AGENDA #2

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Public Hearing on Zoning of Annexation Area 2

                        (UNC Property in Durham County)

DATE:             June 19, 2000

This public hearing is for citizen comment on the proposed zoning for Annexation Area 2, which consists of University of North Carolina property in Durham County.  Annexation Area 2 also includes the right-of-way for a 2100-foot section of Barbee Chapel Road.  This land and right-of-way are on Chapel Hill’s side of the 1986Durham/Chapel Hill Consent Judgment Annexation Boundary Line, as modified on August 19, 1994.  The area is identified on the attached map.

BACKGROUND

On April 10, 2000, the Council adopted an ordinance to extend the corporate limits of the Town to include this area, with an effective date of June 30, 2000.  The entire annexation area is in Durham County and has Durham County zoning.  Therefore, there is currently no Town of Chapel Hill zoning in effect.  In accordance with State law, Town zoning for this area must be in place within 60 days of the effective date of annexation or the area will have no zoning regulation.

DISCUSSION

Notices of this public hearing on proposed zoning for the annexation area were mailed to all property owners within the annexation area and to all property owners within 1,000 feet of the area to be zoned.  A letter of certification is attached (please see Attachment 2)  Notice of the public hearing was also published in The Chapel Hill Herald on June 9 and 18.

We propose zoning for this annexation area based on our review of Chapel Hill’s newly adopted 2000 Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Plan, on the size of the existing area, on compatibility with uses in the surrounding areas, and on existing Durham County zoning in the annexation area.  Based on these criteria, we propose that Annexation Area 2 be zoned Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2). 

Land Use Plan

Chapel Hill’s newly adopted 2000 Land Use Plan shows the area primarily as suitable for University uses.  Office/Institutional-2 zoning is consistent with this land use classification.

Size of Lot

Annexation Area 2 is approximately 145 acres in size, and is part of a larger parcel owned by the University (Mason Farm Property).  The Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2) zoning designation has a minimum lot size requirement of 5,500 square feet.  Therefore, this area would meet the minimum lot size requirement for the OI-2 zoning classification. 

Existing Durham County Zoning

Durham County currently zones this area as Rural Development.  This zone is established to provide for agricultural activities as well as a transition zone to provide for the orderly transition of land from rural to urban uses.

Zoning of Surrounding Areas

The area to the north of this annexation area (Finley Forest neighborhood) is currently zoned Residential-4 (R-4).  The area adjacent to the west (University's Mason Farm property) is zoned Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2), which is intended to provide for medium-intensity office and institutional development.  Residential-4 zoning requires a minimum lot size of 5,500 square feet, and Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2) zoning requires a minimum lot size of 5,500 square feet.  The proposed OI-2 zoning for the annexation area would be compatible with surrounding zoning designations.  We propose zoning in conformance with the portion of the Mason Farm property that is adjacent to the western boundary of these lots.

RECOMMENDATIONS

No issues were raised when the Planning Board reviewed the zoning on May 16, 2000.

Planning Board Recommendation:  That the Council zone the annexation area Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2).  (Vote:  8-0)

Manager's Preliminary Recommendation:  That the Council zone the annexation area Office/Institutional-2 (OI-2).

ATTACHMENTS

1.     Zoning Ordinance  (p. 3)

2.     Letter of Certification (p. 5)