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Pittsboro staff proposes new industrial-to-residential buffer standards; commission continues review to Feb. 24
Summary
Planning staff proposed UDO amendments that would require new landscape buffer yards between industrial and agricultural/residential uses (two level‑D options: 35‑ft/4‑ft berm for lower buildings; 50‑ft/6‑ft berm for taller structures), layered plantings and maintenance requirements; commissioners continued the item for further refinement.
Town planning staff presented draft amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance to establish clearer landscape buffer standards between industrial uses and neighboring agricultural or residential properties.
Key features of the draft include: referencing existing use in buffer determinations (so residential uses outside the town’s zoning jurisdiction are considered), two types of level‑D buffer yards depending on building height (a 35‑foot wide buffer with a 4‑foot berm for structures under 30 feet, and a 50‑foot wide buffer with a 6‑foot berm for taller structures), minimum tree caliper at planting (2.5 inches) with mature heights targeted at 12–16 feet, grouped and layered plantings (evergreens and shade trees plus dense shrubs), a maintenance and replacement requirement (replacement typically required within a year if plantings fail), and flexibility for the Technical Advisory Committee to design a comparable buffer when strict application cannot be met.
Commissioners probed details including berm slopes (noted 3:1 maximum), shrub sizes (minimum 18 inches/3-gallon), how to define ‘‘large’’ shrubs, and whether buffer standards should scale with linear frontage versus parcel acreage. Several commissioners asked staff to identify specific recommended evergreen species and to tighten planting-caliper and height guidance. Given those unresolved specifics, the commission voted to continue the item to its Feb. 24 meeting to allow staff to provide clarified species lists, caliper/height guidance and scaled options.
