AGENDA #7b
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Report: Overview of Areas Under Consideration for Possible Future
Annexation
DATE: November 27, 2000
This information report is part of a continuing series of periodic updates to provide an overview of areas under consideration for possible future annexation. (See Map 1) This report concludes that two areas may be eligible for annexation by the Town this year:
· Notting Hill Area (Map 2); and
· Southern Village Area (Map 3).
We will prepare a memorandum discussing the process for initiating annexation of these two areas, should the Council decide to do so, for the Council’s consideration on January 8, 2001. We also intend to report next to the Council in the Fall of 2001 on potential annexations that could be conducted during the 2001-02 fiscal year.
BACKGROUND
Annexation is the process by which towns and cities expand their corporate limits to provide for the orderly extension of municipal services to areas that are becoming urbanized. The required municipal services include police protection, fire protection, garbage and trash collection, maintenance and lighting of public streets (excluding State roads), and all other services provided by the municipality, on the same basis as provided within the existing municipal boundaries.
Annexation has occurred on a regular basis in Chapel Hill. In the 1990s, the Town completed the following annexations, with the effective dates noted:
June 30, 1990 DuBose/Oaks III/Country Club/ (Town-initiated)
Sherwood Forest
June 30, 1992 Southbridge • Phases 3 & 4 (Town-initiated)
Chandler's Green • Phase 2 (Town-initiated)
Oaks III • Phase B5a (Petition)
Springcrest • Phases 1 & 2 (Petition)
June 30, 1993 Springcrest • Phases 3 & 4 (Petition)
Springcrest • Town-Owned Open Space (Petition)
June 30, 1994 Culbreth Middle School (Petition)
June 30, 1995 Weaver Dairy Road/Erwin Road (Town-initiated)
Clark Lake Road • 3 Lots (Town-initiated)
Culbreth Park/Hundred Oaks (Town-initiated)
Cobble Ridge • Phases 1 - 4 (Town-initiated)
June 30, 1996 OWASA Parcel (Petition)
December 31, 1997 Lowes Parcel (portion) (Petition)
June 30, 1998 Homestead Village/Horace Williams Tract (Town-initiated)
Oaks III • Phase B5b (Town-initiated)
June 30, 2000 Englewood Subdivision (Town-initiated)
UNC/Faculty-Staff Club (Town-initiated)
METHODS OF ANNEXATION
There are three primary methods that the Town may use under State Law to annex land:
1) Town-initiated Annexation - The Town may undertake to annex, by ordinance, certain areas that meet statutory standards for contiguity, population density, and intensity of development.
2) Contiguous Annexation Petition - The Town may annex by ordinance any area contiguous to its boundaries upon presentation of a petition signed by all of the owners of real property located within such area.
3) Non-Contiguous "Satellite" Annexation Petition - The Town may annex by ordinance, certain areas that meet statutory standards and whose boundaries do not at any point touch the Town's primary corporate limits. Non-Contiguous "Satellite" annexation petitions must be signed by all the owners of real property located within such area.
In general, Town-initiated annexations are a more complicated process than annexation by petition. Town-initiated annexations however, allow municipalities to have greater control over the timing of growth and the shaping of their corporate limits.
The Town's general policy, as reflected in annexation decisions in the last 20 years, has been to annex areas when they qualify under State law and when the Town can practically extend and finance municipal services to the qualifying areas.
WATER AND SEWER
COST CONSIDERATIONS
In accordance with State law, major trunk water mains and sewer outfall lines must be extended into an annexation area so that property owners will then be able to secure public water and sewer service according to policies in effect for extending such services to individual lots or subdivisions. Where the extension of major water or sewer lines is necessary, an annexation plan must set out a timetable for completion of construction within two years of the effective date of annexation.
Once major trunk water mains and sewer outfall lines are extended into an annexation area, then the extension of water and sewer lines to existing individual lots or subdivisions is available in accordance with Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) policies. In areas where the municipality is required to extend sewer service according to its policies, but the installation of sewer is not economically feasible due to the unique topography of the area, the municipality must provide septic system maintenance and repair service until such time as sewer service is provided to properties similarly situated.
