AGENDA #1
MEMORANDUM
TO:
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Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
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FROM:
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J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director
David C. Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Planning Coordinator
George Small, Engineering Director
Kumar Neppalli, Traffic Engineer
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SUBJECT:
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Work Session Regarding Development Activity in the North and Northwest
Areas
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DATE:
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March 7, 2007
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PURPOSE
The purpose of this work session is to provide the Council an opportunity to
discuss initiatives and activities in the north/northwest area of Chapel Hill.
This work session will include a coordinated and comprehensive overview of
development activity and planning efforts occurring in northern Chapel Hill and
in the Chapel Hill/Orange County Joint Planning Transitional Area. The
intended outcome is to provide information that the Council and citizens can
use to: 1) understand the scope and impacts of development activity occurring
and/or proposed in this area of Town, 2) learn about planning efforts and
opportunities intended to manage growth in this area, and 3) consider
alternative direction.
BACKGROUND
On October 15, 2006, a citizen submitted a petition to the Town Council
raising a series of questions concerning the impact of anticipated development
in the north and northwest area of Chapel Hill.
On January 22, 2007, we responded to the petition and the Council scheduled
this work session requesting an overview of development activity and planning
efforts occurring in the area.
DISCUSSION
To facilitate discussion, we will provide information concerning the
following issues:
1. Growth issues related to higher density development that are of Town-wide
interest.
A number of Council actions, including the 2000 Comprehensive Plan,
anticipate higher density development to occur along the Town’s major
transportation corridors. Formal development applications for higher density
development are currently in process for the downtown and along several transit
corridors. To better evaluate and respond to proposed higher density
development throughout the community, we have organized a Steering Committee with
staff representation from several departments. The Committee will evaluate
potential impacts from all Town operations’ perspectives of anticipated higher
density development activity, and will identify measures and resources
necessary to respond to those impacts. The staff Steering Committee hopes to
complete its work by May 2007 in time to provide a report to the Town Council before
its summer break.
2. A number of planning initiatives are underway that impact the north and
northwest area of Town. These initiatives are summarized below and will be
described in general terms at the work session:
- Implementation of the 2000 Land Use Plan and 2000 Comprehensive
Plan is underway (the Comprehensive Plan incorporates elements of the 1995
Northwest Small Area Plan, Attachment 2). Development is occurring as
anticipated with these planning documents.
- Staff and Planning Board update of the 2000 Comprehensive Plan is
currently underway. This revision effort will address a variety of issues,
many of which were included in the citizen petition.
- The Town has begun the development of a Small Area Plan for the Rogers Road area that will
evaluate alternative development scenarios to integrate the
construction of affordable housing on the Greene tract site with adjacent
opportunities for redevelopment.
- The Town has recently approved a contract with a consultant to
prepare a comprehensive Long Range Transit Plan for Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
The Plan will identify major transportation corridors and prepare
recommendations for implementing transit services, including fixed guideway
technologies, to service future demand. A component of the Plan will be
further development of design standards for the Town’s transit-oriented
development district.
- The Long Range Transit Plan’s findings and recommendations will
also be used by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning
Organization as they update the adopted 2030 Plan to 2035. As part of the
regional transportation plan update, the Town adopted revised land use
projections on December 4, 2006. These projections included the identification
of proposed high capacity transit corridors. These corridors, including the NC 86/Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. corridor, also include the designation of areas suited
for higher density, mixed use transit-oriented development.
- In order to improve pedestrian mobility along and across NC 86/Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. the Town is currently completing an implementation study.
The implementation study, which is based on the recommendations of the NC 86
Pedestrian Safety Report, is anticipated to be completed in March 2007 and will
include pedestrian improvements between I-40 and North Street, including the
specific areas identified in the citizen petition. The implementation plan
will be used to prioritize pedestrian safety improvements to be funded from
approximately $200,000 in Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation
funds and Town capital improvement funds.
- Staff has also requested that the North Carolina Department of
Transportation consider providing funding for pedestrian improvements along the
west side of NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between Eubanks Road and Weaver Dairy Road. This area
is outside the Town’s municipal limits.
- The 2005 Mobility Report Card, presented to the Council on
January 22, 2007, provided an assessment of various transportation benchmarks
throughout the community, including the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
corridor and surrounding community. Staff is currently confirming the accuracy
of some data and preliminary conclusions and will bring back the revised Report
Card and its findings for Council consideration in April, 2007.
- Staff is presently evaluating the steps necessary to implement
the recently enacted legislation regarding payments-in-lieu of specific roadway
improvements toward transit improvements.
- In response to proposed development along NC 86/Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. and Weaver Dairy Road, Town staff is in preliminary discussions
with the North Carolina Department of Transportation on possible modifications
to the approved project design with regard to median cuts and traffic signals
necessary to manage traffic from development expected in the north area of
Town. These discussions also include pedestrian and bicycle safety issues resulting
from ongoing development.
SUMMARY
The 2000 Land Use Plan and 2000 Comprehensive Plan identified land use and
growth patterns for the area. The development occurring in the area is consistent
with the assumptions included in these Plans. Pedestrian and bicycle
improvements in the area have been limited, in part because portions of the
area are outside the Town limits. Efforts are underway to promote pedestrian
and bicycle safety improvements as part of a comprehensive access and
circulation analysis of the north/northwest area of Town. These and other
initiatives will be further described at the work session.
We are aware of Council and citizen concerns regarding current and proposed
development in this area of Town, and this work session is intended to provide information
for the Council’s consideration and discussion. The formation of a staff
Steering Committee will ensure that a framework is developed to address the
consequences of anticipated higher density development. This framework will
provide a basis for the Council and the public to evaluate the results of the
Comprehensive Plan decisions and consider whether alternative direction is
desired. A key element of our work will involve the Transit Oriented
Development guidelines and the Long Range Transit Plan now being prepared by a
consultant.
We believe that current and planned efforts by Town staff will effectively
anticipate and respond to development in and around the north/northwest area of
Town. We solicit Council direction regarding our work.
[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION]
The following material was presented to Council at the meeting.
- Northwest Chapel Hill Study Area presentation
(PDF version, 4.3 MB)
- Citizen Correspondence
- March 1, 2007 Document from Snow [PDF]
- March 5, 2007 Letter from Snow to Council [PDF]
- March 5, 2007 Email from Haff to Council [PDF]
- March 5, 2007 Email from Medcalf to Council [PDF]
- March 6, 2007 Email from Chute to Council [PDF]
- March 6, 2007 Email from Corr to Council [PDF]
- March 6, 2007 Email from Pomerantz to Council [PDF]
- March 6, 2007 Email from Stancil to Snow [PDF]
- March 7, 2007 Email from Doherty to Council [PDF]
- March 7, 2007 Email from Gutierrez to Council [PDF]
- March 7, 2007 Email from Leber to Council [PDF]
- March 7, 2007 Email from Snow to Stancil [PDF]