Agenda #8
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Revising Chapel Hill’s Development Ordinance
DATE: April 24, 2000
A key recommendation of the new Draft 2000 Comprehensive Plan is a revision of Chapel Hill’s Development Ordinance. We discussed this issue with the Town Council earlier this year and suggested that work begin in the current 1999-2000 program year, with funds available from the Town’s Fund Balance, rather than wait for the next program year. This project was identified at the Council’s January, 2000 Planning Conference as a Council goal. This memorandum reports on the status of our work on this task.
We continue to believe the best approach to this task is to retain the services of a consultant. The consultant’s role would be to work with the Town Council, the Planning Board, and staff to revise the Development Ordinance.
We also believe that this is an opportunity to take advantage of new technologies. Our suggestion is that the revised Development Ordinance be produced in a form that can be accessed electronically - - on a Compact Disk or over the Internet - - in a manner that incorporates graphics and that can be interactive (responding to queries, etc.).
We suggest that the organization of this project take the following approach:
· Ordinance Diagnosis: The consultant would build on the work that was begun in the Comprehensive Plan - - comparing community objectives to the existing Development Ordinance to develop a list of areas for change. The Comprehensive Plan identifies many of those areas in its “Action Plan.” Included in this phase would be meetings with the Town Council and Planning Board.
· Annotated Outline: The consultant would prepare a detailed outline of a revised Development Ordinance, based on the diagnosis and the Comprehensive Plan recommendations. This would include suggestions for changes and options for consideration, along with a discussion of advantages and disadvantages of various approaches. The Annotated Outline would be referred to all Town Advisory Boards for comment, and would be the subject of a Council Public Hearing.
· Draft Ordinance: The consultant would prepare an initial draft of the revised Development Ordinance, with discussion about key features and changes. The draft would be subjected to an extensive community review and comment period, involving all Town advisory boards and a Public Hearing. There may be more than one cycle of board and public review.
· Final Ordinance: Once a final draft Development Ordinance is approved by the Town Council, the consultant will prepare the document in its written and electronic forms, with text and graphics, and provisions for “browsing.” Graphic illustrations may take the form of photographs, drawings, simulations, and/or video.
The final document will be in a form that can be distributed widely.
We recommend that the Council authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a scope of work and contract with Wallace, Roberts, and Todd, the firm that worked on the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. We believe that the familiarity of this consultant with the ideas and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan would provide a good foundation for this project. We believe that this firm has the capabilities to produce the desired product.
We would expect two subcontracts as a part of a consultant’s work on this project. The first would be with an attorney or legal firm currently working in North Carolina, familiar with North Carolina law and the local government context. The second would be with someone skilled in technology, to produce the graphic and interactive form desired.
We estimate the cost of this project to be approximately $150,000. If the Council adopts the attached resolution and budget ordinance, we will negotiate a scope of work and a contract. If work begins this summer on the Diagnosis element, we believe that a final draft could be delivered in approximately 12 months (for possible Council adoption in early fall, 2001).
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution and the attached budget ordinance. These would authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a scope of work and contract with Wallace, Roberts, and Todd, for submission to the Council for approval, and budget funds for this project.
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT FOR WORK ON REVISING THE CHAPEL HILL DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE (2000-04-24/R-10.1)
WHEREAS, the Chapel Hill Town Council intends to revise the Town’s Development Ordinance, as recommended in Chapel Hill’s new draft Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the consulting firm of Wallace, Roberts, and Todd has been responsible for work on the new Comprehensive Plan and has developed familiarity with the issues addressed in the new plan; and
WHEREAS, the consulting firm of Wallace, Roberts, and Todd has the capability and availability to perform the work required to revise the Development Ordinance;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council authorizes the Town Manager to negotiate a scope of work and contract with the firm of Wallace, Roberts, and Todd, as described in a memorandum to the Council dated April 24, 2000, for an amount not to exceed $150,000.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council requests that the Town Manager bring such a draft contract to the Council for consideration, such that work on this project can begin July 1, 2000, with a target date for completion by September, 2001.
This the 24th day of April, 2000.