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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director |
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David Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Coordinator |
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SUBJECT: |
Resolution to Establish a Schedule for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Process and to Establish a Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force |
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DATE: |
December 4, 2006 |
This memorandum presents a draft schedule for the development of a Rogers Road Small Area Plan. It also proposes the structure and composition of a Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force. The attached resolution would approve the schedule and the composition of the Task Force for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process.
At its November 11, 2002 Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution endorsing a concept plan for the portion of the Greene Tract in joint ownership with Carrboro and Orange County. The resolution established that 85.9 acres would be set aside for open space protected by conservation easements and 18.1 acres for affordable housing. The resolution also stated that Chapel Hill would initiate a process to develop a Small Area Plan for the residential area west of the Green Tract (Rogers Road, Purefoy Road area), including the affordable housing site on the Greene Tract. Specifically, the plan was to include a more detailed look at the impacts of providing public services in the area, especially the extension of sanitary sewer, and the impacts of developing an affordable housing site.
At the January 26, 2006 Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution designating Mayor Pro Tem Bill Strom and Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt as Town representatives for the creation of a Small Area Plan for the Rogers Road Area, including the Greene Tract (Attachment 1). The resolution also requested that the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Orange County Board of Commissioners appoint representatives to participate in the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process, and directed Mayor Pro Tem Strom and Council Member Kleinschmidt to initiate discussions with the designated elected officials from Carrboro and Orange County.
In early February 2006, Mayor Foy requested that the Town of Carrboro and Orange County each designate a representative(s) to the Committee of elected officials responsible for the creation of a planning process for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan.
In summer 2006, the Town of Carrboro appointed Alderman Joal Hall Broun to participate in the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process, with Alderman John Herrera as an alternate representative. Orange County appointed Commissioner Moses Carey to serve in the planning process.
Throughout the summer and fall of 2006, elected officials from the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro and Orange County met with Town staff to begin preliminary discussions regarding the Rogers Road Area, including the status of the Greene Tract, and to schedule for preparation of the Rogers Road Small Area Plan. Town staff also met with OWASA to gather the most recent information on the location of water and sewer lines in the Rogers Road area.
The proposed study area for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan (Attachment 2) includes the Greene Tract and adjacent neighborhoods. Due to joint ownership of the Greene Tract by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County and overlapping responsibility for adjoining areas, the Council requested that a multi-jurisdictional task force be developed to guide the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process. The boundaries of the proposed study area have been reviewed with representatives of Carrboro and Orange County.
A series of meetings of the Committee took place between September and November 2006. During these meetings a tentative schedule was established for the completion of the Rogers Road Small Area Plan. It is anticipated that the Small Area Plan process will take no more than 18 months to complete, beginning with Council approval of the schedule presented below.
(17 months approx. assuming start December, 2006)
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Key Steps |
Time |
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Council approves Task Force structure, schedule |
December 4, 2006 |
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Community Open House (fact finding) |
December 7, 2006 |
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1st Task Force Meeting |
January 2007 |
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Community Forum (review goals) |
April 2007 |
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Interim Report to the Town Council |
June 2007 |
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Draft of Area Plan |
July 2007 |
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Community Forum (feedback on draft) |
October/November 2007 |
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Revised Draft of Area Plan |
November 2007 |
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Council Public Hearing |
January 2008 |
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Council Action |
March/April 2008 |
We anticipate that the Rogers Road Small Area Plan will include an analysis of the following topics:
A Community Open House for the Rogers Road area has been scheduled for December 7, 2006 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Faith Oasis Tabernacle of Love, located at 8005 Rogers Road. The Open House will provide the community an opportunity to review information on the area under consideration, ask questions, provide comments, and learn how to apply to be a task force member. Staff has mailed notices announcing the Open House to property owners within the proposed study area or within 1,000 feet of the area, including property owners on the west side of Rogers Road in Carrboro (Attachment 3). The notice also invited interested residents to volunteer to serve on the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force.
In addition, notices were delivered to residents in the proposed Rogers Road Small Area Plan area. Notices were also mailed to Chapel Hill Planning Board members, non-resident owners, institutional representatives, and representatives of non-profit housing organizations and environmental organizations, as well as representatives of the development and design communities. We anticipate that our outreach efforts will continue to involve a broad spectrum of the community.
We propose that the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force be composed of 14 members. We suggest groups to be represented on the Task Force and the number of individuals to be appointed from each group as listed in the table below:
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Number of Representatives |
Group Represented |
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2 |
Chapel Hill Town Council |
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1 |
Carrboro Board of Alderman |
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1 |
Orange County Board of Commissioners |
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2 |
Chapel Hill Planning Board |
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1 |
Empowerment |
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1 |
Orange Community Housing and Land Trust |
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1 |
Habitat for Humanity |
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4 |
Citizens of the Rogers Road Neighborhood |
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1 |
Carrboro New Horizons Task Force* |
* This Task Force serves as a formalized communication link
between the Board of Aldermen
and the residents of the newly annexed territory in the northern part of
Carrboro.
The Town of Carrboro has already identified an alternate representative for the Task Force. The Chapel Hill Town Council and the Orange County Board of Aldermen, respectively, may want to consider appointing alternates as well.
The staff will hold the Community Open House in the Rogers Road neighborhood on December 7, 2006 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Faith Oasis Tabernacle of Love, located at 8005 Rogers Road.
In order to recruit residents interested in serving on the Task Force, we will advertise vacancies on the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force in Town media in the coming weeks. Interested residents may apply for appointment to the Task Force through the Town Clerk’s office. We anticipate that the Town Clerk will bring the Council a list of recommended appointments to the Task Force in January 2007.
To provide public electronic access to general information, documents and other pertinent information on the Rogers Road Small Area Plan, the staff has begun creation of Rogers Road Small Area Plan webpage. The website will be linked to the Town of Chapel Hill homepage and will be updated throughout the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process.
The staff will continue to collect background data on the Rogers Road neighborhood, including the Greene Tract. We anticipate scheduling the first meeting of the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force in January 2007. Throughout the small area planning process, staff will provide background data to inform the discussion.
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution establishing a schedule for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan process and the size and composition of membership of the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Task Force.
1. January 26, 2006 Memorandum to Mayor and Council (begin new page 1).
2. Map of the proposed study area for the Rogers Road Small Area Plan (p. 4).
3. Invitation to the Rogers Road Small Area Plan Open House (p. 5).
