AGENDA #4h
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Request for Expedited Processing of Special Use Permit Modification for Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center
DATE: February 25, 2002
On February 11, the Town Council received the attached petition from The University of North Carolina and referred it to the Town Manager for review and recommendation. The petition requests expedited processing of a Special Use Permit Modification for the Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center. The attached resolution would authorize expedited processing of this application.
Expedited processing grants priority status for review 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 Modification would normally take nine months to a year to be reviewed by all the required boards and commissions and to be heard at a Public Hearing.
Following 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.
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.
In this instance, the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center at Meadowmont, we believe that all three criteria can be met. We believe the proposed expansion of the Center will serve the public interest and achieve public objectives. The Center’s Phase II expansion is being built to meet the University’s obligations to provide quality education to the business community of the State. Accordingly, we believe that is appropriate to grant expedited processing to the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center Special Use Permit Modification application.
We note that on February 11, Mr. Bruce Runberg, representing the University, described the financial costs that would accompany delay of this public project.
The Council has reserved the June 17, 2002 Public Hearing for items that are granted expedited status. This application is in process and is currently being reviewed by staff and will likely appear on the June 17 agenda if the attached Resolution is adopted.
Several development applications are currently working toward being placed on the Council’s public hearing schedule. The impact of granting expedited processing for the Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center application is that one less space will be available on the Council’s schedule for which other applications are competing.
Projects that have been granted expedited processing are identified in Attachment 1.
Manager’s Recommendation: We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution directing the Town Manager to expedite processing of the Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center Special Use Permit Modification application.
ATTACHMENTS
1. List of Projects Granted Expedited Processing (p. 4).
2. Letter from the University of North Carolina, Requesting Expedited Processing (p. 6).
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING EXPEDITED PROCESSING IN THE REVIEW OF A SPECIAL USE PERMIT MODIFICATION APPLICATION FOR PAUL RIZZO J. CONFERENCE CENTER (2002-02-25/R-9)
WHEREAS, the Town Council has received a petition from The University of North Carolina, for expedited processing of a Special Use Permit Modification seeking approval of the Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center Phase II expansion; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council finds that there is a significant public interest associated with the Phase II expansion of the mixed use development;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town Manager is directed to expedite processing of the Special Use Permit Modification for the Paul Rizzo J. Conference Center in a manner that will speed review without sacrificing breadth or depth of analysis.
This the 25th day of February, 2002.
ATTACHMENT 1
List of Projects Granted Expedited Processing
February 11, 2002
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,
Ø Rams Plaza Renovations,
Ø Meadowmont School/Park,
Ø Meadowmont Wachovia Bank, and
Ø Orange County Landfill.
Requests for this special application processing by East Franklin Car Care, Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, an application for parking and refuse facilities at 317 W. Rosemary Street, The Franklin Hotel, and Eastowne 501 Office Building were not approved by the Town Council.