AGENDA #8
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MEMORANDUM |
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Coordinator Kumar Neppalli, Engineering Services Manager |
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SUBJECT: |
Action Item: Implementation Proposals for the Northern Area
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DATE: |
January 14, 2008 |
PURPOSE
We return to the Council tonight with a follow-up report from the November 12, 2007 Public Hearing regarding implementation proposals for the Northern Area to carry out recommendations of the Northern Area Task Force. We recommend adoption of the Northern Area Task Force Report and associated amendment to the Land Use Plan, both as components of the Comprehensive Plan. Once adopted, they will be used to guide land use decisions. We also recommend an associated Action Plan regarding the future of the Town as we approach build-out.
The Council is also holding a Public Hearing tonight on a related item to consider the possible extension of the temporary development moratorium in the Northern Area.
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This package of material has been prepared for the Town Council’s consideration, and is organized as follows:
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BACKGROUND
On March 24, 2007, the Council created a Northern Area Task Force to provide advice on managing future development of the northern area, including establishment of a vision statement for the area; to prepare recommendations for the implementation of transit-oriented development along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Homestead Road, Weaver Dairy Road and Eubanks Road; and to develop recommendations on pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements throughout the study area.
On May 21, 2007, the Council enacted a temporary moratorium on development within the Northern Study Area. The moratorium will conclude on January 31, 2008.
On September 24, 2007, the Council received and referred (to selected Advisory Boards and Commissions and the Town Manager and Attorney) the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force as well as the Chapel Hill Northern Area Workshop: Transit Oriented Development Concept Plans, thanking the Task Force for the work.
On October 8, 2007, the Council called a Public Hearing for November 12 to consider the following items:
On November 12, 2007, the Council held a Public Hearing [Memoranda Hyperlink >http://tinyurl.com/2tralk<] and received public comment on the three items immediately above.
Our recommendation has been revised since the November 12 Public Hearing. We are no longer recommending zoning or associated changes, at this time, for the Northern Area. Should these actions be desired by the Council, the Ordinances are attached to the November 12 items [Memoranda Hyperlink >http://tinyurl.com/2tralk<].
On November 19, 2007 the Council called tonight’s Public Hearing to consider extending the development moratorium in the Northern Area.
DISCUSSION
The Northern Area Task Force Report provided a vision statement, goals and objectives to shape the type of development envisioned for the Northern Area and included recommendations for future development in focus areas within the Northern Area. The focus area recommendations generally outline the preferred form and density of development and redevelopment.
In order to conclude the Northern Area moratorium and to begin implementation of the Northern Area Task Force recommendations, we recommend the Council take the following actions:
Council members would have additional control of the form of development in the Northern Area with the adoption of the Northern Area Task Force Report as a component of the Comprehensive Plan. The Council must make a finding that Special Use Permit applications conform to the Comprehensive Plan of which the adopted Northern Area Task Force Report will be part. Little development is expected to occur in the Northern Focus Areas (Attachment 3) that would not require a Special Use Permit. In addition, without making changes to existing zoning, as previously considered, applications would most likely require Zoning Atlas Amendments, thereby giving the Council legislative discretion.
Initiatives Currently Underway:
Action Plan:
Please also refer to Attachment 5, a projected time table for the recommended Action Plan.
Our recommendation has been revised since the November 12 Public Hearing. We are no longer recommending zoning or associated changes, at this time, for the Northern Area. Should these actions be desired by the Council, the Ordinances are attached to the November 12 items [Memoranda Hyperlink >http://tinyurl.com/2tralk<].
KEY ISSUES
A number of issues were raised by Council members during the Public Hearing for the Northern Area implementation proposals as follows:
Comment: While the initial development of the base line programs could be accommodated through the use of consultant assistance, we believe the ongoing use of modeling tools would require additional staff resources. We recommend acquiring appropriate land use and transportation planning software and to consider hiring staff to focus on this work.
There are software packages on the market designed to assess the transportation, environmental, and fiscal impacts of proposed and cumulative development. We have reviewed several of them, including INDEX, produced by Criterion Planners. Our understanding of the INDEX software suggests that it can be used for assessing community conditions, designing future scenarios in real time, measuring scenarios with performance indicators, ranking scenarios by goal achievement, and monitoring implementation of adopted plans. We recommend that the Town acquire INDEX software, or similar. The basic package, Plan Builder, costs about $3,000 and is designed to function with the Town’s Geographic Information System software package. Additional customization and modeling services are available for a fee from Criterion Planners. To supplement this effort, we recommend that the Town utilize data from the Carolina North fiscal equity study, which may provide valuable information for fiscal modeling.
