ATTACHMENT 1

 

STAFF REPORT

 

SUBJECT:      Castalia at Meadowmont – Master Land Use Plan Modification Application

 (File No. 7.52..384)

 

DATE:                        June 19, 2006

 

We have received and reviewed an application for a Master Land Use Plan Modification application for the 435 acre Meadowmont development.  The application is proposing to modify the Meadowmont Master Land Use Plan by:  1) increasing the permitted floor area from 52,000 square feet to 76,000 square feet; and 2) changing the permitted uses from office/retail to office/residential.

 

The proposed modification is associated with a request for a Special Use Permit for a 4.2 acre  site located at the intersection of West Barbee Chapel Road and NC Highway 54, across from the Hilltop Condominiums.  The Special Use Permit application proposes 52,000 square feet of office space and 24,000 square feet of residential space (11 residential dwelling units).  A total of 177 parking spaces are proposed for the new development.  Please see the accompanying memorandum for additional information on the Special Use Permit application. 

 

The Meadowmont Development is located in Orange County and Durham County on the north and south side of NC Highway 54 at the County line.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On October 23, 1995, the Town Council approved a Master Land Use Plan for the 435 acre Meadowmont development located on NC 54. Located in the Mixed Use Residential-1 (MU R-1), the Residential-5-Conditional (R-5-C) and Residential-1 (R-1) zoning districts, the 1995 Master Land Use Plan authorized:

 

·         Maximum 1,298 dwelling units; and

·         Maximum 785,100 square feet of non-residential floor area including:

·   134,600 square feet of commercial retail space;

·   140,000 square feet of hotel floor area;

·   389,000 square feet of office space; and

·   121,500 square feet of other commercial floor area.

 

With respect to the proposed Castalia site, the 1995 Master Land Use Plan authorized 52,000 square feet of retail/office floor area.  The 1995 permit did not allocate specific square footage figures for each of the permitted uses.

 

In 1998, the Meadowmont applicant, during a Public Hearing on the Meadowmont Infrastructure Special Use Permit, offered to modify the 1995 Master Land Use Plan in response to a request by a Council member to reduce the overall trip generation from Meadowmont by approximately 25 percent. 

 

As part of that modification proposal, in 1999, the Town Manager approved a minor modification to the Meadowmont Master Land Use.  The modification resulted in a reduction of overall trip generation numbers.  The modification included the following changes to the 1995 Master Land Use Plan:  

 

·         Maximum 1,061 dwelling units (237 dwelling unit reduction); and

·         Maximum 765,600 square feet of non-residential floor area (19,500 square foot reduction) including:

o         96,600 square feet of commercial retail space (38,000 square foot reduction);

o       140,000 square feet of hotel floor area;

o       442,167 square feet of office space (53,167 square foot increase); and

o         86,833 square feet of other commercial floor area (34,667 square foot reduction).

 

The minor modification approved in 1999 allocated the 52,000 square feet of floor area on the proposed Castalia site to 17,333 square feet of retail floor area and 34,677 square feet of office floor area.

 

In April 2005, the applicant submitted an application to modify the 1999 Meadowmont Master Land Use Plan. Along with this application, the applicant submitted an application for a Special Use Permit to construct a 76,000 square foot building including 52,000 square feet of office floor area and eleven residential units. 

 

In May 2005, following several meetings with neighborhood residents, the applicant placed the applications on hold in order to meet with residents and respond to their concerns.  In September 2005 the applicant resubmitted the applications and staff continued with the review process.

 

APPLICANT’S PROPOSAL

 

The approved Master Land Use Plan designated this site for 52,000 square feet of retail/office development.  The proposed Castalia plan differs from the approved Master Land Use Plan in several aspects.  Differences include the amount of floor area and the proposed land uses.  Each is briefly discussed below.

 

Floor Area:  The approved 1995 Master Land Use Plan and the minor modification approved in 1999 indicated this site would be limited to 52,000 square feet of retail/office development. The submitted plan proposes constructing a building with 76,000 square feet of floor area.  If approved as proposed, the modification to the Master Land Use Plan would increase the overall floor area on the proposed Castalia site by 24,000 square feet.

 

Land Use:  The 1995 Master Land Use Plan and the 1999 Master Land Use Plan modification approved the site for retail and office development.  The application proposes to eliminate the retail component and replace it with a residential component.

 

The proposed residential component involves the relocation of eleven residential units previously approved with the Meadowmont Infrastructure Special Use Permit.   The Infrastructure permit authorized the construction of 418 residential units. According to the applicant’s material, the anticipated total residential unit count for the Infrastructure permit is 381 units.  The proposal to add residential units to this site does not increase the overall permitted residential units for the 435 acre Meadowmont development as authorized by the Master Land Use Plan.

 

REQUIRED FINDINGS

 

For approval of a Master Land Use Plan Modification, the Land Use Management Ordinance requires that the Council make the following findings:

 

  1. That the use or development is located, designed, and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or promote the public health, safety, and general welfare;

 

  1. That the use or development is located, designed, and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property, or that the use or development is a public necessity; and

 

  1. That the use or development conforms with the general plans for the physical development of the Town as embodied in the Comprehensive Plan.

 

We believe that the Council can make these findings.  For additional discussion on this topic, please refer to the cover memorandum.

 

CONCLUSION

 

We believe that the proposal, with the conditions in Resolution A, meets the applicable requirements of Land Use Management Ordinance and Design Manual, and the proposal fulfills the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.

 

Resolution A would approve the Master Land Use Plan Modification with conditions.

 

Resolution B would deny the request.