Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This fall, the Orange County Commissioners are scheduled to approve a new Comprehensive Plan; the first such vote in nearly thirty years! If you work, live or own land in Orange County, the Plan affects you; it sets a vision for how the county will develop over the next 20 years.
Please take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of Orange County by voicing your interests and concerns to the Orange County Planning Board and County Commissioners.
Once adopted, the new Comprehensive Plan will begin to impact decisions about our tax base, the kind of jobs and housing created in the county, where new development will occur, what that development will look like, and how we will move about the county.
The draft Comprehensive Plan expresses a desire that growth be sustainable, but Orange County needs to hear from the public about how sustainability should be put into practice. For example, if you think Orange County needs more public transportation options or more mixed-use developments, let them know!
Public comments received this summer will have the most impact. There are two main ways to provide input: 1) submit written comments to the Planning Board before their next regular meeting on July 9 and 2) attend the August 25 Public Hearing and address the County Commissioners directly.
Written comments may be sent via email (CompPlanUpdate@co.orange.nc.us) or postal mail (Orange County Planning Board, Attn: Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor, Orange County Planning and Inspections Department, 306-F Revere Rd., PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278). Comments received after July 9 but before August 13 will be seen by the County Commissioners and Planning Board before the August 25 Public Hearing.
The Comprehensive Plan guides the policy framework for a wide range of issues including land use, transportation, economic development, housing, energy conservation and production, and environmental protection. The County maintains a website for the Comprehensive Plan update. The draft plan is available in its entirety here (warning: large file!). To view specific sections of the draft plan, click on the links below.
Table of Contents
Plan Overview
Commissioners’ Planning Principles
Economic Development Element
Housing Element
Land Use Element
Natural and Cultural Systems Element
Parks and Recreation Element
Services and Facilities Element
Transportation Element
Appendices
This message is brought to you by the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition, a group of 9 local organizations that joined together to monitor and give input on the Comprehensive Plan update. At our website, you can find our Vision Statement, the written comments we've submitted to date, and a list of participating groups. Our work is made possible in part by generous support from the Strowd Roses Foundation.
Throughout this summer, the Coalition will provide public education about the Comprehensive Plan at several community events. To be notified of these events, please email cpufeedback@gmail.com or call Rita Leadem at (919) 923-2535.
Thank you for your interest in the future of Orange County!
The Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition
Coalition Site
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
DROUGHT RELATED "POWERPOINT" PRESENTATIONS
Presentations from recent Drought Information Workshops presented by the Orange County H2Orange Committee are located at:
www.h2Orange.org
Note: the last two presentations are similar to what was used at the CAN Symposium, "Water: The Cycle of Life."
1. Water Resources in Orange County presented by Dave Stancil, ERCD Director, Orange County
2. Hydrogeology of Orange County presented by Rick Bolich, NCDENR, Division of Water Quality
3. Groundwater Wells and the Drought presented by Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Director, Orange County
www.h2Orange.org
Note: the last two presentations are similar to what was used at the CAN Symposium, "Water: The Cycle of Life."
1. Water Resources in Orange County presented by Dave Stancil, ERCD Director, Orange County
2. Hydrogeology of Orange County presented by Rick Bolich, NCDENR, Division of Water Quality
3. Groundwater Wells and the Drought presented by Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Director, Orange County
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
GROUND WATER IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
With reference to conditions in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Provinces
Charles C. Daniel, March 2008
SUMMARY
1. Ground water is the most abundant available fresh water resource.
2. Ground-water systems store water and transmit water. Thus, a ground¬water system serves both as reservoir and conduit.
3. The aquifer system in Orange County is a two-part system composed of fractured bedrock overlain nearly everywhere by regolith.
4. Most ground water in the County is stored in the regolith. The average
saturated thickness of regolith is about 27 ft. On average, available water in
storage in the regolith is slightly less than 1 million gal/acre.
5. The saturated thickness of regolith varies with topographic setting and hydrogeologic unit.
6. Ground water in storage is less affected by drought than surface water.
7. Ground water is recharged by the infiltration of precipitation in upland areas.
Mean ground-water recharge in Orange County, based on data from 12 rainage basins, is 365 (gal/day)/acre.