The Town currently has Sketch Up visualization software, which was used in conjunction with the Rogers Road Small Area Plan. Sketch Up provides 3-D simulations which could be used to study various forms of the built environment. Furthermore, it may be appropriate for a consulting firm, which we believe will be needed to develop transit oriented design guidelines, to use visualization software during that process to assist the community to better visualize transit oriented development scenarios. The consultant, the Council appointed advisory board, and town staff could use visualization software to set goals, and standards regarding the form of the built environment.
The development and maintenance of software programs designed to model the impacts of different development alternatives, assess the cumulative impacts of approved development and provide visualization of land use patterns is beyond current staff resources. The development of these tools requires intensive data collection and determination of appropriate modeling coefficients. Once established the maintenance of these tools will require on-going data collection and refinement of the models to ensure they are providing the information necessary. The process of preparing analysis with the modeling software is also time consuming and will require a commitment of staff resources.
If these recommendations were approved by the Council, staff would develop an implementation strategy for the Council’s consideration.
Comment: Please refer to the attached time table which indicates the various projects currently underway and proposed implementation strategies under consideration (Attachment 5). We believe that the establishment of an advisory committee and the development of transit oriented design guidelines and higher density zoning districts could be initiated immediately and could be completed by September 2008. The acquisition and implementation of community impact assessment tools would require a more detailed evaluation of the capabilities of the software packages and associated staffing requirements.
Comment: This approach would require Town collection of funds and an obligation for the Town to construct infrastructure and public facilities. The Town has not historically supported adequate public facilities requirements for impacts other than schools. We do not recommend such an approach at this time.
Comment: Legislation to require that developers contribute to the cost of transit has been passed by the legislature. A staff report regarding implementation of the enabling legislation is scheduled in early 2008.
Please see the attached list of issues raised by citizens (Attachment 6).
Recommendations are summarized below.
Planning Board: The Planning Board met on October 30, 2007 and voted 6-0 to recommend that the Council adopt the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force as a component of the Comprehensive Plan but exclude Chapel Hill Northern Area Workshop: Transit Oriented Development Concept Plans as a component of the Comprehensive Plan. The Board also recommended modifying the Land Use Plan to include Transit Oriented Development Opportunity Areas.
A copy of the Planning Board Summary Action is attached to the memorandum.
Transportation Board: The Transportation Board met on October 25, 2007 and voted 5-0 to recommend that the Council adopt the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force as well as the Chapel Hill Northern Area Workshop: Transit Oriented Development Concept Plans as components of the Comprehensive Plan. Furthermore the Board recommended that in light of the fact that the Task Force did not unanimously endorse or recommend the development scenarios as shown on the Transit Oriented Concept Plans, the site design of said plans should be used as a first step to facilitate the creation of formal Transit Oriented Development design guidelines.
A copy of the Transportation Board Summary Action is attached to the memorandum.
Community Design Commission: The Community Design Commission met on October 24 and voted 9-0 to recommend that the Council adopt the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force as a component of the Comprehensive Plan but exclude Chapel Hill Northern Area Workshop: Transit Oriented Development Concept Plans as components of the Comprehensive Plan.
Furthermore, the Commission recommended that the Council not adopt the Transit Oriented Opportunity sites as part of the Land Use Plan in the near term but prepare Transit Oriented Design guidelines and develop TOD zones within the next 9 months.
A copy of the Community Design Commission Summary Action is attached to the memorandum.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board: The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee met on September 25, 2007 and voted 8-0 and October 23, 2007 and voted 7-0 to recommend that the Council adopt the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force as well as the Chapel Hill Northern Area Workshop: Transit Oriented Development Concept Plans as components of the Comprehensive Plan.
Furthermore, the Board recommended that the Council amend the Land Use Plan and identify Transit Oriented Development (TOD) opportunity sites in the focus areas of the Northern Area Task Force Report.
Copies of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Summary Action are attached to the memorandum.
Greenways Commission: The Greenways Commission met on November 28, 2007 and voted 6-0 to recommend that the Council adopt the Final Report of the Chapel Hill Northern Area Task Force. The Commission noted that the Report failed to mention the Chapel Hill Greenways system.
A copy of the Greenways Commission Summary Action is attached to the memorandum.
Revised Staff Recommendation: In order to conclude the Northern Area moratorium and to begin implementation of the Northern Area Task Force Report, we recommend that the Council take the following actions tonight:
Our recommendation has been revised since the November 12 Public Hearing. We are no longer recommending zoning or associated changes, at this time, for the Northern Area. Should these actions be desired by the Council, the Ordinances are attached to the November 12 items [Memoranda Hyperlink >http://tinyurl.com/2tralk<].
ATTACHMENTS
Agenda Item #7 and 8
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (January 14, 2008)
