AGENDA #10
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Northeast Gateway: Statement of Design Objectives
DATE: January 8, 2001
The attached resolution would accept a set of design principles as goals for development in the Northeast Gateway Corridor.
The competition opened on September 1, and the closing date for receiving entries was September 30. A Competition Jury met to review the submissions, and to formulate a recommendation to the Council. On October 23, the Council selected the entry submitted by Duda Paine Architects to be the winner of the competition. The winner was requested to prepare an additional set of drawings, elaborating on specific details as identified by the Town Council.
Jeffrey Paine will attend tonight’s meeting to present the final drawings.
The Council also directed the Town Manager on October 23 to prepare a draft statement articulating design goals for the development of properties at the Northeast Gateway location. This draft statement was to draw upon the design features contained in the winning entry, plus individual ideas from other entries that are desirable, plus policy statements contained in the new Comprehensive Plan. The intent was to have a narrative that could be used by developers and by the Town Council in preparing/reviewing development plans for this area.
The Town Council asked for details about what might be developed under the winning design submitted by Duda Paine Architects. Details were requested in four areas: intensity, parking, open space, and vegetation along Old Durham Road.
Intensity: The designers have suggested considering development of this site in three phases. Phase One is the north side of 15-501. Phase Two would be the area immediately adjacent to Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Phase Three would be the area closest to Old Durham Road.
The designers’ suggestion is that Phase One would consist of approximately:
Phase Two would consist of approximately:
Phase Three would consist of approximately:
We note that this suggested level of intensity is considerably higher than what existing zoning would allow. This suggested amount of floor area (approximately 3 million square feet) would represent a floor area ratio for the entire 115-acre site of approximately .60. The floor area ratio specified for the Development Ordinance’s Community Commercial Zoning District, for comparison, is .264 for commercial-type uses; .429 for office-type uses. The Town Center floor area ratio is 1.84. We believe that the Northeast Gateway area is a location that can accommodate greater intensity than current zoning permits.
Parking: The proposed development scenario contemplates providing all parking in decks. The total number of parking spaces suggested is 7,450.
Open Space: The proposed development plan would provide open space in a variety of locations throughout the site. The Council asked for a summary of how much of the 80 acre site would be open space. The designers respond:
Vegetation along Old Durham Road: The designers have responded to the Council’s concerns about vegetation along Old Durham Road by showing a configuration in the revised drawing that pulls buildings further away from the street, leaving a wider buffer of natural vegetation.
We have reviewed the final drawings prepared by Duda Paine Architects, and reviewed again the other submittals that were a part of this competition. We have assembled a draft Statement of Design Goals for the Council’s consideration, incorporating this body of ideas. (Copy of “Design Goals for the Northeast Gateway” is attached.)
We continue to believe that development in this area (land at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 15-501) is strategically important to Chapel Hill. We believe that key issues to be considered include issues related to intensity of use, parking, transportation, park/ride, and access. We believe that a Council-adopted statement of design goals would help set the stage for preparation of plans, and provide guidance to Advisory Boards and the Town Council in review/evaluation of those plans. Adoption of a set of design goals would not be binding on the Town Council or any property owner; but we believe that clear articulation of goals would be beneficial to all who may be interested as development plans are being drawn and considered.
The attached draft Statement of Design Goals mirrors the Duda Paine submittal, describing the general mix and configuration of uses, as well as the intensity levels, that are included in the Duda Paine drawings. If this submittal is representative of the Council’s vision for development possibilities at this location, we believe it would be appropriate for developers, designers, and reviewers of plans to use the attached Statement of Design Goals as a guideline.
We believe that the Council reasonably could conclude that the Duda Paine proposal for this corridor is desirable, and that this Statement of Design Goals for the Northeast Corridor is an appropriate guideline to be used by developers, designers, and plan reviewers. We also believe that the Council reasonably could conclude otherwise.
If the Council concludes that this proposal is appropriate for this area, we recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution, articulating a set of Design Goals for the Northeast Gateway Corridor. Alternatively, the Council could provide further guidance as to how the Design Goals might be modified.
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A
STATEMENT OF DESIGN GOALS FOR THE NORTHEAST GATEWAY CORRIDOR (2000-01-08/R-13)
WHEREAS the Chapel Hill Town Council has identified the Northeast Gateway Corridor (land at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 15-501) as a strategically important area for new development, and has designated this area as a “Development Opportunity Area” on the Town’s Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS the Council has sponsored a design competition to generate ideas for how this area might be developed; and
WHEREAS the Council finds that it would be useful to articulate a Statement of Design Goals for this area, drawn from the ideas that have been generated, to provide guidance as development plans are contemplated;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council accepts the attached “Statement of Design Goals for the Northeast Gateway Corridor” as a document to be considered as development plans are drawn and evaluated for this area.
This the 8th day of January, 2001.