8. Recharge varies seasonally with precipitation and evapotranspiration.
9. Ground water in Orange County is obtained primarily from wells.
10. The average well yield in Orange County is 17.6 gal/min. 90 percent of all
wells yield more than 2 gal/min, and half of all wells yield more than 10 gal/min.
11. Two areas in the county contain wells with maximum yields ranging from
25 gal/min to more than 100 gal/min. There areas are in the northwestern and
southwestern parts of the County.
Charles C. Daniel, March 2008
SUMMARY
1. Ground water is the most abundant available fresh water resource.
2. Ground-water systems store water and transmit water. Thus, a ground¬water system serves both as reservoir and conduit.
3. The aquifer system in Orange County is a two-part system composed of fractured bedrock overlain nearly everywhere by regolith.
4. Most ground water in the County is stored in the regolith. The average
saturated thickness of regolith is about 27 ft. On average, available water in
storage in the regolith is slightly less than 1 million gal/acre.
5. The saturated thickness of regolith varies with topographic setting and hydrogeologic unit.
6. Ground water in storage is less affected by drought than surface water.
7. Ground water is recharged by the infiltration of precipitation in upland areas.
Mean ground-water recharge in Orange County, based on data from 12 rainage basins, is 365 (gal/day)/acre.
8. Recharge varies seasonally with precipitation and evapotranspiration.
9. Ground water in Orange County is obtained primarily from wells.
10. The average well yield in Orange County is 17.6 gal/min. 90 percent of all
wells yield more than 2 gal/min, and half of all wells yield more than 10 gal/min.
11. Two areas in the county contain wells with maximum yields ranging from
25 gal/min to more than 100 gal/min. There areas are in the northwestern and
southwestern parts of the County.
Water Conservation Landscape Practices and Rain Barrel Resources
From Frank Hyman www.frankhyman.com
Practices:
1) Put the right plant in the right place and group plants with similar water requirements together: dry land plants together in sunny, dry sites and plants that need regular moisture together in low areas that stay wetter longer. Get a copy of The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists to help you group plants this way.
2) Put your lawn on a diet. We have a fescue "lawnlet" of less then 150 square feet that is easy to maintain. Look for my articles about lawnlets at www.carolinagardener.com and www.indyweek.com.
3) Spend the time and/or money necessary to design and install an effective irrigation system that conserves water. Soaker hoses are good for about a year to get plants established. If plants are chosen well (see item #1) then they won't need much, if any irrigation after getting established in the first calendar year. Rain barrels and cisterns are going to become standard for watering gardens. Open top rain barrels made from wooden barrels (and fed by rain chains) are good for
dipping a watering can into so you can water containers.
4) Boost the ability of the soil to hold water longer by incorporating organic matter such as shredded leaves or pine bark. In sandy soils, Perma-Till will boost the water holding capacity a great deal. In clay soils, not so much.
5) Mulch, mulch, and then top it off with some more mulch. If sunlight can strike your soil, it will cook the moisture right out of it and kill lots of plants. The smartest, most cost-effective mulch is a 2-3 inch layer of tree leaves shredded by a lawnmower. Rake the leaves onto a tarp and carry them to a work area where you can run a mower over them (set the wheels high, so the mower doesn't stall out). You'll save money and your back by not having to bend over to put the leaves in bags to be hauled off, and you'll also save money by not buying mulch that has been shipped at a great expense of fossil fuel that accelerates climate change. For desert or Mediterranean plants, you can use a 2" layer of attractive gravel as permanent mulch. Plants from these environments think a summer drought is normal and aren't as reliant on having organic matter added to the soil each year. Visit the Mad Hatter restaurant next to Whole Foods in Durham to see one of my Mediterranean gardens with a gravel mulch.
Resources:
www.gardenwatersaver.com Source for a terrific downspout diverter that lets you put rain barrels out of sight and some distance away from the rain barrel. Also redirects any overflow water back to the downspout.
www.irrigation.learnabout.info Site teaches about making homemade rain barrels.
www.rainwatersolutions.com Local source for rain barrels and cisterns.
www.kentuckybarrels.com Source for wooden rain barrels.
www.Rainbarrelman.com This guy makes kits to make your plastic rain barrel look like a wooden rain barrel.
www.waterrecycling.com Local contractor for large scale storm water management.
