It took two years, but new ordinances approved Monday in Chatham County will dictate the size and location of the developments in order to decrease pollution, control growth and keep the rustic feel of the county.

"This was long overdue because Chatham County is experience a great deal of growth," said County Commission Chairman George Lucier, who pulled for the changes.

County Commission Chairman George Lucier said that this neighborhood of about 500 houses, for example, is too close to Jordan Lake. The new rules would cut down on the number of homes in the area and move the entire development away from the water to prevent runoff from polluting the lakes.

Lucier said the main goal of these new and amended ordinances is to help preserve the environment including the Haw River and Jordan Lake.

But how do the developers feel about all these changes? Nick Robinson is a lawyer that represents many developers in the area. He said they like the clarity of the rules but there are concerns.

"Most of our clients are a little leery of the new processes, how long it will take and how expensive they might be," Robinson said.

Lucier said the commission will work with developers to make additional changes once the plans for new projects are presented.

Highlights of the adopted ordinances and regulations include:

Subdivision Regulations

• Increased citizen and neighbor input, especially early in the process, which allows the developer to identify and address major concerns before substantial investments of time and money have been made.
• Expanded the process to four steps (concept, first plat, construction plan, and final plat) with more time for a thorough review by the Planning Board.
• Provided more coordination with related county boards, such as the Environmental Review Board.
• Established rewards for innovative designs, such as developments that meet environmentally-friendly conservation standards.
• Permitted higher density clustering for conservation developments, which must provide specified amounts of open space and provide enhanced protection of wildlife corridors, identified natural areas, stream buffers and floodplains.
• Encouraged road connectivity between subdivisions to ease traffic and promote public safety.
• Increased completion of improvements before bonding of developments to protect taxpayers and the environment.
• Clarified information to be submitted when an environmental impact assessment is required for developments with at least 25 lots/units and two acres of disturbance for development.

Zoning Ordinance
• Created three new business zoning districts (neighborhood, community and regional), but no additional land in the county was zoned or rezoned as part of the revisions.
• Reserved a fourth rural/agricultural zoning district that will be developed with input from the county's Agricultural Advisory Committee.
• Created a Table of Uses in a user-friendly format to show allowed uses for each zoning classification.
• Made no changes to districts for light industrial, heavy industrial and compact communities.
• Established new landscaping and buffer guidelines for specific uses, based on recommendations of the Appearance Commission.
• Reduced the maximum square footage allowed for accessory buildings for home-occupied parcels, with a cap of 1,000 square feet for neighborhoods and 2,500 square feet for rural areas.
• Called for making zoning district boundaries and locations available through county's geographic information system (GIS) database.
• Clarified information to be submitted when an environmental impact assessment is required for developments with at least 25 lots/units and two acres of disturbance for development.

Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control Ordinance
• Required those disturbing 20,000 square feet of land (reduced from one acre) to submit a soil erosion & sedimentation control plan to the county and obtain a land disturbing permit; also required new home construction disturbing up to 25,000 square feet to obtain a residential lot disturbance permit.
• Provided additional standards for land disturbance activities on steep and moderate slopes, with the maximum slope defined for graded areas.
• Reduced the timeframe for stabilizing exposed soil to 15 days (shorter time for steep and moderate slopes).
• Authorized the county to issue a "stop work" order and to revoke a land-disturbing permit if the site is not in compliance.
• Revised requirements for certificates of compliance and completion.
• Required additional documentation for agriculture and forestry activities.
• Ensured consistency with Watershed Ordinance and Stormwater Ordinance standards.

Stormwater Ordinance (new)
• Required all development disturbing 20,000 square feet of land to comply, but with exemptions for: single-family residences; agricultural, forestry and horticultural activities; emergency operations; and projects already approved by the county.
• Provided stormwater system design standards that include using best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater management after development. The standards address both water quality and water quantity issues.
• Defined the owner(s) responsible for stormwater BMPs, required maintenance agreements to be recorded on the deed, and required annual inspection reports to the county (quarterly reports for first year only).
• Required pipes and other water carrying structures to meet state DOT standards, as a minimum.
• Allowed reduced stormwater management requirements for alternative designs, such as low-impact developments and small subdivisions.
• Required that stormwater plans must be developed by a registered professional engineer or landscape architect.
• Allowed the Board of Commissioners to set fees for reviewing plans and issuing approvals.
• Identified substances are prohibited and allowed to be discharged into receiving streams.
• Gave the county the option to establish a stormwater utility in the future, if needed.

Watershed Protection
• Allowed higher density for developments that meet conservation requirements, as defined in the revised subdivision regulations.