ATTACHMENT 7

 

CONCEPT PLAN REVIEW SUMMARY MINUTES

COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER  25, 2006, 7:00 P.M.

 

Chairperson Jonathan Whitney called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.  Commission members present were Mark Broadwell, Mary Margaret Carroll, Gretchen MacNair, Laura King Moore, Amy Ryan, and Robin Whitsell.  Staff members present were Senior Planner Kay Pearlstein and Administrative Clerk Renee Zimmermann.

 

BRADLEY RIDGE CLUSTER  SUBDIVISION

 FORMERLY BRADLEY GREEN AND SUNRISE RIDGE SUBDIVISIONS

(File 9890-06-5929)

  A request for a Concept Plan for a cluster subdivision on the north side of Ginger Road, between I-40 and the Chandler’s Green Subdivision has been received. A portion of the 31.96 acre site includes the recently approved Bradley Green Subdivision and the proposed Sunrise Ridge Subdivision. The proposed project includes 60 lots. Thirty-one of the lots are proposed to be developed by Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. The proposal also includes 1.3 acres of recreation area and approximately 10 acres of open space. Access to the site is proposed from the Chandler’s Green neighborhood. Additional access is proposed from Sunrise Road. The site is located in the Residential-2 (R-2) zoning district and the Resource Conservation District. The site is identified as Orange County Parcel Identifier Number 9890-06-5929.

 

APPLICANT PRESENTATION

 

The design team presented their project proposal for a cluster subdivision.

 

CITIZEN COMMENTS

  1. Sandra Cummings, Vice-President of the Sunrise Coalition supported the plan for the following reasons: the development of single family homes, the mixing in of the market rate affordable unit, the option shown as sheet C3.1 (new road lined up with the Carol Woods driveway), and the Coalition’s 17 Guiding Principles being met.  
  2. Danny Benjamin, a member of the Sunrise Coalition acknowledged the partnership between Orange County Habitat for Humanity and the Bradley Green developers. He supported the road option that lines up with the Carol Woods driveway for safety reasons, including visibility of the high school’s track team usage of Sunrise Road as access to Duke Forest trails.

COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

  1. Commissioner George Cianciolo is pleased with the revised development and the cooperation required. He appreciated the detailed maps but would like a plan showing the topography. He was concerned that proposed Lots 12 and 13 are buildable lots and not in wetlands, as appeared on the plans. He supported the Sunrise Coalition and the project for enlisting the Land Trust in creating the housing mix and supported the Sunrise Coalition’s choice for the access road for safety reasons. He encouraged the applicant to work with NCDOT and the Town to get a light at the intersection of Sunrise Road and the new subdivision road.

    2. Commissioner Cianciolo was also concerned that a previous report that indicated presence of an Intermittent Stream was now shown as a seep. The hydrology is a concern.

    He pointed out that traffic claming measures had been proposed as part of the Bradley Green subdivision road before it connected with Chandler’s Green. He requested that those traffic calming measures be kept as part of this road design.

    He stated that the Concept Plan was an excellent improvement from the previous applications and looked forward to the application returning for recommendation to Council.

  2. Commissioners Gretchen MacNair, Chris Culbreth, and Amy Ryan supported the project and applauded the evident cooperation between developers. Commissioner Culbreth also supported removing on-street parking. 
  3. Commissioner Laura Moore liked the larger lots adjacent to Chandlers Green. she supported the existing Ginger Road access to the development.
  4. Commissioner Jonathan Whitney supported the larger I-40 landscape buffer.

SUMMARY OF COMMENTS

The Commission was very supportive of the Concept Plan. They especially supported how the applicants all worked together to reach a much improved outcome.  They were concerned about traffic and safety and supported traffic calming, increasing sight distance from the subdivision road, and careful layout of the new subdivision road at the Sunrise Road intersection. 

 

Prepared for:  Chairperson Jonathan Whitney

Prepared by:     Kay Pearlstein, Senior Planner