FORMULA TO CALCULATE GALLONS OF WATER PER SQUARE FEET OF ROOF One inch of rain = 675 gallons from 1,000 square feet of roof
To calculate number of gallons from 50 square feet of roof:
675 x 50 divided by 1000 = 33.75 gallons'
Practices:
1) Put the right plant in the right place and group plants with similar water requirements together: dry land plants together in sunny, dry sites and plants that need regular moisture together in low areas that stay wetter longer. Get a copy of The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists to help you group plants this way.
2) Put your lawn on a diet. We have a fescue "lawnlet" of less then 150 square feet that is easy to maintain. Look for my articles about lawnlets at www.carolinagardener.com and www.indyweek.com.
3) Spend the time and/or money necessary to design and install an effective irrigation system that conserves water. Soaker hoses are good for about a year to get plants established. If plants are chosen well (see item #1) then they won't need much, if any irrigation after getting established in the first calendar year. Rain barrels and cisterns are going to become standard for watering gardens. Open top rain barrels made from wooden barrels (and fed by rain chains) are good for
dipping a watering can into so you can water containers.
4) Boost the ability of the soil to hold water longer by incorporating organic matter such as shredded leaves or pine bark. In sandy soils, Perma-Till will boost the water holding capacity a great deal. In clay soils, not so much.
5) Mulch, mulch, and then top it off with some more mulch. If sunlight can strike your soil, it will cook the moisture right out of it and kill lots of plants. The smartest, most cost-effective mulch is a 2-3 inch layer of tree leaves shredded by a lawnmower. Rake the leaves onto a tarp and carry them to a work area where you can run a mower over them (set the wheels high, so the mower doesn't stall out). You'll save money and your back by not having to bend over to put the leaves in bags to be hauled off, and you'll also save money by not buying mulch that has been shipped at a great expense of fossil fuel that accelerates climate change. For desert or Mediterranean plants, you can use a 2" layer of attractive gravel as permanent mulch. Plants from these environments think a summer drought is normal and aren't as reliant on having organic matter added to the soil each year. Visit the Mad Hatter restaurant next to Whole Foods in Durham to see one of my Mediterranean gardens with a gravel mulch.
Resources:
www.gardenwatersaver.com Source for a terrific downspout diverter that lets you put rain barrels out of sight and some distance away from the rain barrel. Also redirects any overflow water back to the downspout.
www.irrigation.learnabout.info Site teaches about making homemade rain barrels.
www.rainwatersolutions.com Local source for rain barrels and cisterns.
www.kentuckybarrels.com Source for wooden rain barrels.
www.Rainbarrelman.com This guy makes kits to make your plastic rain barrel look like a wooden rain barrel.
www.waterrecycling.com Local contractor for large scale storm water management.
FORMULA TO CALCULATE GALLONS OF WATER PER SQUARE FEET OF ROOF One inch of rain = 675 gallons from 1,000 square feet of roof
To calculate number of gallons from 50 square feet of roof:
675 x 50 divided by 1000 = 33.75 gallons'
RESOURCES FOR WATER CONSERVATION
Landscaping:
www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm, NCSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Dept. /NC Cooperative Extension/Water publications/Water Use - "Wise Water Use in Landscaping"; "Drought Tolerant Plants"; "Efficient Irrigation" plus more like subjects. Also, /Storm Water - "Designing Rain Gardens" a good way to slow down water in your landscape.
www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/CIL/WRRI/uwc/xeriscape.pdf, "Xeriscape in North Carolina" published by NC Water Resources Research Institute, has list of plants for dry condition and how to create a drought tolerant landscape.
www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/. Natural Resources Conservation Service "Water Conservation in Your Backyard"
www.ces.ncsu.edu. NC Cooperative Extension/Lawn and Garden/Drought Information/ Extension's Successful Gardener; publications "Dealing with Drought", "Water Use and Landscaping", "Gardener's Guide to Protecting Water Quality" plus more like subjects.
