ATTACHMENT 2

PLANNING Town of Chapel Hill 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Chapel Hill, NC  27514  phone (919) 968-2728    fax (919) 969-2014 www.townofchapelhill.org

CONCEPT PLAN REVIEW SUMMARY MINUTES
COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 2009, 7:00 P.M.

Chairperson George Cianciolo called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Commission members present were Mary Margaret Carroll, Augustus Cho, George Cianciolo (Chair), Kathryn James, Laura Moore, Scott Nilsen, Amy Ryan, Hank Rodenburg, Polly Van de Velde, and Robin Whitsell. Staff members present were Senior Planner Kay Pearlstein, and Renee Moye, Administrative Clerk.

MURRAY HILL, 201 MEADOWMONT LANE, File No. 9798-75-3407

 The Town has received a Concept Plan proposal from Scott Murray for Murray Hill, located at 201 Meadowmont Lane. The Concept Plan proposes to construct 16 multi-family dwelling units for 50,866 square feet of floor area. Parking for approximately 32 vehicles is proposed. The proposed development is located at the northwest corner at the intersection of Meadowmont Lane and Sprunt Street, adjacent to the UNC Wellness Center along the light rail line in the Meadowmont development. Access is proposed from Meadowmont Lane and Sprunt Street. The 1.17-acre site is located in the Residential-5-Conditional (R-5-C) zoning district. The site is identified as Orange County Parcel Identifier Number 9798-75-3407.

CONCEPT PLAN PRESENTATION

Scott Murray and East West Partners presented a concept plan for Parcel 20 in Meadowmont.

CITIZEN COMMENT

1. Christina Jaromin lives at Rosemary Townhouses and does not think that the proposed access to the site from Sprunt Street is a good idea. She stated that the traffic at Sprunt Street and Meadowmont Lane is hectic at 5:00 and busy throughout the day.

COMMISSION COMMENTS

1. Commissioner Mary Margaret Carroll supported the neighborhood meeting organized by the applicant, however, she does not support the proposal. She asked the approximate square footage of the proposed units. The applicant stated that they would be 2 and 3 bedroom units with approximately 2,000 to 2,200 square feet of floor area and typically 2 ½ stories tall. Commissioner Carroll believes that 16 townhouses will overburden the site and add further compaction to existing compaction. She stated that Meadowmont Lane is heavily traveled and is a dangerous mix of children, school traffic, and pedestrians from The Cedars.

Commissioner Carroll stated that just because there is vacant land, it does not have to be   built on. She stated that the positives of the proposal were hard to see.

2. Commissioner Amy Ryan believed there is too much development for the small site and to keep it as it is – undeveloped or to scale the development way back. She stated that the applicant’s idea for a pocket park at ends of the site is unrealistic. She asked about sidewalks along Meadowmont Lane and Sprunt Street and was confused about the traffic movements in/out of the site. She believed traffic movements accessing the site will be a problem.
3. Commissioner Scott Nilsen stated that the undeveloped site works well now. If the site is developed, Commissioner Nilsen recommended that cottage homes might be appropriated. He liked the affordable aspects of the proposal but not supportive of the townhouse look.
4. Commissioner Polly van de Velde thought the development was too choppy and combine the buildings for more open space. She wanted to see the trees preserved.
5. Commissioner August Cho thought the development created a claustrophic feeling and wanted to see the trees preserved. He stated that cutting down the trees was contrary to the Comprehensive Plan and recommended keeping the trees for relaxation and green area.
6. Commissioner Hank Rodenburg stated that the 2003 Meadowmont plan showed the site as green space and was concerned about the net loss of trees. He asked the applicant what their affordable housing plan was. The applicant replied that they did not know if they would be offering a payment-in-lieu or units but will comply with the regulations.
7. Commissioner Kathryn James asked if the units will use Energy Star rating like the other Meadowmont units.  The applicant replied that they are very interested in saving energy costs and will be doing what they can. Commissioner James stated that Meadowmont is transit oriented and that a pocket park could work if they reduced the number of units.
8. Commissioner Robin Whitsell thought the development was too dense for a tiny park. The site is a last remnant of the original wooded site prior to Meadowmont. The applicant replied that there is 70 acres of parkland with the Master Plan. Meadowmont was planned for development by when TTA was re-aligned; the site became less than what was originally proposed.
9. Commissioner George Cianciolo thought the development was reasonable for a transit corridor. He believed that “empty nesters” will buy into the development. He suggested that the buildings be squeezed to the middle of the site and use the north and south ends for green space to soften the buildings.  Commissioner Cianciolo did not believe 16 townhouses will generate a lot of traffic. He is not opposed to development on the site but recommended that the applicant reduce the square footage, squeeze the buildings together, and  preserve the ends of the site as green space  

SUMMARY

The Commission’s comments are summarized below:

• The site is too small for the amount of square footage proposed;reduce the number of units;
• Retain trees;
• Create more green space, especially at the north and south ends of the site;
• Traffic generated with the development will make a dangerous intersection on Sprunt Street and Meadowmont Lane;
• Pocket park is not feasible with current design;
• Supported affordable housing here;
• Design too choppy, compress development;
• Meadowmont has green space already provided with the Master Plan;and
• Traffic movements are difficult and dangerous.

Prepared for:            George Cianciolo, Chair
Prepared by:             Kay Pearlstein, Staff