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SUBJECT: |
Chapel Hill Bible Church Park/Ride Terminal - Application for Special Use Permit Modification (File No. 9890-51-8534) |
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DATE: |
November 13, 2006 |
We have received a request for approval of a Special Use Permit Modification for a Park/Ride Terminal to be located at the Chapel Hill Bible Church at 260 Erwin Road. The 31.5-acre site is located at the intersection of Erwin Road and Sage Road. Surrounding land uses include residential, office, and place of worship.
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October 12, 1998 |
The Town Council approved a Special Use Permit and Zoning Atlas Amendment for the Chapel Hill Bible Church. The Special Use Permit allowed construction of four buildings totaling 150,000 square feet of floor area and 500 parking spaces with additional parking spaces subject to Council authorization (Attachment 12). |
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March 25, 2002 |
The Town Council discussed the University of North Carolina pursuing development of a Park/Ride Terminal at the Chapel Hill Bible Church. |
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May 13, 2002 |
The Town Council authorized the expansion of the Chapel Hill Bible Church parking lot to a total of 803 parking spaces (Attachment 8). |
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March 27, 2006 |
The Town Council approved a request for expedited processing for a Special Use Permit Modification for the Chapel Hill Bible Church for a Park/Ride Terminal. |
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March 29, 2006 |
The Community Design Commission reviewed a Concept Plan Proposal for the Chapel Hill Bible Church Park/Ride Terminal. |
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April 19, 2006 |
The Town Council reviewed a Concept Plan Proposal for Chapel Hill Bible Church Park/Ride Terminal. |
The Town staff has reviewed this application for compliance with the standards of the Land Use Management Ordinance and the Design Manual and offers the following evaluation.
Location: The Chapel Hill Bible Church, a place of worship, is located on a 31.5-acre site at the intersection of Erwin Road and Sage Road. Surrounding land uses include residential, office and place of worship. The site is located in the Residential-3-C (R-3-C) zoning district and is identified as Orange County Property Identification Number 9890-51-8534.
Existing Structures: The site currently has four structures with a total of 150,000 square-feet of floor area. The site includes a place of worship, adult and children educational facilities, gymnasium, offices, and playing fields.
Access: Vehicular access to the Chapel Hill Bible Church parking lot is from Erwin Road and Old Sterling Drive. There are sidewalks along the site’s frontage along Sage Road, Erwin Road, and Old Sterling Drive.
Parking: The site includes a total of 557 parking spaces.
Bus Stops, Routes: The CL bus route provides service along Old Sterling Drive. There is an existing bus stop on Old Sterling Drive adjacent to the entrance drive to the Chapel Hill Bible Church. This bus stop does not include a bus shelter.
Topography, Drainage: The topography of the site generally slopes away from the center of the property in each direction, with slopes ranging from zero to over 20 percent. A portion of the site lies within the Resource Conservation District.
The applicant is proposing to modify the existing Special Use Permit to allow a Park/Ride Terminal as an accessory use to the place of worship. The applicant, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is proposing to lease 241 parking spaces from the Chapel Hill Bible Church for University employees. The applicant is proposing minor changes to the site, including signage, a striped crosswalk, and a new bus shelter. The applicant is proposing the new bus shelter to be located at the existing bus stop on Old Sterling Drive. No construction is proposed within the Resource Conservation District.
The purpose of this proposed park and ride facility is to provide alternative means of transportation for UNC employees. Employees using this location would ride an express park/ride bus from this lot to the UNC campus. No additional parking spaces will be added to the existing lot as part of this application.
The current Special Use Permit Modification application for the Chapel Hill Bible Church Park/Ride Terminal has not changed from Concept Plan Review by the Town Council (April 19, 2006) and Community Design Commission (March 29, 2006).
Zoning: The Chapel Hill Bible Church site is located in the Residential-3-C (R-3-C) zoning district. The site is adjacent to the Residential-2 (R-2) district to the north and west, Office/Institutional-1 (OI-1) zoning district to the south, and Residential-5 (R-5) to the south and east.
The Land Use Management Ordinance defines a Park/Ride Terminal as “an off-street parking facility designed or intended to provide peripheral collection and storage of vehicles to accommodate commuter traffic into or out from the Chapel Hill community, including accessory structures such as bus passenger shelters.” The Land Use Management Ordinance permits a Park/Ride Terminal in a residential zoning district with the approval of a Special Use Permit.
Land Use Plan: The Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Council on May 8, 2000, identifies this property as “Institutional.”