www.smarthomeowner.com/archives "Eco-Landscaping" article
Books:
"Gardening with Native Plants of the South" by Sally&/Andy Wasowski
"Southern Gardener's Book of Lists" by Lois Trigg Chaplin
"The Dry Garden" by Beth Chatto
Rain Water Harvesting: rain barrels & cisterns
www.rainwatersolutions.com Rain Water Solutions; Durham NC -residential, commercial
www.braewater.com Brae Water; Oakboro, .NC - residential, commercial
Water Conservation:
www.watermgt.com Water Management, Inc. - water and energy conservation for businesses, housing, individuals; Alexandria, VA
www.siemens.com Siemens Water Technology - water conservation for businesses; branch in Durham, NC
www.americanwater.com Water Saving Tips
www.h2orange.org Orange County Information
Reports:
www.nicholas.duke.edu/drought - Bill Holman articles www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute/waterreport.pdf The Future of Water in North Carolina, Strategies for Sustaining Abundant and Clean Water, 11/07
Climate Change:
www.ncsu.edu/wrri/publications/SECimate-Aug.2007.pdf, report by NC Water Resources Research Institute "What Experts Say about Affects of Climate Change on
Rainfall and Stream Flow in NC". .
www.nicholas.duke.edu -RobertJacksonpresentation.1/8/08 Durham Town Hall Drought Meeting, 1/8/08
www.emergingissues.org -Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel Laureate lecture, .Raleigh, .NC. 2/12/08
www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm, NCSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Dept. /NC Cooperative Extension/Water publications/Water Use - "Wise Water Use in Landscaping"; "Drought Tolerant Plants"; "Efficient Irrigation" plus more like subjects. Also, /Storm Water - "Designing Rain Gardens" a good way to slow down water in your landscape.
www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/CIL/WRRI/uwc/xeriscape.pdf, "Xeriscape in North Carolina" published by NC Water Resources Research Institute, has list of plants for dry condition and how to create a drought tolerant landscape.
www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/. Natural Resources Conservation Service "Water Conservation in Your Backyard"
www.ces.ncsu.edu. NC Cooperative Extension/Lawn and Garden/Drought Information/ Extension's Successful Gardener; publications "Dealing with Drought", "Water Use and Landscaping", "Gardener's Guide to Protecting Water Quality" plus more like subjects.
www.smarthomeowner.com/archives "Eco-Landscaping" article
Books:
"Gardening with Native Plants of the South" by Sally&/Andy Wasowski
"Southern Gardener's Book of Lists" by Lois Trigg Chaplin
"The Dry Garden" by Beth Chatto
Rain Water Harvesting: rain barrels & cisterns
www.rainwatersolutions.com Rain Water Solutions; Durham NC -residential, commercial
www.braewater.com Brae Water; Oakboro, .NC - residential, commercial
Water Conservation:
www.watermgt.com Water Management, Inc. - water and energy conservation for businesses, housing, individuals; Alexandria, VA
www.siemens.com Siemens Water Technology - water conservation for businesses; branch in Durham, NC
www.americanwater.com Water Saving Tips
www.h2orange.org Orange County Information
Reports:
www.nicholas.duke.edu/drought - Bill Holman articles www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute/waterreport.pdf The Future of Water in North Carolina, Strategies for Sustaining Abundant and Clean Water, 11/07
Climate Change:
www.ncsu.edu/wrri/publications/SECimate-Aug.2007.pdf, report by NC Water Resources Research Institute "What Experts Say about Affects of Climate Change on
Rainfall and Stream Flow in NC". .
www.nicholas.duke.edu -RobertJacksonpresentation.1/8/08 Durham Town Hall Drought Meeting, 1/8/08
www.emergingissues.org -Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel Laureate lecture, .Raleigh, .NC. 2/12/08
Monday, March 10, 2008
EVENT PHOTOS
Thanks to all who came Sunday to CAN's WATER: THE CYCLE OF LIFE, "A Water Resources and the Future of Orange County Symposium."
OF COURSE WE SERVED WATER!
