Johnson highlighted some areas of the proposed zoning
text.
A: RC Zoning District - is designed to protected the
aesthetics and rural areas of Randolph County.
B: Residential Subdivision Development - is one of
the most complicated development issues the County
faces. Johnson explained the change in the
definition of major subdivision from 5 lots to 4
lots; proposing overlay districts for major
subdivision development (that would not change the
underlying district character) ; and the proposed
flexible cluster subdivision development option
that promotes open space.
C: Manufactured Housing - (if approved) will be
required to be underpinned (all existing and
future manufactured homes) within one year, and
Class C Manufactured Homes will require the
issuance of a Special Use Permit (within the
proposed RC and RA Zoning Districts) and not
allowed in any other zoning district.
D: Private Roads - Johnson described this as one of
the most significant impact on develop. The
proposed regulations will reduce the number of
large 5 acre tract subdivisions.
E: Junkyard Regulations - will also effect existing
junkyards, requiring screening and buffers to be
established.
F: Outdoor Shooting Ranges - regulations have been
added in this new proposals with input from the
two gun clubs within Randolph County (Riverside
and Randolph) .
G: Storage of Scrap Tires in Residential Areas - have
been added to require a Special Use Permit
(instead of permitting storage of a high number of
tires by right) due to the problems of mosquitoes
and rats that they can cause.
H: Special Entertainment Overlay District - has been
established because there was no way to regulate
adult entertainment businesses under our current
regulations. As long as the property was zoned HC
there have been no regulations to prevent them
from being established.
Johnson told the Board that this was strictly a working
session today and that he would take the comments from
the Board and the staff would try to incorporate any
changes or additions to the proposal. Johnson said
that the Public Hearing (for the Planning Board) is
tentatively set from February 27th at 6: 30 p.m. and
then another meeting would be set for a recommendation
to be made for the Commissioners. After that meeting
the Commissioners would probably receive this
recommendation in early April.
5. Discussion from the Board:
Dorsett said he felt the Regulations concerning Storage
of Scrap Tires should effect all zoning districts not
just residential.
McDowell said he felt the proposed regulations would
made Class C manufactured housing worthless and
possibly create a junk storage situation. McDowell
said if these regulations are passed what will people
do with these homes. Johnson answered that there are
ways that this could be handled such as requiring that
the homes be certified by the Manufactured Housing
Industry or by the County Building Inspector (if they
meet a certain standard) . If the homes could not meet
this standard, then require a Special Use Permit.
Poole questioned what other counties that have
eliminate Class C Manufactured Homes have done.
Johnson said that he felt that we were receiving some
of those Class C' s from those counties. Johnson added
that there are problems with substandard housing.
McDowell asked that this regulations be looked at again
if possible. Dorsett said that he owned property in
Brunswick County and if the homes were below minimum
housing standards they would not allow them in their
county. Dorsett said he felt there should be a set of
standards that including wire, plumbing, HVAC, etc , but
also appearance criteria. Dorsett said that he was
mostly concerned that eliminating Class C' s could
effect the elderly and those that can not afford any
better. McDowell and Craven agreed. Johnson said that
the Planning Department would look at this regulation
again but that the ultimate proposal would still be to
regulation Class C' s more than our current regulations
do today.
Routh said that he felt the majority of this Ordinance
was excellent and well prepared but that he strongly
opposes both Rural Conservation Districts (along with
the volume of land this includes) and Major Subdivision
Overlay Districts . Routh said that he felt Article 4
was a very negative approach to expansion and growth,
and in his opinion the proposed Ordinance and Growth
Management Plan would eliminate or only allow minor
growth. Routh quoted a statement from Article 4,
Section 3, Paragraph Al :
"Due to the impact of large subdivisions on the
character and quality of life in rural areas , . . . "
and said that he felt this statement strong attacks the
integrity of the Development Industry. Routh said that
he disagrees with the proposed lot sizes (within
Residential Districts - mainly RC district) and
setbacks, and was not totally in agreement in the lot
width requirements . Routh present a handout addressing
low density development. Routh said that his general
opinion is that the RC Zoning District is not good from
Randolph County. Johnson said that this proposing is
not for low density development (not proposing 3 to 4
acre tract sizes) , but rather the promotion of open
space. Johnson said that the State requires a minimum
lot size of 80 , 000 sq. ft. to protect public drinking
water supplies and that we felt the private drinking
water systems , in these areas (areas that will probably
never have public water or sewer) , should be provided
the same amount of protection. Johnson presented
handouts of average lot size statistics in Randolph
County. Routh said that he is not an advocate of big
government, or regulations and restrictions - only when
the restrictions are a benefit. Routh asked if this
(RC district) is approved, how many people will we
eliminate the possibility of having the "American
Dream" for. Routh said it was his opinion that this
would mainly effect the minority, lower class , less
fortunate citizens of the County. Dorsett said that he
respected Routh a whole lot but did not totally agree
with all of his comments . Dorsett said that when he
first read this proposal (of the RC district) he
welcomed it but now feels it may be over restrictive.
Johnson asked the Board if they would like another
working session before they took this to public
hearing. This was the consensus of the Board.
Williams said that the larger lot sizes within
subdivisions did not concern her, but the concern for
her was the clear cutting of the land. Routh said he
felt the RC district would encourage clear cutting the
land so the developer could make his profit. Routh
said this would hurt us all in the long haul - from
developers to raising taxes for all county citizens .
Adams, Craven, and Dorsett said that they were not
totally against the RC district and did not want to see
it totally eliminated.
Adams said that he felt this regulation should be
looked at again but asked the Board to remember that
the term "Rural Conservation" was originally heard by
this Board by the citizens.
Johnson went over what would need to be revisited:
**Class C Manufactured Housing
**Cluster Subdivisions and lot sizes (RC district)
**Storage of Scrap Tires
6. The next working session was scheduled for Tuesday,
February 27 , 1996, at 10: 00 a.m.
7 . The meeting adjourned at 12 : 00 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Planning Direct
Date Cler.Secretary
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