AGENDA #11
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Request for Expedited Processing of Special Use Permit Modification Application for Wachovia Bank at Meadowmont
DATE: May 7, 2001
The Town Council has received and referred a petition from Mr. Josh Gurlitz, GGA Architects, representing Wachovia Branch Bank at Meadowmont, requesting expedited processing of a Special Use Permit Modification application for changes to the Wachovia Bank at Meadowmont Special Use Permit, which was approved by the Council on February 12, 2001 (please see attached letter). The letter also requests that Wachovia Bank be allowed to initiate this expedited review without the requisite “Concept Plan” review by the Community Design Commission. We recommend that the Council take no action at this time.
Expedited processing grants priority status for review of a project at every step of the process, and grants priority status in being scheduled on agendas of advisory boards and the Town Council. A Special Use Permit or a Special Use Permit Modification application would normally take nine months to a year to be reviewed by Town staff, all the required advisory boards and commissions, and to be heard at a Public Hearing.
Following Council approval, an application normally takes three to four months to obtain approval of detailed construction drawings and final plans, prior to obtaining a Building Permit. The review process is often long because of the breadth and depth of review and analysis, and because many projects are usually being reviewed at any given time.
The petition from Mr. Gurlitz provides two requests:
· That Wachovia Bank be allowed to initiate this review of a Special Use Permit Modification without the requisite “Concept Plan” review by the Community Design Commission.
· That the Council grant expedited processing of a Special Use Permit Modification application for changes to the Wachovia Bank at Meadowmont Special Use Permit; and
A formal application for Special Use Permit Modification has not yet been submitted.
We address Mr. Gurlitz’s two requests as follows:
The petition requests that Wachovia be allowed to initiate review of a Special Use Permit Modification without the requisite “Concept Plan” review by the Community Design Commission. The “Concept Plan” review component of the review process is a Development Ordinance mandated step in the development review process. Article 15 of the Town’s Development Ordinance requires Site Analysis Data and a Conceptual Development Plan with all Special Use Permit and Special Use Permit Modification applications. The Council does not have the ability to adjust this process without a Development Ordinance Text Amendment.
We note that the Community Design Commission meets regularly (once or twice a month) and that Concept Plan Review can typically occur within a one month period.
We have generally followed the criteria listed below in making our recommendations to the Council on requests for expedited processing:
1. Recommend expedited processing only in cases where there is a public interest or public objective involved.
2. Recommend expedited processing only when a project that involves public interest would be harmed by following normal rules of procedure.
3. Avoid expedited processing in situations where other applications that do not carry this special status would be delayed.
Projects that have been granted expedited processing are identified in Attachment 1.
Regarding the request for expedited processing, we did not find justification for granting expedited processing as we reviewed the petition submitted by Mr. Gurlitz.
Manager’s Recommendation: Regarding the request to waive the “Concept Plan” review component of the review process, we recommend that the Council take no action.
Regarding the request for expedited processing, we did not find justification for granting expedited processing as we reviewed the petition submitted by Mr. Gurlitz. We recommend that the Council take no action at this time.
We have attached a resolution approving expedited processing for the Meadowmont Wachovia application, if the Council chooses to grant this request. The resolution would require that the application for Special Use Permit Modification, once submitted, be reviewed for recommendation by the Planning Board only, to assist in reducing the review time, prior to Public Hearing. Typically an application of this nature would be reviewed for recommendation by the Planning Board, the Community Design Commission, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board and the Transportation Board.
ATTACHMENTS
1. List of Projects that have been Granted Expedited Processing (p. 4).
2. Resolution (p. 5).
3. Letter from Mr. Josh Gurlitz, Requesting Expedited Processing (p. 6).
List of Projects Granted Expedited Processing
May 2, 2001
After receiving staff recommendations based on these criteria, the Council has approved expedited processing for:
Ø Intimate Bookshop,
Ø Erwin Village Subdivision,
Ø Ruth Faison Shaw Museum,
Ø Chapel Hill Public Library,
Ø Chapel Hill Public Housing,
Ø Culbreth Park Subdivision,
Ø East Chapel Hill High School,
Ø Orange County Southern Human Services Center,
Ø Hargraves Gymnasium addition,
Ø Transitional Housing on Clark Road,
Ø Chapel Hill Day Care at Southern Village,
Ø Bolin Creek Greenway Phase II,
Ø Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Transportation Center,
Ø WUNC Tower request,
Ø Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center,
Ø Pavilion,
Ø Southern Village Elementary School,
Ø Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity,
Ø Neville Tract,
Ø McDade House relocation,
Ø Freedom House,
Ø Orange Community Housing Corporation Scarlette Housing,
Ø Kenan Stadium Expansion,
Ø UNC Co-generation Facility Boiler Replacement,
Ø Chapel Hill Internal Medicine,
Ø Midway Business Center,
Ø Carol Woods Retirement Community (for Village Charter School use),
Ø University Mall Redevelopment,
Ø Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity House,
Ø Greene Tract rezoning,
Ø Manley Estates Housing,
Ø University Fraternity and Sorority applications (sprinkler projects),
Ø Carol Woods Retirement Center (for day care addition, dining hall expansion and new units),
Ø Church of the Holy Family Expansion,
Ø Eastwood Lake Project,
Ø Chapel Hill Pediatrics,
Ø UNC Airport Drive Office Building, and
Ø Meadowmont School and Park..
Requests for this special application processing by East Franklin Car Care, Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, and an application for parking and refuse facilities at 317 W. Rosemary Street were not approved by the Town Council.
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING EXPEDITED PROCESSING IN THE REVIEW OF SPECIAL USE PERMIT MODIFICATION APPLICATION FOR MEADOWMONT WACHOVIA (2001-05-07/R-17)
WHEREAS, the Town Council has received a petition from Mr. Josh Gurlitz, Architect representing Wachovia Branch Bank at Meadowmont, for expedited processing of a Special Use Permit Modification application seeking approval of a bank at Meadowmont; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council finds that:
(INSERT REASON FOR APPROVAL)
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town Manager is directed to expedite processing of a Special Use Permit Modification application for the Meadowmont Wachovia in a manner that will speed review without sacrificing breadth or depth of analysis. The only advisory board to review the application and make recommendation to the Council at Public Hearing shall be the Planning Board.
This the 7th day of May, 2001.