THE CROWD
RICK BOLICK PRESENTING
THE PANEL
Mr. Rick Bolich, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources,; Dr. Charles Daniel, III, Consulting Hydrogeologist; Mr. Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Director, Orange County Health Department; and Mr. Pat Davis, Utility Manager, OWASA
QUESTION TIME
ALICE GORDON, ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONER; RICK BOLICH; AND CHARLES DANIEL
Sunday, February 24, 2008
WATER: THE CYCLE of LIFE
"A Water Resources and the Future of Orange County Symposium"
Sunday, March 9, 2008
2:30 - 4:30 PM
Do you have questions and concerns about the current and future affect of the drought on our reservoir and well water supply? If you do, then come to a program where a distinguished group of water resource experts will help us understand these complex issues. Charles Daniel, Pat Davis, Tom Konsler, and Rick Bolich will make presentations Sunday March 9th from 2:30 to 4:30 at the Southern Human Services Building on Homestead Rd. in Chapel Hill.
The Community Action Network (CAN), whose mission is to raise public awareness for a sustainable community, is sponsoring “Water the Cycle of Life — A Water Resources and Future of Orange County Symposium.” Charles Daniel and Rick Bolich are hydro-geologists who will help us understand how our water supply is replenished and show of results of the “Orange County Water Resource Studies” completed by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Mr. Daniel conducted the Orange County USGS research and Mr. Bolich of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, conducted drought workshops for Orange County citizens this past summer and fall.
Pat Davis, OWASA Utility Manager and past Triangle J Water Resources Manager, will show us the state of the municipal water supply, recent research findings, and the efforts implemented to protect our local water quality. Tom Konsler, Orange County Environmental Health Director, will provide information on the health and care of wells and ground water in Orange County.
All of the speakers will share their ideas on what we can do to conserve the quantity and protect the quality of our water resources. Orange County is fortunate to have had our water resources studied and protected more than any other county in the state.
So come on out and bring your friends and neighbors with you! We all need to learn more about the status of our water and we also must know what each of us can do to conserve and protect our precious water resource.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
2:30 - 4:30 PM
Do you have questions and concerns about the current and future affect of the drought on our reservoir and well water supply? If you do, then come to a program where a distinguished group of water resource experts will help us understand these complex issues. Charles Daniel, Pat Davis, Tom Konsler, and Rick Bolich will make presentations Sunday March 9th from 2:30 to 4:30 at the Southern Human Services Building on Homestead Rd. in Chapel Hill.
The Community Action Network (CAN), whose mission is to raise public awareness for a sustainable community, is sponsoring “Water the Cycle of Life — A Water Resources and Future of Orange County Symposium.” Charles Daniel and Rick Bolich are hydro-geologists who will help us understand how our water supply is replenished and show of results of the “Orange County Water Resource Studies” completed by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Mr. Daniel conducted the Orange County USGS research and Mr. Bolich of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, conducted drought workshops for Orange County citizens this past summer and fall.
Pat Davis, OWASA Utility Manager and past Triangle J Water Resources Manager, will show us the state of the municipal water supply, recent research findings, and the efforts implemented to protect our local water quality. Tom Konsler, Orange County Environmental Health Director, will provide information on the health and care of wells and ground water in Orange County.
All of the speakers will share their ideas on what we can do to conserve the quantity and protect the quality of our water resources. Orange County is fortunate to have had our water resources studied and protected more than any other county in the state.
So come on out and bring your friends and neighbors with you! We all need to learn more about the status of our water and we also must know what each of us can do to conserve and protect our precious water resource.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Y'ALL COME!
Here is the info and agenda for the public input session on the Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive Plan Public Input Session January 28, 2008 7:00 PM
Southern Human Services Center
Anticipated Attendance: Public, representatives of Element Lead Advisory Boards (ELAB), Element Managers, and Consultant.
Desired Outcomes
. Attendees understand the status of the Comprehensive Plan Update.
. Public has an additional opportunity for public input.
. County collects additional public input for Consultant, County Staff, and ELAB members to use as an additional resource for the development of the draft Comprehensive Plan Update.
