Summary of August 21, 2003 Northside Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Board Committee

Present: Committee Members: Chair Delores Bailey, Vice-Chair Esphur Foster, Jeff Caiola, Tim Dempsey, Sally Greene, Helen Galbreath, Josh Gurlitz, Mae McLendon, Mark Patmore, Velma Perry, Ruby Sinreich, Tom Tucker.

Staff Present: Than Austin, Loryn Barnes, Maggie Bowers, and Roger Waldon

Absent: Ed Caldwell, Linda Convissor, Jane Farrar, Estelle Mabry, Rick Perry, Matthew Robbins, Sydalg Severe, Ruby Sinreich, R.D. Smith

The Northside Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee held a meeting on August 21, 2003 at 6:30 pm at the Hargraves Gym.

Planning Director Roger Waldon reviewed a worksheet outlining the components of the Neighborhood Conservation District still to be discussed by the Committee: setbacks / height limits; lot size / frontage; floor area limits; architectural details; impervious surface; notification procedures. The Committee agreed that for the next meeting, the staff would prepare options for a Northside Neighborhood Conservation District for the Committee’s consideration. The options would be based on the discussion from the Committee’s meetings, and pictures taken by the Committee members of likes and dislikes in the neighborhood.

The Committee members discussed the Town’s notification procedures. Mr. Waldon explained that if an application for a rezoning is submitted, surrounding property owners are notified of the proposed rezoning and the public hearings before the Council. Committee members also discussed notification procedures used for development in the Town’s Historic Districts and discussed a similar procedure for the Northside neighborhood. A Committee member suggested that residents should be notified before a building permit is issued in the neighborhood. Mr. Waldon stated that the staff recommendations that will be presented at the next meeting would include options about notification for the Committee’s consideration.

The Committee reviewed pictures of “likes” and dislikes” taken with cameras provided by the Town. The Committee identified the following likes: houses blend with the surrounding area; scale of houses; and front porches. The Committee identified the following dislikes: houses that don’t meet setbacks and are poor structurally and aesthetically; and houses that keep getting added on to. The Committee also discussed two non-zoning dislikes: furniture on porches and trash in yards.

Roger Waldon explained the current setback regulations and building height limits as defined in the Land Use Management Ordinance. It was discussed that the Committee may want to consider establishing minimum and maximum setbacks and height limits in the Neighborhood Conservation District.

The Committee adopted a revised meeting schedule that includes additional meeting dates on September 4, October 2 and November 6. The staff also noted that the schedule includes joint meetings with the Planning Board on September 16 and October 21, and a first presentations to the Council on September 22.

Topics for the next meeting will be to review the draft Neighborhood Conservation District guidelines developed by staff. The staff was also asked to bring pictures to the meeting that would illustrate the proposal.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 4, 2003 at 6:30 at Chapel Hill Town Hall in the Personnel Training Room.