AGENDA #4L
TO: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM: Kathryn Spatz, Director of Parks & Recreation
Bill Webster, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: Referral of the Concept Plan for the Bolin Creek Greenway (Phase III)
DATE: October 23, 2006
The attached resolution would accept the Concept Plan for the Bolin Creek Greenway (Phase III) and refer it to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Greenways Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Project Planning Committee, Transportation Board, OWASA, Town of Carrboro, Orange County and Town staff for comment and recommendations. The resolution would also authorize the Manager to initiate a process to solicit public comment from neighbors and citizens at large. The resolution would authorize the Manager to schedule a public forum for Council consideration of the plan at the conclusion of the public input process.
In 2001, Orange County voters approved a parks bond that included $1,000,000 for the Bolin Creek Trail. In 2003 Chapel Hill voters approved a $5,000,000 parks bond that the Council has designated for greenways purposes.
In 2005, work started on the Concept Plan for the Bolin Creek Greenway (Phase III).
In January 2006, the Council adopted an updated version of the Chapel Hill Greenways Comprehensive Master Plan which recommended development of a paved bicycle and pedestrian multiple-use Bolin Creek Trail from Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard to Millhouse Road in the northwest area of Chapel Hill. The Plan also recommended the upgrade of a portion of the Tanyard Branch Trail to the Northside neighborhood.
In 2006, the State of North Carolina completed enough of the work on the Bolin Creek floodway remapping project that we were able to complete initial bridge and culvert analysis to determine project feasibility.
Project Description: Phase III of the Bolin Creek Trail is proposed to be an extension of the existing Bolin Creek Trail from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard westward to Umstead Park. From there the plan considers options that would take the trail south to the Northside neighborhood and northwest to Seawell School Road. The general recommended alignments for the greenway segments are consistent with the Chapel Hill Greenways Comprehensive Master Plan, adopted by the Town Council in January 2006.
The concept plan includes a potential trail corridor that would be approximately 1.9 miles in length. The trail would be a paved 10-foot wide multi-use path designed to accommodate recreational and non-motorized modes of transportation and would be built to maximize safe transit of the corridor by pedestrians and bicyclists.
Goals of the Concept Plan: The concept plan was developed utilizing the following goals for guidance:
We believe that because of the complexity of the project many of the project’s goals ultimately conflict with each other. The recommended alignment is by necessity a compromise that attempts to balance the various project goals in a manner that maximizes safety and sustainability.
We believe that the recommended alignment does well in meeting the following goals:
Design a Trail that Avoids At-Grade Road Crossings wherever Feasible: The recommended plan has only one at-grade crossing at Village Drive.
Design a Trail that will Result in No Rise in Regulatory Flood Flows in Bolin Creek and Avoids the Necessity of Submitting a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR): Early indications are that we can achieve these goals.
Maintain a 10-Foot Trail Width with a Maximum 5 Percent Slope to the Greatest Extent Possible: Early indications are that the recommended alignments meet these goals. As we develop plans further we may discover that some short sections of slope may exceed 5 percent but stay under 8 percent.
Avoid Disturbance to Bolin Creek, Tanyard Branch, and Other Tributaries to the Greatest Extent Possible: All of the options have some impact to the streams. The recommended alignment would have the least impact to stream banks. However, the recommended alignment also has several sections that would have short but direct impacts to Bolin Creek at the proposed below-grade crossings.
Avoid the Loss of Large Trees to the Greatest Extent Possible: We believe that the alignment does as well as other options to save large trees. However, it should be noted that all of the options have some tree loss.
Avoid the need to relocate existing improvements: This option would avoid the need to relocate sections of Umstead Drive, although some disruptions to Umstead Drive and Pritchard Avenue would be necessary to build below-grade trail crossings.
The proposed plan only partially meets the following goals:
Minimize the Impact of the Trail on Adjacent Residents: All of the options would have some impact on nearby residents. However, the recommended alignment would require significant easement and property acquisition including one residence.
Design a Trail that can Built in a Cost Effective Manner: This option would likely be more expensive than the others. However, the cost would allow the Town to build a safer facility for the public with fewer impacts on the environment in general and Bolin Creek specifically. The option would also minimize impacts to some residents that live on or use Umstead Road.
Process: No matter which option is selected, this segment of greenway will likely be the most technically difficult section of trail ever built by the Town. The early concept plan work was undertaken to determine what options are technically possible and conversely, what options are impossible or impractical. We believe that the focus of public involvement should be on those options that are truly viable from both a regulatory and practical standpoint.
This project has been reviewed twice by the Town and Orange County Project Planning Committee. The Committee consists of two members of the Town Council and two members of the Board of Orange County Commissioners. The Committee was created to expedite jointly funded capital park projects. The Project Planning Committee provided general guidance in the development of the proposed plan.
Although we have proposed a recommended alignment we have also identified other options that could also work. Each option would have different costs and benefits as they relate to our established goals.
The attached resolution offers a process for public and Council review. We recommend taking the following steps:
Once an alignment is selected by the Council we would begin easement and property acquisition, and begin detailed design of the trail.
Proposed Schedule: If the Council accepts and refers the Concept Plan for the Bolin Creek Greenway (Phase III) we propose the following schedule be followed:
|
Board and Commission Review |
November 2006 – February 2007 |
|
Review by Governments and Agencies |
November 2006 – February 2007 |
|
Public Forum(s) |
January – February 2007 |
|
Possible Council Adoption |
March 2007 |
|
Start Land and Easement Acquisition |
March 2007 |
|
Start Detailed Design |
April 2007 |
|
Complete Detailed Design and Permitting |
March 2008 |
|
Start Construction |
May 2008 |
|
Complete Project |
November 2009 |
The later part of this schedule is speculative and is contingent upon early success in securing easements and properties as well as dealing with flood and stream regulations.
With previous projects, land and easement acquisition issues have on occasion, contributed to significant delays. In order to minimize any potential delays we would begin the land acquisition process as quickly as possible.
In addition, the above schedule is contingent upon successful flood modeling that proves that the project can be achieved without a rise in calculated floods. If problems arise related to permits related to the floodway or stream encroachments the process might take considerably longer.
Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution which would accept the Concept Plan for the Bolin Creek Greenway (Phase III) and refer it to various advisory boards, agencies, and Town staff for comment. The resolution would also authorize the Manager to hold a public forum or forums prior to Council consideration and to schedule a Council public forum at the conclusion of public comment and input.