20180214 Ver 1_Buffer and/or Stream Determination Request_20171224

December 24, 2017
Dear Mr. Zimmerman and Ms. Higgins,
132 Shadow Ridge Place
Chapel C 27516
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I am writing to you both because I am unclear about who makes final decisions regarding appeals of
stream determinations in Orange County. I am inquiring about the property at 911 Mt. Carmel Church
Road in Chapel Hill.
The property was for sale earlier this year, and my wife and I were interested in the property. Our
interest was in subdividing the 4+ acre property into two parcels — one with the existing home which we
would rent or sell, and another upon which we could build a house we designed. Our realtor
recommended we get a stream determination since it could affect how we used the property.
The current plat shows a 75' buffer from a pond and stream running along the southern border of the
property. That appears consistent with the property east of this one, where a relatively new home has
been built approximately 75' from the same pond on its southern border. We would like to build a
home in a similar location on the 911 Mr. Carmel Church Road property — approximately 75' from the
pond and stream where we could have a view of both, and take full advantage of the beautiful trees and
vegetation on the property.
I requested a stream determination, and when completed, the stream was found to be perennial
instead of its prior status, intermittent. I found this very surprising, as this seems to be a dry stream bed
on most days, except for when it channels rain into the pond on rainy days. I saw the report, and
understand that you have a multi -faceted approach for evaluating streams. This report came out
slightly above the threshold for classifying it as perennial instead of intermittent.
My request is that you take another look at this stream to see if it might be able to be classified back to
an intermittent status. I understand and respect the county's focus on clean water. Our intent is to
build a house that treads lightly on the land: no yard, solar -powered, roof gutters that feed a large
cistern that gathers rainwater for an organic garden higher up the hill. The house would be similar in
size to neighboring homes, and the resulting two lots would fit well within the existing community size -
wise, while providing another $5,000+ in property taxes to the county with the addition of another
home on existing acreage. This could be a win-win for all involved. Thank you for your consideration of
this request.
Best regards,
a
Steve McConaughey
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