Erosion, Flood, Stormwater & Watershed Standards 12.7 Watercourse (Riparian) Buffer Areas
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properties, appropriate calculations and documentation of the proposed impervious surface averaging agreement, and documentation indicating the intent to convey the undeveloped parcel(s) or portion(s) thereof to the town. 3. If an impervious surface averaging allowance is granted as part of a Development Permit, no change in the development proposal authorized for either parcel shall be made unless the impervious surface averaging allowance is amended and reapproved by the Administrator. 4. Before a Building Permit is issued, the undeveloped parcel(s) or portion(s) thereof shall be deeded (fee simple and at no cost) to the Town of Wake Forest and the town shall place a permanent conservation easement on the same, as provided under NCGS 121-35, granted to the town, a land conservation organization, or other entity capable of providing for the ongoing maintenance of the undeveloped property. No such agreement shall be accepted without approval of the Town Attorney as to the legal sufficiency of the documents involved. 5. Once ownership of such land is conveyed, a plat showing the properties and conservation easements involved in the development and outlining the impervious surface averaging requirements associated with the parcel pair must be reviewed, approved, and recorded prior to the issuance of the building permit. I. Agreements Shall Continue Indefinitely: Applicants shall agree to bind themselves and their successors in title, individually and collectively, to maintain the pattern of development proposed for so long as the requirements of this section are applicable. Parties to enforcement of such agreement shall include the town. 12.7. Watercourse (Riparian) Buffer Areas It is the intent of this section to seek to maximize retention of the natural beauty of vegetation along creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes, and other bodies of water while simultaneously providing for the retention of surface water run-off from areas adjacent to these natural and/or built features, resulting in a net reduction of pollutants that enter these water features. Natural resource buffers are intended to provide an area where stormwater flows in a diffuse manner so that the stormwater runoff does not become channeled an infiltration of the stormwater and filtering of pollutants can occur. The following rules apply to all required watercourse buffers. No new clearing, grading, or development shall occur, not shall any new building permits be issued in violation of this section. No exemptions shall be permitted from this section except for any use, development, or activity that has been specifically exempted by any applicable state law from local regulations of the type of establishment by this Ordinance. Any activities impacting Zone 1 and/or 2 of riparian buffers in the Falls Lake Watershed or in the Neuse River Basin, including activities conducted under the authority of the State, the United States, multiple jurisdictions, or locate units of government, silviculture and/or agricultural activities shall be administered by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) in accordance with 15A NCAC 02B.0622 dated March 1, 2019.
12.7.1. Establishment of Buffers A. Applicability:
1. All protected drainageways and surface waters shall have riparian buffers directly adjacent to such surface waters of the width specified in 12.7.2 below. When multiple watercourse buffer standards apply, the more stringent standard shall dictate. 2. Riparian buffers shall be delineated and recorded on final subdivision plats or at the time of development of the property.
Town of Wake Forest Unified Development Ordinance – July 19, 2022
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