AGENDA #9a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Horace Williams Citizens Committee (Members recommending: Barbara Driscoll, Del Snow, Joe Capowski, Diane VandenBroek, Linda Convissor, Michael Collins, Julie McClintock (Chair), Ed Neely, John Ager, Larry Daquioag, Randy Kabrick, Gene Pease, Patrick McDonough and Will Raymond.)
SUBJECT: Final Report
DATE: May 22, 2006
Tonight, we present to you our final report. As you know, the Mayor and Council adopted in March 2004 as Town policy our major report, “Recommended Principles, Goals and Strategies for the Horace Williams Property (Principles Report).”
In November 2005, the Council tasked us to come up with a process to be conducted by the Council for consideration of University development plans at the Horace Williams Property and how to involve the public in that process. In January 2006, we brought you a report on how to do that and you adopted the Committee’s recommendations for the preparation of foundational elements and principles which need to occur before the detailed planning of the development is undertaken. The key foundation elements were transportation, land conservation and protection, land use, and fiscal equity. Of these elements, Mayor Foy identified conservation and protection as the element which had received little attention. Our Committee agreed to make recommendations to the Council in the area of protecting the environmental resources of the tract. Attached is our report. (Please see Attachment 1.)
We recommend that you receive and refer this report to Town staff with the objective of making a formal request of UNC to undertake an assessment of the environmental resources on the Horace Williams tract. We think making this request of UNC is timely because we understand that University staff are beginning to look at the site constraints and figuring out what assessments are needed.
Also attached are comments for your consideration on the UNC January 25, 2006 letter from Chancellor Moeser to Mayor Foy about our Principles Report. (Please see Attachment 2.)
We have appreciated the opportunity to serve the Council on this topic of vital importance to the Town. We leave with satisfaction at achieving our main task of completing the Principles Report and its adoption as Town policy. Many of us are willing to serve on a future citizens’ advisory committee to give input to the Council on Carolina North, should the need arise.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Scope of Work: Foundation Environmental Study for the Horace Williams Property (p. 3).