AGENDA #9a(1)

February 21, 2008

Petition to Chapel Hill Town Council from Councilmembers Easthom and Strom

Suggesting Procedural Modifications to Concept Plan Review

Council:

We wish to propose minor modifications to Concept Plan procedures which we believe will be an improvement to the process and bring these reviews in line with their original intent.

We believe that concept plan review has been a successful addition to the development review process in Chapel Hill, and that the program can be strengthened by making minor modifications.

Concept plan review is intended to be a large picture look at development proposals which gives the opportunity for applicants to gauge council interest in a particular approach to a project. Concept plan review is not intended to be a format for detailed review or analysis of an application (such as a SUP hearing), nor is it intended as a time for the council to make binding decisions concerning a potential project. It is believed the process will  work well if applicants are clearly informed that a positive reception or negative reception to a concept plan is not a statement as to whether council wishes the applicant to proceed or not proceed with the SUP application.   (An applicant does not “pass” the concept plan first step with positive comments or “fail” with negative comments.  There is no council vote and thus is not binding.)

Therefore we wish to ask the staff to develop guidelines for the council to review which would allow a concept plan review to take place in a predictable format and time frame. 

Additionally we believe that the council and the applicant would be well served if an opportunity was made available to members of Chapel Hill professional staff to ask questions of an applicant during concept plan review. This would provide the public and other parties an early understanding of regulatory and policy issues which could be involved in a development proposal.