ATTACHMENT 3
BACKGROUND FOR THE COKER HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERATION DISTRICT PROCESS
On March 7, 2005, the President of the Coker Hills Neighborhood Association petitioned the Council for establishment of a Neighborhood Conservation District. On March 29, 2005, the neighborhood submitted a formal petition with signatures from property owners to the Town Clerk.
On June 15, 2005, the Council authorized the Town Manager to contract for services with Clarion Associates to prepare Neighborhood Conservation Districts for the Coker Hills neighborhood as well as the Greenwood, Morgan Creek/Kings Mill and Pine Knolls neighborhoods.
On February 21, and March 21, 2006, the Planning Board received public input from Coker Hills residents about the proposed Neighborhood Conservation District. Some residents who spoke in favor of the proposal noted that a Neighborhood Conservation District might help to preserve the current look and feel of the neighborhood. Some residents who spoke in opposition to the proposal objected to proposed standards with regard to setbacks, height limits, and floor area ratios. There was also some dissatisfaction expressed about the process of consideration of a Neighborhood Conservation District.
On May 2, 2006, the Planning Board voted not to recommend a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills neighborhood.
On May 10, 2006, Town Clerk received a valid and effective Protest Petition that was signed by owners of 33.7 percent of the land area in the Coker Hills neighborhood. The effect of the petition would have required a three-fourths vote by Council to enact new zoning.
On May 15, 2006, the Council held a Public Hearing to receive feedback from the public about the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District. The Council also received an alternative staff recommendation that proposed a minimum lot size of .6 Acres (26,000 Square Feet) and the condition that no additional land area would be needed to build an accessory apartment. Again, testimony from residents reflected support and opposition to the proposed Neighborhood Conservation District regulations and to the process that was used to develop the recommendations. The Council indicated that it would not take action on the Neighborhood Conservation District recommendation and requested that the staff provide a summary of options for future actions regarding the Coker Hills neighborhood.
On June 12, 2006, the Council considered the options for future actions regarding the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District. The Council recessed the Public Hearing until September 27, 2006 in order to give the neighborhood more time to work together. The Council requested that staff provide a point person for the neighborhood and that the Planning Board be included if the neighborhood took any future action.
On September 27, 2006, the Council received a progress report from the staff reporting that the Coker Hills residents were still in discussions about a Neighborhood Conservation District for their neighborhood. The Council passed a resolution to recess the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District Public Hearing until March 5, 2007.
On March 5, 2007, the Council adopted a resolution to continue the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District Zoning Atlas Amendment Public Hearing until April 11, 2007.
On March 20, 2007, the Planning Board received the first version of the Coker Hills Consensus Committee Neighborhood Conservation District Proposal. The Planning Board also received the staff response to the first version of the proposal at that meeting. On March 27, 2007, the Coker Hills Consensus Committee submitted a revised proposal, which was also sent to property owners included in the proposed boundary (see Attachment 2).
On April 3, 2007, after receiving comments from residents in support and against the proposal submitted by the Consensus Committee, the Planning Board voted to recommend that the Council direct the Town Manager to poll the affected households to determine if there was at least 51% support for a Neighborhood Conservation District in the Coker Hills neighborhood, as proposed by the Consensus Committee.
On April 11, 2007, the Council adopted a resolution directing the Manager to proceed with a poll of the neighborhood, as recommended by the Planning Board. The Council did not take action to continue the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District Zoning Atlas Amendment Public Hearing.
On May 15, 2007, a ballot was mailed to all property owners in the proposed boundary for the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District. The ballot included the Consensus Committee proposal and a request that citizens return the ballot to the Town with a vote of support or a vote of opposition for the proposal.
On June 5, 2007, the Planning Board received the results of the neighborhood poll. Of the 129 ballots sent, 86 were returned. Sixty-two (72 percent) voted in support of the proposed Neighborhood Conservation District proposal, and 24 (28 percent) voted in opposition to the proposal. At that meeting, the Planning Board voted 8-1 to recommend that the Council amend the Chapel Hill Zoning Atlas to create a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills neighborhood, as proposed by the Coker Hills Consensus Committee.