ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENDA #5g

-----Original Message-----

From: Stanley J Robboy [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 1:51 PM

To: Kevin Foy

Cc: Sandy Cook; Sabrina Oliver; Gene Poveromo; [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Suggestion for new fee category for proposed changes with Special Use Permits- planning and development fees

Dear Mayor Foy,

We  understand  that the Town Council will soon vote on changes to planning

and  development  fees,  and  we  are  writing to ask that the Town Council

consider  a change to the development fee applicable to Special Use Permits

for  renting  out parking spaces in already-developed parking lots.  Please

see the attached letter.

Thank you.

Stanley J Robboy

Co-President

Chapel Hill Kehillah

(See  attached  file:  Chapel  Hill  Kehillah  Parking,  Ltr  to  Mayor Foy

6-9-2005.doc)

Jennifer Feldman, Rabbi                                                                                                                                     Tel: 919-942-8914

Lee R. Nackman, co-president                                                                                                                           Fax: 919-932-1844

Stanley J. Robboy, co-president                                                                                                      email: [email protected]

June 9, 2005

Mayor Kevin Foy and Members of the Chapel Hill Town Council

Chapel Hill Town Hall

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Dear Mayor Foy and Members of the Town Council:

We understand that the Town Council will soon vote on changes to planning and development fees, and we are writing to ask that the Town Council consider a change to the development fee applicable to Special Use Permits for renting out parking spaces in already-developed parking lots.

About a year ago the Board of Directors of the Chapel Hill Kehillah began to discuss a plan to rent out about fifty of our parking spaces to bring in some much needed income.  Although our Board was aware that it would be possible to begin rentals without official permits, we made a conscious decision that we wanted to fulfill all legal requirements first.  We carefully began the process of filing forms, memos, maps, lists, etc.  But then we learned that the Town process, which we had expected to take two or three months, would take a year or more. 

We also then learned that the Town’s current planning fees for a project such as ours (which involves no construction, no significant traffic impact, no effect on vegetation, no neighborhood opposition - merely the rental of spaces in a lot already developed for parking) are based on the same formula as the development of a major subdivision.  Our cost in fees ($4,250 – 8,500, depending on whether the Council passes the proposed repeal of the 50% reduction for non-profits) will be the equivalent of a quarter to nearly half of a year’s parking rental income. 

We propose the creation of a new fee category - in the hundreds rather than the thousands of dollars - for applications to rent out parking spaces on land that is already developed for and legitimately used as a parking lot.    We believe this will be a fairer fee level for such simple changes in use of a property.

We hope you will give consideration to our proposal.

Sincerely,

Stanley Robboy

Co-President