COUNCIL GOALS AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

HIGHEST Priority

Continued          20. Additional Neighborhood Conservation Districts

Description: Consider neighborhood conservation districts in the Greenwood, Pine Knolls, Coker Hills, and Morgan Creek neighborhoods. Consider additional neighborhood conservation district for Mason Farm neighborhood

February 28, 2005 Status:  Council called a public hearing to consider rezoning the Greenwood neighborhood on February 28, 2005.

May 9, 2005 Status: The Council received a report on a potential process for considering neighborhood conservation districts on April 25, 2005.  The Council decided to take additional public comment on May 9, 2005. At the April 25th meeting, the Council adopted a resolution initiating a process for the Pine Knolls neighborhood. The staff will also prepare cost estimates of feasible options for the Council’s June 15, 2005 meeting.  Information on each neighborhood’s requests follows:

Greenwood Neighborhood:  On February 14, 2005, the Planning Board petitioned the Council to consider making the Greenwood neighborhood a Neighborhood Conservation District.  On April 18, the Council held a public hearing to consider rezoning the neighborhood to Residential-Low Density 1, and on April 25, 2005, the Council adopted the new zoning.

Pine Knolls Neighborhood:   On February 28, 2005, Ms. Delores Bailey, on behalf of the Pine Knolls neighborhood, presented a petition requesting Council consideration of a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Pine Knolls neighborhood.   On April 5, 2005, the Planning Board also petitioned the Council in support of the Pine Knolls request. The Council initiated the process at the April 25^th meeting.

Coker Hills Neighborhood:  On March 7, the Coker Hills neighborhood petitioned the Council to consider establishing a Neighborhood Conservation District for the neighborhood.   On March 29, 2005, the neighborhood submitted its formal petition with signatures from property owners to the Town Clerk.

Morgan Creek Neighborhood:  On April 25, a representative of the neighborhood indicated it is preparing to submit a request to the Town Council for a Neighborhood Conservation District.

September 12, 2005 Status:  On June 15, 2005, the Council authorized entering into a Performance Agreement with Clarion Associates to prepare and complete the four Neighborhood Conservation District’s by April 2006, at a cost not to exceed $50,000.  On July 20, 2005 we entered into a Performance Agreement with Clarion for this project.  The Neighborhood Conservation District process is underway.  The consultant is in the process of setting up community meetings in each of the four neighborhoods.

November 21, 2005 Status: Kickoff meetings have been held with all four neighborhoods. The consultant, Clarion Associates, is in the process of compiling information from community meetings and individual interviews with residents. The second meetings with each neighborhood are scheduled to take place in November or early December. The focus of the second meetings will be to discuss potential regulatory responses to the neighborhood challenges that have been identified. Clarion expects to complete its work by April 2006.

February 13, 2006 Status:  The third series of meetings is underway.  Based on comments received during the process, Clarion has prepared recommendations for each neighborhood to consider.  We expect Clarion to complete its portion of the Neighborhood Conservation District process in April 2006.  Upon completion of Clarion’s work, we anticipate that the Council would schedule public hearings to receive citizen comments on the proposed boundaries and guidelines for the Neighborhood Conservation Districts prior to consideration of adopting overlay zones.  We believe that this process should be complete by June 2006. 

On October 24, 2005, representatives from the Mason Farm Neighborhood Association presented a petition to the Council requesting that it be designated as a Neighborhood Conservation District.  The Neighborhood Association also requested immediate protection from certain types of development.  In response to the request for Neighborhood Conservation District designation, on November 21, 2005 the Council authorized the Manager to request proposals from consultants in July 2006 to develop a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Mason Farm neighborhood.  In response to the request for immediate protection, on January 9, 2006, the Council adopted a process to initiate a rezoning of the Mason Farm neighborhood and scheduled a public hearing on March 20, 2006. 

May 8, 2006 Status: Clarion Associates has presented its recommendations for all four Neighborhood Conservation Districts to the Planning Board.  A staff recommendation was also provided for each neighborhood.  The Planning Board has developed its recommendations for the Greenwood, Morgan Creek/Kings Mill Road, and Pine Knolls neighborhoods, considered recommendations for the Coker Hills neighborhood on May 2, 2006.  A public hearing to receive citizen comments on all four Neighborhood Conservation Districts has been scheduled for May 15, 2006. 

In response to a request for immediate protection for the Mason Farm neighborhood, the Council rezoned the neighborhood from Residential-1 to Residential-Low Density 1 on April 24, 2006.  We expect to begin a Neighborhood Conservation District process for this neighborhood in July 2006. 

Product to be Produced and Timetable

· Consider Zoning Overlay Districts for Greenwood, Pine Knolls, Coker Hills, and Morgan Creek neighborhoods June 2006.

· Issue requests for proposals to create a neighborhood conservation district for the Mason Farm neighborhood July 2006.

September 11, 2006 Status: On June 12, 2006, the Council adopted Neighborhood Conservation District Plans for the Greenwood, Kings Mill/Morgan Creek, and Pine Knolls neighborhoods.  The Council decided to defer consideration of a Neighborhood Conservation District Plan for the Coker Hills neighborhood in order to allow the residents to continue working on the process.  The Council will receive a status report on the neighborhood’s efforts in September 2006.

On June 26, 2006, the Council authorized Clarion Associates to work with the Planning Board to prepare a Neighborhood Conservation District plan for the Mason Farm/Whitehead Circle neighborhood.