AGENDA #3a(5)

May 6, 2005

Dear Mayor Foy,

On behalf of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, I would like to request that the Town of Chapel Hill begin the small area plan process for the Rogers Road community.  As you know, the completion of the small area plan for this community is one of the requirements for planning for the acreage on the Greene Tract that has been designated by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County for the development of affordable housing.

Through its development of New Homestead Place and Rusch Hollow off of Rogers Road, Habitat has extended sanitary sewer service along the route designated by the County engineer to provide sewer service to the Greene tract.  Recently, Habitat purchased additional property on Purefoy Road, and if CDBG and HOME funds are approved by the Town on May 9th, Habitat will further extend the sewer along Purefoy Road to the edge of the Greene Tract.  This extension of the sewer will make development of the affordable housing component of the Greene Tract possible within the next fiscal year.

The extension of the sewer,  the needs expressed by residents of the Rogers Road community at numerous public hearings for sewer and for bus service, as well as Habitat's intention to create additional affordable housing opportunities on the property we recently acquired on Purefoy Road, all point to the need to begin the small area planning process now.

On behalf of Habitat, I urge the Town Council to ask staff to make the small area planning process for the Rogers Road community a priority, and to begin the process early in the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

Susan Levy

Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity, Orange County