ATTACHMENT #1
April 18, 2001
James C. Moeser, Chancellor
103 South Building
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Dear James:
The Town Council voted on April 9 to transmit a proposal to the Universityy,
suggesting new ways for the Town and University to work together on development
and fiscal issues. I am looking forward
to our continuing discussions on these matters.
Our dialogue might be aided by additional explanation of two points related to our suggested new zoning district, OI-4. You have asked for clarification about what might be considered to be a “development plan,” a key concept in our proposal. There has also been discussion about timing, and what timeframes might be expected if a new OI-4 zoning district were to be adopted and applied as has been suggested.
Accordingly I have prepared two short discussion papers: one on the concept of a development plan, one on possible timelines for a new OI-4 zoning district. Both are attached here. There are key points I want to emphasize:
· The Development Plan paper suggests that Floor Area Ratios be set to allow development of 110% of the University’s square footage estimate of needs over the next 10 years, with provisions for increases as the University’s needs change in the future.
· There are minor differences between the materials considered by the Council on April 9 and the proposals that I am bringing forward today. The main difference is in regard to the square footage of development allowed.
· The Timeline paper suggests that Town and University staff work collaboratively over the next 4 weeks to prepare a draft OI-4 zoning district for consideration and to define the elements of an application that would be filed by the University.
· The Timeline paper outlines a process that would result in a new zoning district, approval of a Development Plan, and issuance of permits to allow construction to begin on a 10-year facilities plan, all accomplished within 6 months from today.
It is my intent to propose to the Town Council, at its next meeting on April 23, that the Council agree to pursue a timeline for the OI-4 zoning district as I outline here. The objective would be to take regulatory steps such that, if this new OI-4 zone is implemented, the University would be in a position to receive final approvals on new campus facilities as early as the end of October this year (approximately six months from now.)
As always, we welcome your ideas on these and all matters concerning our community.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Waldorf
Mayor
RIW/tcp
Discussion Paper #1:
Establishing a New “Development Plan” Option in Chapel Hill’s Proposed
Office/Institutional-4 Zoning District
April 18, 2001
The general concept is that a new zoning district, Office-Insititutional-4, would be created in the Chapel Hill Development Ordinance, to be able to be applied to UNC properties such as the main campus. The new district would allow development of 110% of the University’s square footage estimate of needs over the next 10 years, with provisions for increases as the University’s needs change in the future. OI-4 would have the following structure:
· The property owner (UNC) would have the option of preparing and submitting a Development Plan for some or all of the property.
· If the Town Council approves the Development Plan, then permits for individual buildings in the subject area could be issued by the Town Manager, after evaluating to be sure that such individual building plans matched the larger, Council-approved Development Plan.
· Absent an approved Development Plan, new buildings on campus would need to go through a Special Use Permit process, and obtain a Special Use Permit prior to commencement of construction.
The key objective is to protect the community and environment from adverse impacts accompanying major new development. The main purpose of a Development Plan would be to allow the property owner and the community to understand specifically what is being proposed, and what negative impacts would likely accompany the development, so that mitigation measures can be designed and implemented. The Development Plan feature is proposed to be structured as follows:
General Time Frames and Process: Procedural considerations for a Development Plan would be similar to the Town’s procedures and requirements for review and approval of a Master Plan. Materials would be prepared and submitted, reviewed by staff and advisory boards, discussed at a Council Public Hearing, and subsequently acted upon by the Council. A time frame would be established, defining the maximum time period from initial application to Council action. 90 days has been suggested as that time period.
Submittal Requirements: Application submittal requirements would likely be extensive and include the following, for the entire development covered by the Development Plan:
· Specific descriptions with building locations, building sizes, parking details, and conservation details.
· Traffic Impact Analysis, both considering internal and community roadways, with mitigation strategies.
· Transit Impact Analysis.
· Parking Requirements/Proposals/Strategies.
· Description of building heights, with consideration of topography, nearby areas, and long-range vistas.
· Stormwater Impact Statement, with mitigation strategies.
· Description of Air Quality impacts, with mitigation strategies.
· Description of Noise and Lighting Impacts, with mitigation strategies.