OWASA's general policy is to allow extensions to the public water and sewer system, within or outside of any Town limits, provided that the benefiting parties pay the cost through assessments under OWASA policy. Developers may extend lines at their expense and in accordance with OWASA standards.
The financial feasibility of any annexation would be affected by the Council’s policy to assist in paying for public sewer construction in neighborhoods now served with individual septic or other private wastewater systems. The Town of Chapel Hill provides a 20% subsidy to sewer projects for existing neighborhoods with private systems, with a cap of $4,500 per lot based on the total number of lots in the project which is being subsidized, pursuant to a revised policy adopted on September 9, 1998 by the Council. Funds for specific projects are approved by the Town Council and must be made available through the annual budget and Capital Improvements Program process. The balance reserved for sewer improvements is $323,000 as of June 30, 2000. Of this amount, $192,000 is reserved for the Mason Farm/Morgan Creek area. The last use of the fund was for the Patterson Place sewer, completed in December, 1999.
DISCUSSION
Town-initiated annexations have the benefit of promoting the efficient extension of Town services and the creation of an orderly, easily recognized Town boundary. The Town's Comprehensive Plan has an objective that development go outward from existing developed areas at the same time as public facilities and services are extended.
As part of our ongoing long-range planning, we study areas that are becoming urbanized. In the past, we have laid out strategies for future annexation areas for the Town Council's consideration. Based on our most recent analysis, we provide the following overview and recommendations for the numbered areas shown on Map 1 (see attached):
|
Description of Area: |
Comments: |
|
Area 1: Includes
the Northwood subdivision (Ph. 1-4) and the UPS facility. |
Water line improvements associated with the widening of Highway
N.C. 86 and the Chapel Hill North development have extended water service
into parts of this area. Sewer
service has not been extended into this area. We suggest that staff continue to monitor this area; and, that
the Council plan to pursue annexation of this area at such time that sewer
service is extended into this area. |
|
Area 2:
Sunrise Road and Interstate 40 (north of Carol Woods and Chandlers
Green). |
We recommend pursuing Town-initiated annexation at such future
time that this area qualifies for annexation. |
|
Area 3 Land
east of Erwin Road and north of Sage Road. |
This area appears to qualify for Town-initiated annexation at
this time. |
|
Area 4: Land
south of Town, including the Merritt Pasture, Morgan Creek Hills, Farrington
Hills, Laurel Hills, Reserve, Reserve II and Hunt’s Reserve neighborhoods. |
Presently, a portion of this area may qualify for a Town-initiated
annexation. The key issue in our
study of this area has been the date at which the Town would be in a position
to provide the full range of Town services to this area. The extension of water and sewer mains is
also an issue. |
|
Area 5: Land
south of Town, including Southern Village, the future Town park, Dogwood
Acres and Zapata Lane. |
Presently a major portion of this area appears to qualify for a
Town-initiated annexation. The Town
is now in a position to provide the full range of Town services to the
Southern Village area. Construction
of the new fire station in the southern area is expected to begin
shortly. The extension of water and
sewer mains is an issue for the remainder of the area not proposed for
annexation. |
NEXT STEPS
We believe that two areas may qualify now for Town-initiated annexation: 1) The Notting Hill Area (Area 3); and 2) the Southern Village area (Area 5). We will prepare a memorandum outlining the process for initiating annexation of these areas for the Council’s consideration on January 8, 2001.
We intend to continue to monitor the remainder of the Town’s planning jurisdictions and report back to the Council in the Fall of 2001 with a potential schedule for pursuing Town-initiated annexations in qualified urbanizing areas. We note that any additional annexation south of Town will be dependent upon the extension of water and sewer mains.
Finally, we will continue to process any annexation petitions received during the current fiscal year and forward them to the Council for consideration.
1. Map of Overview of Selected Areas Under Consideration for Future Annexation (p. 6).
2. Map of Notting Hill Area (Area 3) (p. 7).
3. Map of Southern Village Area (Area 5) (p. 8).