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RZON2011 -00003 Highway 24/27 LLC Feasibility of future development under the requested rezoning should take into account natural resources considerations addressed in the following comments. The 2008 Yadkin -Pee Dee River Basinwide Water Quailty Plan includes the following guidelines for the Rocky River sub -basin which includes the headwaters of Horton Branch on the subject property: "All reasonable efforts to reduce or eliminate human source of erosion should be implemented immediately. Local commitment from town and county leaders to require low impact development for all new construction will also help to prevent further degradation in this watershed." This plan includes a section on the planning considerations for headwaters streams such as those that exist on the subject site. This plan contains the following specific recommendations: Basin Scale (Implemented by Town, County, and State Governments) 1. Characterize the watersheds within a basin as developed or undeveloped, identifying the watersheds that are currently less than 10 percent impervious and those that are more than ten percent impervious. 2. Focus new construction projects to the already developed watersheds first. Then assign any construction that cannot be accommodated in developed watersheds to a limited number of undeveloped watersheds. The watersheds to be developed should be determined by their ecological importance and by other regional growth considerations, such as the value of terrestrial ecosystems, the economic development potential as determined by proximity to roads and rail lines, and the disposition of landowners in the area toward land preservation and development. 3. Adopt policies that maintain impervious surfaces in undeveloped watersheds at less than ten percent. These can include private conservation easements, purchase of development rights, infrastructure planning, urban service boundaries, rural zoning (20 -200 acres per unit, depending on the area), and urban growth boundaries. 4. Ensure that local governments develop land use plans to provide adequate land for future development within developed or developing watersheds. Neighborhood Scale (Implemented by Town and County Governments) 1. Allow residential densities that support transit, reduce vehicle trips per household and minimize land consumption. The minimum density for new development should be seven to ten net units per acre. 2. Require block densities that support walking and reduce the length of vehicle trips. Cities that support walking and transit often have more than 100 blocks per square mile. 3. Connect the street network by requiring subdivision road systems to link to adjacent subdivisions. 4. Integrate houses with stores, civic buildings, neighborhood recreational facilities, and other daily or weekly destinations. 5. Incorporate pedestrian and bike facilities (greenways) into new development and ensure these systems provide for inter - neighborhood travel. 6. Encourage and require other design features and public facilities that accommodate and support walking by creating neighborhoods with a pleasing scale and appearance. (e.g., short front -yard setbacks, neighborhood parks, alleys, and architectural and material quality) Site Scale (Implemented by Individual Property Owners, Developers, and Town and County Governments) 1. Require application of the most effective structural stormwater practices, especially focusing on hot spots such as high - volume streets, gas stations, and parking lots. 2. Establish buffers and setbacks that are appropriate for the area to be developed — more extensive in undeveloped watersheds than in developed watersheds. In developed watersheds, buffers and setbacks should be reconciled to other urban design needs such as density and a connected street network. Attachment number 1 G -1 Page 240