AGENDA #4k

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:      Draft Southwest Durham/Southeast Chapel Hill Collector Street Plan

DATE:            June 12, 2005

This memorandum provides an overview of the draft Southwest Durham/Southeast Chapel Hill Collector Streets Plan. (Attachment 1) The attached resolution would provide the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee with comments and a recommendation.

BACKGROUND

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization initiated the process to develop a collector roads plan for Southwest Durham and Southeast Chapel Hill in September 2005. The purpose of the Plan was to assess the need for additional roadway connections in the study area to support the adopted 2030 Regional Transportation Plan and provide improved connectivity between existing and anticipated development. A draft Collector Street Plan has been prepared by Kimley Horn, Inc, under contract with the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization.  The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has received the draft Plan and has scheduled a public hearing for June 15, 2006 at 7:00 pm in Durham. The Committee has also requested that Chapel Hill and Durham provide comments and recommendations on the draft Plan.

DISCUSSION

The proposed Collector Streets Plan includes the connection of several existing roads in Chapel Hill, including Lancaster Drive, Kinsdale Drive and Kilkenny Place. In addition, during the public workshops used to develop the draft collector streets plan questions were raised concerning the status of Meadowmont Drive and Southwest Durham Parkway, which is identified as an arterial in the adopted Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan.

We believe that the draft Collector Streets Plan should be given a more thorough review and evaluation by local governments before consideration by the Transportation Advisory Committee. We recommend that the Council request that the Transportation Advisory Committee defer action on the draft Collector Streets Plan until October 11, 2006. We also recommend that the Council schedule a public forum for September 27, 2006 to receive a complete evaluation of the draft Plan from staff and to receive public comment. We also recommend that the Council refer the draft Plan to the Planning Board and Transportation Board to comment. The Council could adopt final recommendations on October 9, 2006.

NEXT STEPS

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing on the draft Collector Streets Plan on June 14, 2006 at 7:00 pm in the Durham City Hall.

RECOMMENDATION

Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution requesting the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee defer action on the draft Southwest Durham/Southeast Chapel Hill Collector Streets Plan until October 2006. The resolution also schedules a public forum on the draft Plan for September 27, 2006 in Chapel Hill and refers the Plan to the Planning Board and Transportation Board for comment.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Draft Southwest Durham/Southeast Chapel Hill Collector Streets Plan (begin new page 1).