Chatham Park Planned Development District
A new development underway, Chatham Park, is the local buzz amongst residents of the Triangle area. The 7,100 acre project is located just west of Jordan Lake and the closest town is Pittsboro. According to the Planned Development District Master Plan, Chatham Park is envisioned as having five villages. Creeks and stream valleys will serve as natural buffers between neighborhoods and as trail connection points connecting neighborhoods.
With forward-thinking smart power and water technologies, a 20-megawatt solar farm and LEED-certified buildings, the project’s sustainable design is an attractive feature that will absolutely need to address stormwater quality. To address these needs, The Town of Pittsboro has an emerging Stormwater Management Program. As a part of that program, the Town now has in effect the “Stormwater Management Ordinance for New Development and Redevelopment in the Jordan Lake Watershed.” It became effective on November 12, 2013 by unanimous vote of the Town Board of Commissioners.
Located in the Cape Fear River Basin, Jordan Lake is the water supply source for Wake, Chatham, Durham, and Harnett Counties. Chatham County, in which most of Jordan Lake situated, is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. The lake’s designated uses as a regional drinking water supply, recreational resource, and aquatic habitat have been threatened by such increases in population and economic growth. Jordan Lake was added to the federal list of “impaired waters” in 2002, due to high levels of chlorophyll a and high alkalinity. This designation under the Clean Water Act requires the state Division of Water Quality to prepare a plan to restore the lake’s health by reducing pollution from contributing sources.
What’s unique about the Chatham Park Planned Development District (PDD) is that everything being built will be considered “new development” or “redevelopment” and the developers will thus be held accountable to the strictest stormwater management requirements. Low Impact Development techniques (LID) will be used in conjunction with Conventional Stormwater Controls and Regional Stormwater Systems, to mitigate the impacts the development will have on the Jordan Lake watershed and also the Haw River. All proposed development projects within Chatham Park will go under a rigorous review by the Stormwater Administrator before any permits will be issued.
A Master Stormwater Manual will be developed for the Chatham Park PDD which will specify inspection requirements, maintenance requirements and schedules for all types of BMPs to be used in Chatham Park PDD. The Master Stormwater Manual may be modified, amended, or replaced from time to time to accommodate new technologies and/or reflect changes in methods or standards for handling stormwater runoff and related issues.
Section 401 of the Ordinance, General Standards for Maintenance, requires “the owner of each engineered stormwater control installed pursuant to this ordinance shall maintain and operate it so as to preserve and continue its function in controlling stormwater quality and quantity at the degree or amount of function for which the engineered stormwater control was designed.” Part B of Section 401: “The person responsible for maintenance of any engineered stormwater control installed pursuant to this ordinance shall submit to the Stormwater Administrator an inspection report from one of the following persons performing services only in their area of competence: a qualified registered North Carolina professional engineer, surveyor, landscape architect, soil scientist, aquatic biologist, or person certified by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service for stormwater treatment practice inspection and maintenance.”
Thanks,
H.K. Landis
Stormwater Management Ordinance for New Development and Redevelopment in the Jordan Lake Watershed