Groundrules
. Begin and adjourn on time . One speaker at a time
. Stick to task and topic
. Share the floor
.Listen attentively
.It is OK to disagree.. .please do so respectfully
(For the Break Out Session, eight stations, one for each Element to be completed during Phase II and one for the overall process, are provided around the room.)
Agenda
7:00 Convene
Welcome
Introductions
7:05 Comprehensive Plan Update Public Briefing .
Presentation by Roger Waldon, Clarion Associates. .
Status of Plan update.
7:20 Next Steps in the Comprehensive Plan Update Process
. Presentation by Tom Altieri.. Comprehensive Planning Supervisor.
. Explanation of what Consultant, staff: and ELAB members will do with the input provided and what the immediate next couple of steps are in the update process.
7 :25 Open Discussion
. Public encouraged to provide input on Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents and convey
any ideas they may have on Objectives to address each of the Plan's Goals. Table of Contents and Goals available online at:
www.co.orange.nc.us/planning/compre_cpupdate.asp#Key
. Staff and Consultant in the mode to listen and document rather than respond.
. Responses to clarify the process for updating the Plan may be necessary.
8:10 Break Out Session
. Public may visit stations around the room for one-on-one with Element Managers and ELAB
representatives.
. Comment cards made available at each station for any written comments.
. Element Managers and ELAB representatives document any new or additional comments
heard.
8:50 Reconvene
. Element Managers and ELAB" representatives share any new or additional comments not
heard during "Open Discussion". No need to echo what may have already been stated.
9:00 Adjourn
Comprehensive Plan Public Input Session January 28, 2008 7:00 PM
Southern Human Services Center
Anticipated Attendance: Public, representatives of Element Lead Advisory Boards (ELAB), Element Managers, and Consultant.
Desired Outcomes
. Attendees understand the status of the Comprehensive Plan Update.
. Public has an additional opportunity for public input.
. County collects additional public input for Consultant, County Staff, and ELAB members to use as an additional resource for the development of the draft Comprehensive Plan Update.
Groundrules
. Begin and adjourn on time . One speaker at a time
. Stick to task and topic
. Share the floor
.Listen attentively
.It is OK to disagree.. .please do so respectfully
(For the Break Out Session, eight stations, one for each Element to be completed during Phase II and one for the overall process, are provided around the room.)
Agenda
7:00 Convene
Welcome
Introductions
7:05 Comprehensive Plan Update Public Briefing .
Presentation by Roger Waldon, Clarion Associates. .
Status of Plan update.
7:20 Next Steps in the Comprehensive Plan Update Process
. Presentation by Tom Altieri.. Comprehensive Planning Supervisor.
. Explanation of what Consultant, staff: and ELAB members will do with the input provided and what the immediate next couple of steps are in the update process.
7 :25 Open Discussion
. Public encouraged to provide input on Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents and convey
any ideas they may have on Objectives to address each of the Plan's Goals. Table of Contents and Goals available online at:
www.co.orange.nc.us/planning/compre_cpupdate.asp#Key
. Staff and Consultant in the mode to listen and document rather than respond.
. Responses to clarify the process for updating the Plan may be necessary.
8:10 Break Out Session
. Public may visit stations around the room for one-on-one with Element Managers and ELAB
representatives.
. Comment cards made available at each station for any written comments.
. Element Managers and ELAB representatives document any new or additional comments
heard.
8:50 Reconvene
. Element Managers and ELAB" representatives share any new or additional comments not
heard during "Open Discussion". No need to echo what may have already been stated.
9:00 Adjourn
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Note: this opinion piece was submitted to the local media by Fred Black and Adam Klein, Director of Government Relations and Economic Development at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
What’s a comprehensive plan and why should you care about the one being developed for Orange County? Excellent questions both, and citizens deserve good answers.
A comprehensive plan serves as a public document that guides policy decisions pertaining to a wide range of local issues, from housing to economic development to transportation. The current Orange County Land Use-Comprehensive Plan was developed in 1981 and only intended to cover 20 years. Given this, County staff have embarked on an update process, begun in 2006, to gather public opinion and data for inclusion in a new plan.
Maybe comprehensive plans often receive so little citizen attention because people don’t know about them until they are approved. There are many things competing for our attention and this is just one, but comprehensive plans play an extremely important role in shaping the long-term future of a community and therefore, should grab our attention.
