Planning Board Regular Meeting

Minutes PLANNING BOARD Regular meeting 6:30 p.m. Nov. 21, 2024 Board Meeting Room of Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Frank Casadonte, Vice Chair Hooper Schultz, Jeanette Benjey, John Giglia, Sherra Lawrence, and Tiffney Marley Absent: Robert Iglesias and Christian Schmidt. Staff: Planner Molly Boyle 1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum Chair Frank Casadonte called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Planner Molly Boyle called the roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Agenda changes and approval Motion: Member Hooper Schultz moved to approve the agenda as it stands. Member John Giglia seconded. Vote: 5-0. Motion passed. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from Joint Public Hearing on Oct. 17, 2024. Motion: Schultz moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member Jeanette Benjey seconded. Vote: 5-0. Motion passed. 4. Discussion items A. 3013 Rippy Lane annexation and rezoning requests (applicant-initiated) Boyle described the annexation and rezoning request to the board, and they discussed the proposal’s potential favorably. B. Text amendment to UDO Sec. 6.18.10, Billboards (staff-initiated) Boyle summarized the text amendment presented at the Oct. 17, 2024, Joint Public Hearing. The Planning Board discussed the proposed amendment. Motion: Schultz moved to recommend approval of items 4A and 4B to the town board. Giglia seconded. Vote: 5-0. Motion passed. Member Sherra Lawrence arrived at 6:33 p.m. 5. Planning Board workshop Boyle shared a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed Planning Board basic procedures, ideas, and goals for 2025. Discussion topics included the following: 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-1270 | www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 1 of 2  PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 2 of 2  Changing the Joint Public Hearing schedule and potentially removing the Planning Board from the public hearing process,  Removing one of the vacant extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) seats from the Planning Board,  The upcoming UDO rewrite, and  Planning Board training opportunities. The Planning Board was in favor of adjusting the Joint Public Hearing schedule to February, May, August, and November. It also supported removing one of the vacant ETJ seats from the Planning Board, noting one of the seats had been vacant for years. The board indicated the public hearing process was informative and that it preferred to continue being involved. Board members also expressed strong interest in more training opportunities in 2025. 6. Updates A. Board of Adjustment Boyle reported the Board of Adjustment granted a variance from the front setback requirement at the town‘s water treatment facility. B. Parks and Recreation Board Schultz said the Parks and Recreation Board did not meet in November and would not meet in December. C. Staff and board members Boyle stated the Planning Technician position was vacant. Also, the Paliouras Tract Master Plan amendment was denied by the town board. Boyle said Senior Planner Tom King was not proceeding with the text amendment to UDO Sec. 3.8.11, Notice of Evidentiary Hearing. 7. Adjournment Motion: Giglia motioned to adjourn the meeting. Lawrence seconded. Vote: 6-0. Motion passed. Casadonte adjourned the meeting at 7:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Molly Boyle Planner II Staff support to the Planning Board Approved: January 16, 2025 Planning Board Workshop November 21, 2024 Molly Boyle, Planner II molly.boyle@hillsboroughnc.gov Planning Board Basics What is the Planning Board? • An advisory board that makes recommendations on certain planning proposals in Hillsborough’s planning jurisdiction. • Recommendations are made to the Town Board of Commissioners. The Town Board is the final approval authority. • Input from the Planning Board is valuable to the Town Board when it makes decisions.  Planning Board Duties & Functions • UDO Sec. 2.3, Planning Board establishes the Hillsborough Planning Board and lists its powers and duties. • Main, ongoing function is to help draft and/or review revisions to the following town documents: • Unified Development Ordinance (including Zoning Map) • Comprehensive Sustainability Plan (including Future Land Use Map/Plan)  Planning Board Terms and Offices • 10 members: 7 in town limits and 3 in extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ – see next slide). • Terms are 3 years. • You can serve 2 full terms in a row. After that, you must rotate off for at least 1 year. • We hold a business meeting every March to elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Parks & Rec Rep, and BOA Rep. Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) • An area drawn around the Town Limits where the Town’s jurisdiction is expected to expand and where we have zoning/development regulation authority. • Orange County has its own Planning Department, Planning Board, UDO, and Zoning Map (but no water/sewer utility).  Attendance Policy • No distinction between excused and unexcused absences. • If you miss 4 regularly scheduled meetings in a 12-month period, staff sends a letter. • If you miss 6 regularly scheduled meetings in a 12-month period, you’re automatically removed from the Planning Board. • More info in Code of Ordinances Article VIII. Meeting Prep • There are no stupid questions! Feel free to ask me questions before, during, and after meetings. • I’ll email the agenda packet out one week before the meeting. I can print you a paper copy if you prefer. • If you’re short on time and/or confused, I recommend focusing on the abstracts and the staff reports (if applicable).  Submittals you’ll see Submittals you won’t see • Rezoning requests • Subdivisions • UDO text amendments • Site plans (unless in PDD) (also rewrite) • Variances, special use • Comprehensive Plan permits, appeals (BOA) amendments • Permits UDO vs. Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive Plan vs. Unified Development Ordinance Comp Plan UDO • Visionary • Regulatory • Future (what could be) • Present (what is) • Associated with the Future • Associated with the Zoning Land Use Plan Map • Looking for consistency • Looking for compliance  Zoning Map • The Zoning Map shows the current zoning district for each parcel in the town’s jurisdiction. • The colors represent different zoning districts, which are all defined in the Unified Development Ordinance. • The zoning of a property determines which land uses are allowed on it.  Future Land Use Map • This map is associated with the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, a long-range plan that describes the town’s values and goals for the future. • The map shows how the town envisions developing in the future, usually within the next +/- 20 years. • Each color/category indicates what kind of land uses we expect to see there in the future (may not match the current zoning). Discussion Topics  Joint Public Hearings • Joint Public Hearing schedule • Currently January, April, August, and October. • Change to February, May, August, and November? • Town Board will need to weigh in too. • Do you want to be continue being involved in Joint Public Hearings? • Were more common in the area in the 1960s – 70s. Now generally overseen by Town Board alone. • Other town advisory boards don’t hold Joint Public Hearings.  Remove Seat and/or Have Alternates • NC GS § 160D-307, Extraterritorial representation on boards requires “proportional representation” from ETJ on appointed boards. Statutes don’t specify exactly what “proportional” means. • UDO establishes 10 Planning Board seats. Based on GIS and tax data analyzed earlier this year, proportional representation would be 7 in- town and 2 ETJ (not 3 ETJ). • Options: o Leave as-is (proportionate enough) o Remove one ETJ seat, leaving 7 in-town and 2 ETJ seats o Consider having alternates. Would still have 10 members, but alternates would just fill in when a regular member was absent.  UDO Rewrite • Request for Proposals posted last week. Closes on Jan. 8, 2025. Anticipate signing contract in February 2025. • We’re assuming a two-year timeline, but the project schedule is TBD with consultant. • We’ll discuss the project more in 2025, but staff’s vision is: o Modern (does not necessarily mean more urban) o User-friendly o Pared down o More graphics/graphic organizers Planning Board Training • Looking into training opportunities for you in 2025 (e.g., webinars, recommended reading, staff-led training, UNC SOG-led training). • Send any training ideas to molly.boyle@hillsboroughnc.gov and/or shannan.campbell@hillsboroughnc.gov.