Dimensional Standards: The proposed project meets the dimensional standards outlined in the Dimensional Matrix (Table 3.8-1) of the Land Use Management Ordinance for the Residential-3 (R-3) zoning district.
Traffic Impact: A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was prepared by the Town Consultant in accordance with the Town’s TIA guidelines. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on the surrounding transportation system caused by the additional traffic generated by the proposed development, which is anticipated to be fully operational by the year 2007. The findings of the TIA indicate that the additional traffic generated by the proposed Park/Ride Terminal at the Chapel Hill Bible Church is expected to have minimal impact to the surrounding roadway network. A copy of the Transportation Impact Analysis Executive Summary is attached to this report (Attachment 7).
No roadway improvements are recommended by the Town Consultant. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) has approved funding for a traffic signal at the intersection of Erwin Road and Sage Road. The signal is under design and installation is expected to be completed no later than January 2008. Additional right-of-way may be necessary at the intersection of Erwin Road and Sage Road to accommodate the signal equipment. We recommend that, if necessary, the Chapel Hill Bible Church dedicate additional right-of-way as required by the North Carolina Department of Transportation in order to accommodate the installation of this traffic signal. This has been incorporated as a stipulation in Resolution A.
Parking Lot Design/Standards: The applicant is proposing to lease 241 parking spaces. The applicant is proposing to lease the parking spaces located closest to Old Sterling Drive and Erwin Road. The applicant is proposing to install signage indicating designated park/ride spaces. We recommend that the Town Manager review and approve a signage plan prior to the issuance of a Zoning Compliance Permit. This has been incorporated as a stipulation in Resolution A.
Crosswalk: We recommend that prior to operating the park and ride facility, that the applicant installs a crosswalk within the Chapel Hill Bible Church parking lot to improve pedestrian access from the parking lot to the sidewalk along the entrance drive to Old Sterling Drive. We recommend that prior to the issuance of a Zoning Compliance Permit that the Town Manager review and approve the final design and location of this crosswalk. We have included this recommendation in Resolution A.
Bicycle Parking: We recommend that the application for this proposed use comply with the minimum bicycle parking requirement of the Land Use Management Ordinance and the standards for bicycle parking spaces in the Design Guidelines. Section 5.9.7 of the Land Use Management Ordinance requires 10 percent of the auto parking spaces for park/ride uses. The Chapel Hill Bible Church currently provides six bicycle parking spaces on-site. We recommend that the applicant provide three additional bicycle parking spaces that are covered and illuminated, prior to operating the park and ride facility.
Sidewalks: Sidewalks currently exists along Erwin Road, Old Sterling Drive, and Sage Road. No new sidewalks are proposed as part of this application.
Bus Stops: The Land Use Management Ordinance requires that a Park/Ride Terminal be accessible by public bus transportation and that bus shelters be provided (Section 6.8). The closest existing bus stop to the site is on Old Sterling Drive (CL Route) adjacent to the Chapel Hill Bible Church entrance drive. The applicant is proposing to install a new bus shelter, at this location, including pad, bench, and shelter, similar in style to the existing shelters on Old Sterling Drive. We recommend that the applicant provide this improvement prior to operating the park and ride facility. We have included the bus shelter improvements as a condition in Resolution A.
Lighting: No changes to parking lot lighting are proposed, however, we recommend that if any changes to the existing lighting plan are proposed that the plan be approved by the Community Design Commission prior to the issuance of a Zoning Compliance Permit. We have included this standard stipulation in Resolution A.
Watershed Protection/ Impervious Surface: The site is located outside the Watershed Protection District.
Stormwater Management: We do not recommend stormwater improvements associated with this application as no new impervious surface is proposed on site.
Erosion Control: No new land disturbance is proposed.
Refuse Management: As no construction or demolition is proposed as part of this application, a Solid Waste Management Plan has not been required.
For approval of a Special Use Permit Modification, the Council must make the following findings, as set forth in Article 4.5.2 of the Land Use Management Ordinance:
Upon review of the application and information that has been submitted to date, our preliminary recommendation is that these findings can be made.
Based on information available at this stage of the application review process, we believe that the proposed Chapel Hill Bible Church Park/Ride Terminal Special Use Permit Modification, with the conditions in Resolution A, meets the requirements of the applicable sections of the Land Use Management Ordinance and Design Manual, and that the proposal conforms with the Comprehensive Plan.
Resolution A would approve the application with conditions. Resolution B would deny the application.