AGENDA #2a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Public Forum on a Report of the Horace Williams Citizens Committee Regarding Principles, Goals and Strategies for the Horace Williams Property
DATE: March 1, 2004
The Town Council scheduled tonight’s forum to receive public comment on Principles, Goals and Strategies for the Horace Williams Property (Carolina North), as recommended in a report developed by the Horace Williams Citizens Committee, with input from the Council (see Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
On October 7, 2002, the Town Council adopted a resolution establishing a charge for the creation of a Horace Williams Citizens Committee. The charge included the development of principles to guide the Council’s deliberations with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill regarding the future development of the Horace Williams property (Carolina North).
Current members of the Committee include Council Members Cam Hill, Mark Kleinschmidt and Bill Strom, County Commissioner Margaret Brown, and Linda Convissor, the University of North Carolina’s representative. Current citizen appointees are John Boyer, Henry Branson, III, Joyce Brown, Al Burk, Joe Capowski, James Coley, Barbara Driscoll, Randy Kabrick (Chair), Julie McClintock, Margaret Morse, Blair Pollock, Ruby Sinreich (Vice Chair), Del Snow, and Diane VandenBroek. On Monday, February 23, 2004, the Council appointed Laurin Easthom and Gene Pease to fill vacancies on the Committee.
The Committee began meeting in March 2003, and presented its first report to the Council on June 9, 2003. On August 25, the Committee presented a second report, containing principles and goals for the property. On October 8, 2003, the Committee submitted its Recommended Principles, Goals and Strategies for Guiding the Development of the Horace Williams Property report to the Town Council for consideration.
The Council held a public forum on October 27, 2003, followed by work sessions on November 10 and 24. Prior to the work sessions, the report was referred to Town advisory boards and Town departments for comments and recommendations.
On November 24, the Council requested that the Committee consider the Town Council’s comments and recommendations made during its November work sessions. The Committee met on December 18, 2003 and on January 15, 2004, to review the report and make additional recommendations to the Town Council. The Committee presented its final draft report to the Council on January 28, 2004, at which time the Council scheduled tonight’s forum.
ORGANIZATION OF REPORT
The report is divided into the following topic areas: Development Management; Neighborhood and Community Interface; Water and Sewer/Stormwater Management/Air Quality; Natural Areas/Park and Recreation Facilities; and Transportation and Land Use.
In each topic area, recommendations consist of broad principles followed by more specific goals and implementation strategies. This report also includes general principles and working assumptions that apply to each topic area.
Public Notice
The Town advertised tonight’s forum in the Chapel Hill Herald on Sunday, February 22, and Sunday, February 29, 2004. We also have e-mailed the announcement to interested citizens and posted the report on the Planning Department’s Horace Williams Citizens Committee website for review.
We recommend that the Council receive this report as information that will be used in further discussions as the Council decides.
ATTACHMENTS