AGENDA #6a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Randy Kabrick, P.E.,
Chair, Horace Williams Citizens’ Committee
SUBJECT: Horace Williams Citizens’ Committee Report on Principles
DATE: October 1, 2003
On behalf of the Horace Williams Citizens’ Committee, I am pleased to transmit our report, Recommended Principles, Goals and Strategies for Guiding the Development of the Horace Williams Property (Carolina North); the Committee finished the report on September 25, 2003. The report presents the Committee’s guidance to the Council for the development of the Horace Williams property (Carolina North) as requested in the Council’s Charge to the Committee of October 7, 2002. Ruby Sinreich, Vice Chair and I will be presenting a brief summary of the report at the October 8, 2003 Council meeting.
Kathleen Kearns served as the Chair of this Committee for most of the past year and only recently resigned to pursue her journalism career. On behalf of the Committee and as the newly elected Chair, I would like to recognize her leadership and hard work on the Committee.
There was strong consensus from the Committee that the development of the Horace Williams property (Carolina North) should be guided by several overarching principles.
· The development shall adhere to basic sustainability principles.
· The development shall benefit the University, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Orange County, and the surrounding areas, as well as the State of North Carolina.
· Cumulative impacts of University and Town growth, including Carolina North, on our natural resources and our public facilities shall be recognized, as well as the need to monitor, evaluate and mitigate these impacts in order to retain our quality of life.
NEXT STEPS
In submitting this report, the Committee is meeting the Council’s charge to “develop a set of Principles, including community interests and goals and objectives, to guide the Council’s deliberations with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill regarding the development” of the Horace Williams property (Carolina North).
The Council charge to the Committee also outlines these additional tasks requiring continued involvement of the Committee:
· Provide advice to the Council concerning Town input to the University related to those Principles that should be considered as the University’s plan is prepared.
· Keep the Council informed about work in progress on a regular basis.
· Propose a process for Council consideration identifying points in the process where Public Hearings and Forums would be appropriate, to be able to bring information to the attention of the community and provide opportunity for citizen comment.
· Prepare recommendations for the Council's consideration regarding the University's plan for the Horace Williams property once a proposal is developed.
· Provide advice to the Council about ways to incorporate these Principles into the Council's ultimate zoning and ordinances for the Horace Williams property.
The Committee is scheduled to meet again on October 16, 2003, at which time we will begin to develop an action plan to address the Committee’s additional charges from the Council.
ATTACHMENT