Summary of the October 2, 2003 Northside Neighborhood Conservation
District Advisory Committee
Present: Committee Members: Chair Delores Bailey, Vice Chair Esphur Foster, Jeff Caiola, Linda Convissor, Jane Farrar, Helen Galbreath, Estelle Mabry, Mae McLendon, Mark Patmore, Velma Perry, Ruby Sinreich, Tom Tucker, UNC Liaison Michael McSwain
Staff Present: Loryn Barnes, Chris Berndt, Emily Dickens, and Roger Waldon
Absent: Ed Caldwell, Tim Dempsey, Sally Greene, Josh Gurlitz, Rick Perry, Matthew Robbins, Sydalg Severe, R.D. Smith
The Northside Neighborhood
Conservation District Advisory Committee held a meeting on October 2, 2003 at
6:30 pm at the Northside Senior Center.
NOTE: With the exception of
the October 30, 2003 meeting with the Planning Board, all future meetings of
the Northside Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee meetings
will be held at the Northside Senior Center on Caldwell Street.
Chair Bailey discussed comments
from members of the Planning Board’s comments from its September 16
meeting. The key points raised by the
Planning Board include:
1. Consider the idea of applying floor area
ratios and size limits to duplexes, in combination with design standards to
achieve a single-family look.
2. Consider design standards/ guidelines to
achieve the goals of the Neighborhood Conservation District, with emphasis on
preserving the appearance of the single family character of the neighborhood.
3. Consider more public incentives or subsidies
to achieve continuing affordability in the neighborhood.
4. Give emphasis to the vision statement
5. Look at height limits proposed for Town
Center-2 zoning again (compare to Rosemary Village height to be constructed).
6. Pay attention to standards for walkability,
sidewalks, trash collection, visibility, signage, and lighting.
7. Good idea to tackle on-street parking, which
is now a problem – any way to build this into the ordinance?
8. Calculate the cost to a property owner of
notifying owners within a 1000 foot radius to get an idea of the impact on a
property owner proposing to build.
9. Consider prioritizing work remaining to be
done, and examine the schedule again.
10. The Committee should look at Raleigh’s
Neighborhood Conservation District’s.
Chair Bailey suggested that the
Committee may want to consider including a minority opinion in the official
record of the Committee’s meetings. This
would give those voting against a motion the opportunity to provide their
reasoning for their vote. Chair Bailey
asked those with dissenting votes to provide their comments in writing to her
and to Loryn Barnes in the Planning Department if they want the comments to be
included in the Committee’s final report.
It was also noted that Committee members have the opportunity to explain
their vote at the meeting.
Planning Director Roger Waldon
reviewed with the Committee a revised schedule for adoption of the Northside
Neighborhood Conservation District. Mr.
Waldon explained that on January 21, 2004, the Council is scheduled to hold a
public hearing on the effects of the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), and
to hear comments from the public about a proposed Northside Neighborhood
Conservation District. Mr. Waldon
explained that at that meeting, the Committee should present its work to date,
focusing on the zoning components of the Neighborhood Conservation
District. He suggested developing the
design guidelines at a later time. If
the Committee has not completed its work by this public hearing, he suggested
that the Committee present its recommendation to create the district, but
continue to meet to finalize its recommendations. Additional guidelines and regulations for the
Neighborhood Conservation District could be added at a later date to through
the amendment process (would require public hearing and review by the Planning
Board). The Committee voted 12-0 to approve the
following revised schedule:
October 16, 2003 Regular meeting of the Northside
Neighborhood Conservation District
Advisory Committee
October 30, 2003 Joint meeting with the Northside
Neighborhood Conservation District
Advisory Committee
and the Planning Board
November 6, 2003 Regular meeting of the Northside
Neighborhood Conservation District
Advisory Committee
to finalize recommendations
November 20, 2003 Northside Neighborhood Conservation District
Advisory Committee to receive public comment on proposed recommendations
The Committee members agreed to
consider holding a charrette on a Saturday morning to develop design
guidelines. November and February were
mentioned as possible dates for this meeting.
The proposed
Northside Neighborhood Conservation District will also be discussed at the
following meetings:
November 24, 2003 Northside Neighborhood Conservation
District Advisory Committee report its recommendations to the Town Council
December 16, 2003 Planning Board to finalize its
recommendations for a Northside Neighborhood Conservation District
January 21, 2004 Town Council to hold a public hearing
on proposed Neighborhood Conservation District
The Committee adopted the
following Vision Statement by a vote of 10-0-1:
Our charge is to ensure that the Northside neighborhood will continue to
be just that a neighborhood.
· We want to preserve the history, charm and composition of a proud and historic community.
· We want to promote and protect the diversity and family character of the neighborhood.
· We want to protect the family atmosphere and ensure that all future development is comparable with the majority of the neighborhood in scale, function, and appearance.
· As properties change ownership we want to make certain that families seeking homeownership have opportunities to buy a home and can afford to live in our community.
· We would like to promote more affordable homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income families and households.
· Lastly, we want to nurture an environment that promotes community interaction and fosters a safe and proud neighborhood.
These are the goals we endeavor to achieve through the development of the Northside Neighborhood Conservation District.
The Committee established the following priorities for discussion at its future meetings:
The next meeting will be held on October 16, 2003 at the Northside Senior Center from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.