SUMMARY OF
COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION
CONCEPT PLAN
COMMENTS
Subject: Franklin
Grove Townhomes
Meeting Date: September
22, 2004
Recommendation: That
the Community Design Commission supports the applicant’s proposal to convert
unfinished residential attic space to finished floor area. That this finished
floor area in the attic may be used for any residential activity permitted by
the Franklin Grove Special Use Permit and as allowed by Town of Chapel Hill
Building Codes. That the total finished attic floor area for the Franklin
Grove development shall not exceed 30,000 square feet.
Vote: 8-2
Aye: Mark Broadwell,
George Cianciolo, Chris Culbert, Thatcher Freund, Charlotte Newby (chair),
Scott Nilsen, Scott Radway, Jonathan Whitney.
Nay: Laura King Moore,
Amy Ryan.
Reasons for dissenting votes:
- The dissenting Commissioners
stated that, although the applicant should not be penalized for what
appears to have been an oversight, when Town staff neglected to recognized
the unfinished attic space as potential future floor area for the
development, the members felt that the applicant should be allowed to
continue to build per his original plans and that the attic square footage
should not be counted toward his square-footage allowance for the development.
- The Commissioners also stated
that if the applicant would have come before the Town Council with his
original application showing the attic space of the development as
finished space, it may have reduced the number of units he would have been
allowed to build in order to remain under the square footage cap. The Town
has established these building limits for good reason, and the applicant
should not use this occasion as an excuse for what in fact would be a
violation of Town development ordinances. In this case, the extra
square footage would not benefit the Town by increasing urban density; it
would merely produce larger homes and extra profit for the developer,
which the Commissioner members did not feel was a sufficient reason for
exceeding the development limits.
Prepared by: Charlotte
Newby, Chair
Gene
Poveromo, Staff