AGENDA #4
TO: Chapel Hill Town Council
UNC-CH Trustees/Chancellor
FROM: David Owens
RE: Update on Staff Activities
Public Input and Information Sessions
DATE: February 11, 2009
Below is a summary of on-going staff work on the Carolina North development review project and the public input and information sessions. The focus of the staff work and public involvement efforts in the January through March 2009 period is the development of specific standards and mitigation measures to be incorporated within the Town’s regulations on Carolina North.
1. Staff Activities
The Town/University Joint Staff Work Group (JSWG) has completed work on drafts of an amendment to the LUMO to create a new zoning district for the Horace Williams tract and on a draft development agreement for the first phase of the project (with specific development standards and mitigation measures to be inserted later). The attached drafts are presented as background material for your information and review. Both will be updated and submitted in March-April for formal review that will take place in April-June.
The draft LUMO amendment (Appendix A) would create a new zoning district, the University 1 (U-1) district, to be applied to the Horace Williams tract within Chapel Hill’s regulatory jurisdiction. As previously discussed by the Council and Trustees, the ordinance sets up the process and framework for development review while leaving the detailed project standards and mitigation measures to the development agreement. The text of the ordinance defines the process for development review, sets the minimum requirements for the district, requires a long-range context plan and a development agreement for most development in the district, specifies the uses allowed and general areas for development standards to be included in a development agreement, and sets out the process for consideration of proposed amendments and actions required after approval of a development agreement.
The draft development agreement (Appendix B) sets out the basic legal provisions to be included. The specific development standards and mitigation measures are now being discussed by the staff, the public, the Council, and the Trustees. The results of these January to March discussions on specific standards will be incorporated into Exhibit G of this draft agreement. The attached draft provides the statutory framework, definitions, recital of work and considerations leading up to the agreement, and the basic legal terms for the agreement.
Joint Town/University staff working groups have been meeting over the past month to discuss potential development standards and mitigation measures for what have been characterized as “Group 2” topics – those for which previous community discussions provide sufficient guidance and consensus to allow staff to prepare proposals for your consideration. To date this work has largely been to define the issue for this project and to identify possibilities and ideas for inclusion. The initial result of those discussions is set forth for informational purposes in Exhibit G. Comments received at the first of the public input sessions is also included. The next phase of that work will be to convert these ideas to specific provisions to be included in the development agreement.
Staff work is also underway on the Group 1 topics being discussed by the Council and Trustees. As these discussions take place, staff is identifying potential standards and mitigation measures, as well as additional options for discussion.
2. Public Input and Information Sessions
The Town held a public input and information session on January 29 at Town Hall. Staff provided an update of the development review process and the timing for it, an update of the University’s plans for the phase of the Carolina North project proposed for Town approval, and the results of the staff working group ideas for development standards and mitigation measures. Citizens attending offered comments both on the overall process and on the specific issues for which staff work on development standards and mitigation ideas were available. ‘
A second session to gather comments and suggestions on the remaining issues to be addressed is scheduled for February 19. A third session will be held on April 1, with the Town and University staff work group members being present for interactive discussions on each individual issue.
Staff work is nearing completion on tools to organize and display public comments on the Town web site.
3. Updated Detailed Timeline
The most current version of the overall detailed timeline for this project is set out as Appendix C.
Appendix A. Draft LUMO Amendment [268 KB pdf]
Appendix B. Draft Development Agreement [1.8 MB pdf]
Appendix C. Detailed Timeline, Updated to 2/9/09