We are writing to encourage you to voice your opinion at an important public input session that will be held in Chapel Hill at the Southern Human Services Building on Monday, January 28 at 7:00 pm. The input session will begin with a formal time for citizens to speak at a podium about what they would like to see in the plan.
Afterward, County staff will be stationed throughout the room, each representing one of the seven plan elements: Economic Development, Housing, Land Use, Natural and Cultural Systems, Recreation and Parks, Services/Utilities and Community Facilities, and Transportation. During this period, staff will be in a listening mode giving County residents a chance to talk about important goals they desire to see included within each of the elements.
Therefore, we hope citizens will come out to provide input and help shape the seven Plan elements that will guide our County’s future. We think it is important for the plan to reflect the collective opinions and visions of Orange County residents.
The Community Action Network (CAN) and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce are two of the seven members of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition, a broad coalition of community and business organizations, which—in addition to encouraging public participation in the planning process—is interested in ensuring the Comprehensive Plan Update engender sustainable, just and equitable outcomes.
CAN and the Chamber both believe that the Comprehensive Plan needs to be an affirming document, directing appropriate forms of commercial and residential development to designated areas. Further, CAN and the Chamber believe it is important that the Comprehensive Plan recommend enabling ordinances and administrative mechanisms that encourage, reward, and expedite desirable development.
Your participation in forging Orange County’s goals is important, and we all know what happens if we as citizens fail to participate. If you are interested in learning more about the Comprehensive Plan Update Process please visit the County’s dedicated website at: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/planning/compre_cpupdate.asp. If you would like to provide feedback to the Comprehensive Plan Coalition or find out more information please send an email to the following address: cpufeedback@gmail.com
What’s a comprehensive plan and why should you care about the one being developed for Orange County? Excellent questions both, and citizens deserve good answers.
A comprehensive plan serves as a public document that guides policy decisions pertaining to a wide range of local issues, from housing to economic development to transportation. The current Orange County Land Use-Comprehensive Plan was developed in 1981 and only intended to cover 20 years. Given this, County staff have embarked on an update process, begun in 2006, to gather public opinion and data for inclusion in a new plan.
Maybe comprehensive plans often receive so little citizen attention because people don’t know about them until they are approved. There are many things competing for our attention and this is just one, but comprehensive plans play an extremely important role in shaping the long-term future of a community and therefore, should grab our attention.
We are writing to encourage you to voice your opinion at an important public input session that will be held in Chapel Hill at the Southern Human Services Building on Monday, January 28 at 7:00 pm. The input session will begin with a formal time for citizens to speak at a podium about what they would like to see in the plan.
Afterward, County staff will be stationed throughout the room, each representing one of the seven plan elements: Economic Development, Housing, Land Use, Natural and Cultural Systems, Recreation and Parks, Services/Utilities and Community Facilities, and Transportation. During this period, staff will be in a listening mode giving County residents a chance to talk about important goals they desire to see included within each of the elements.
Therefore, we hope citizens will come out to provide input and help shape the seven Plan elements that will guide our County’s future. We think it is important for the plan to reflect the collective opinions and visions of Orange County residents.
The Community Action Network (CAN) and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce are two of the seven members of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition, a broad coalition of community and business organizations, which—in addition to encouraging public participation in the planning process—is interested in ensuring the Comprehensive Plan Update engender sustainable, just and equitable outcomes.
CAN and the Chamber both believe that the Comprehensive Plan needs to be an affirming document, directing appropriate forms of commercial and residential development to designated areas. Further, CAN and the Chamber believe it is important that the Comprehensive Plan recommend enabling ordinances and administrative mechanisms that encourage, reward, and expedite desirable development.
Your participation in forging Orange County’s goals is important, and we all know what happens if we as citizens fail to participate. If you are interested in learning more about the Comprehensive Plan Update Process please visit the County’s dedicated website at: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/planning/compre_cpupdate.asp. If you would like to provide feedback to the Comprehensive Plan Coalition or find out more information please send an email to the following address: cpufeedback@gmail.com
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