· Preliminary Timetable and Sequencing for Facility Construction and for related Mitigation Measures.
Standards for Review: The suggested general standard is that the negative impacts that are identified as accompanying the proposed development are either:
1) Addressed on-site so that there is no negative impact off of the property; or
2) Accompanied by measures to minimize and mitigate off-site impacts.
There will be some (few) standards specific to the OI-4 zone. These will be floor area ratios for the entire property, and height/noise/lighting/visual impact standards within a perimeter sub-zone. Floor area ratios would be set to allow 110% of the University’s square footage estimate of needs over the next 10 years, with provisions for increases as the University’s needs change in the future.
Actions Following Approval of a Development Plan: Following Council approval of a Development Plan, the property owner (UNC) would begin submitting a series of individual building plans for administrative review. Staff review and evaluation would be limited by ordinance to comparing the specific individual plans with the Council-approved Development Plan. If the specific plans are in conformance with the Development Plan, Zoning Compliance Permits would be issued for individual buildings. The proposed ordinance would contain a mandatory time-frame for this administrative review, probably 15 working days.
Discussion Paper #2:
Proposed Schedule for Considering and Implementing a Proposed
Office/Institutional-4 Zoning District
April 18, 2001
The following timeline is offered in pursuit of an objective to create, adopt, and implement a new zoning district that can be applied to University property.
The new zoning district would be called Office/Institutional-4 (OI-4), for possible application to large tracts of land such as the University’s central campus. A key feature of the district would be an option to propose and gain approval for a Development Plan (described in an accompanying Discussion Paper). The new district would be structured such that, following Council approval of a Development Plan, individual building plans could be reviewed and approved on an administrative basis by the Town Manager.
This paper describes a possible timeline for Council review, adoption, and application of such a new zoning district during this calendar year. It makes several assumptions:
· That Town and University staff representatives will collaborate in the preparation of a draft ordinance and statement of the elements of an application to be filed by the University, with a report to the Town Council and the Chancellor within 4 weeks.
· The Town Council and the Chancellor within 30 days.
· That the Town Council will act to create this new zoning district and apply it to the Central Campus two weeks after considering these proposals at Public Hearing.
· The University will begin immediately preparing the information that will be required for submittal of a Development Plan, such that the day after the Council acts to create this new regulatory structure the University can submit an application for a Development Plan.
· The Council will build into the new OI-4 zoning district mandatory timeframes for action: Council action on a Development Plan application within 90 days of submittal; Town Manager action on a Zoning Compliance Permit application within 15 working days of submittal.
· The University will submit an application for a Zoning Compliance Permit for the first building(s) covered by the Development Plan within a week of receiving Council approval of the Development Plan.
With these assumptions, the following timeline would be achievable:
PROPOSED SCHEDULE
April 18: Meeting between Mayor’s Committee and Chancellor
April 23: Town Council decision to pursue this timeline. Council calls a Public Hearing for June 18 to consider amending the Development Ordinance to create a new OI-4 zone, and amending the Zoning Atlas to apply this new zoning district to the UNC Central Campus (to those areas currently zones OI-3).
April 24: University begins preparing a Development Plan for part of the Central Campus, preparing information as outlined in the Town Council’s proposal for the OI-4 zoning district.
Town staff and University staff initiate a collaborative effort to prepare a draft OI-4 zoning district and statement of the elements of an application to be filed by the University.
Chancellor and Mayor initiate meetings to discuss fiscal issues.
May 24: Meeting between Mayor’s Committee and Chancellor to review draft OI-4 zoning district proposal.
May 31: Draft for OI-4 district completed, sent to Planning Board along with proposal to rezone land from OI-3 to OI-4.
June 5: Planning Board meeting.
June 18: Council Public Hearing, to consider draft OI-4 district, rezoning proposal for Central Campus, and proposals related to fiscal issues.
July 2: Council Action to create OI-4, and rezone Central Campus to OI-4.
July 3: University submits Development Plan
September 4: Planning Board reviews Development Plan
September 19: Council Public Hearing on Development Plan
October 1: Council acts on Development Plan
October 2: University submits application for Zoning Compliance Permit for first building(s) covered by Development Plan
October 23: Town Manager issues final approval for first building(s)