AGENDA #7
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
SUBJECT: Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan
DATE: March 25, 2002
The purpose of this Memorandum is to address issues raised by various Boards, Commissions, and others related to the proposed conceptual plan for the Southern Community Park.
The attached resolution would adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee with revisions.
BACKGROUND
The Town Council formed the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee in July 2000. The Committee representatives include:
· Two members of the Parks and Recreation Commission
· One member of the Greenways Commission
· One designee of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board
· One designee of the Orange County Board of Commissioners
· One designee of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen
· Three representatives of neighboring residential communities
· Four citizens at-large
The Committee met regularly from March through November 2001. Public forums were held at Mary Scroggs School on September 6 and October 9. More than 50 persons were in attendance at both meetings.
On January 14, 2002, the Council referred the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee’s Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Community Design Commission, Greenways Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Board, Transportation Board, and the Town Manager for comments and recommendations. In addition, copies were provided to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, the Intergovernmental Park Work Group, and the Orange County Commissioners.
Description: A complete description of the property can be found in the report. In summary, the proposed Southern Community Park site contains approximately 70 acres located south of Southern Village on the west side of NC 15-501. The site is triangular in shape and extends to Merritt Drive. Dogwood Acres Drive divides the property. Approximately 23 acres of the site are located south of Dogwood Acres Drive and 54 acres to the north of the road.
The site is completely wooded with a mixture of young pines and hardwoods. Steeper slopes are located along the western property line and in the southern tip of the property.
Summary of Proposed Plan: The Committee proposes that the park contain a mix of active and passive amenities. As proposed about 70% of the park would be left in a natural state and served by trails. The remaining 30% would be more intensely developed with:
In addition space would be reserved for:
Comments and Recommendations from Town Boards and Commissions: All Town Boards and Commissions voted to recommend adoption of the concept plan. A number of additional recommendations and suggestions were made throughout the review process.
On September 12, 2002, the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee met to review the various comments and recommendation that were raised by the boards and commissions. The Committee’s comments made in response to the advisory board comments and recommendations are included in the discussion of each item below. The Committee did not respond to some of the advisory board comments because the comments did not imply a change in the plan or in some cases simply requested a clarification.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee voted to recommend that the paved trail be extended to the southern tip of the site along Highway 15-501. They recommended that the rest of the trails south of Dogwood Acres Drive remain unpaved.
Staff Comments: We believe that the paved trail should be extended to the southern tip of the property in order to serve the proposed dog park and provide bicycle and handicap access throughout the park.
· The extension of the trail would cost approximately $100,000
· Additional clearing would be required near Highway 15-501.
Benefits of Extending the Fan Branch Trail
· Handicap access would be extended throughout the park including the facilities located at the southern tip of the site.
· The trail would provide better access to the proposed dog park for pedestrians and bicyclists.
· The trail would be extended by 1,200 feet. The recreation value of a trail for running, walking, and nature study is generally increased as the length of the trail increases.
· The paved trail would allow for direct pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle access from the residential areas south of the park to Dogwood Acres Drive, the main portion of the park, Scroggs School, Southern Village, and the proposed Morgan Creek Trail.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee discussed this recommendation. However, the Committee recommended that a paved trail or improved recreation access be provided only on the north side of Dogwood Acres Drive, from the western property line to the point where the main greenway trail crosses Dogwood Acres Drive.
Staff Comments: We agree that pedestrian access should be accommodated on Dogwood Acres Drive. We agree with the Committee that providing access only on the north side of the road would best serve the Dogwood Acres neighborhood and the park. A sidewalk or trail on the north side would directly connect with most of the park amenities, Scroggs School, and Southern Village. In addition the plan proposes a road crossing to the south that would be protected by traffic calming devices. We also agree that the access need not be a sidewalk. Because of the lack of curb and gutter on Dogwood Acres Drive pedestrians may be better served by a paved trail that is set back from the edge of the road. We also agree that the access trail or sidewalk should extend from the western park boundary to the point where the paved Fan Branch Trail crosses Dogwood Acres Drive. We believe that the entire length of Dogwood Acres Drive should eventually be served by sidewalks. However, we believe any such extension beyond the park boundaries and the town limits should be funded separately from this park development project.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee voted to recommend showing better connections to Scroggs School, the southern park and ride lot, and to extend the paved trail to the southern tip of the park.
Staff Comments: We believe that the conceptual plan currently does a good job of planning for bicycle and pedestrian access to most of the internal site. The plan also provides direct access from Southern Village by way of an extended Fan Branch Greenway Trail. However, we agree with the Committee that several changes to the plan would result in a better overall pedestrian and bicycle transportation program. These include:
Staff Comments: Please refer to pages 6, 13, and 20 of the Report. The park and ride lot was built with federal funds primarily to serve the bus system. However, we believe that the counter cyclical nature of the parking needs for the park and commuters would strengthen the parking reserves of both facilities. Park users would be expected to spill over onto the park and ride lot on weekends and evenings. Commuters could use the park parking lot weekdays. We believe that the potential for conflict would occur primarily on the Saturdays of the six home football games and other weekend afternoons when the park and ride lot may be used by Tar Heel Express to transport people to UNC basketball games and other special events.
Staff Comments: The Town and the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools currently have an agreement that guarantees public use of the school parking lot, when not in use by the schools, until the year 2027. However, we do not believe that use of the school parking lot would be necessary for normal park operations.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee voted to recommend that the 50 foot minimum buffer currently shown along Highway 15-501 be maintained and that it be supplemented with additional vegetation if needed.
Staff Comments: We agree with the Committee that the 50 foot buffer currently shown on the conceptual plan be maintained and supplemented where needed.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee did not agree with the recommendation to provide parking closer to the athletic fields. They did agree that, if possible, the picnic shelter should be moved closer to the parking lot.
Staff Comments: We agree with the Committee that parking cannot be provided in proximity to all park amenities. We concur with their recommendation that activity centers that attract small children and families should be located closer to parking than facilities that attract older children and adults. The only other possible location for additional parking would be in the site reserved for a possible additional athletic field. We agree with the Committee that this space should be reserved for that purpose.
We believe that it may be possible to shift the location of the large picnic shelter closer to the main parking lot. However, we believe that level of detail is best determined during development of the Special Use Permit application.
Staff Comments: The exact number, size, dimensions and location of the stormwater management ponds have not yet been determined. We would normally expect to address details about the ponds during the Special Use Permit phase of the project. We agree with the Commission member that public safety should be a central issue during the design stage of the ponds. We believe that side slopes can be minimized, access controlled, and water depth controlled to make the ponds as safe as possible while still retaining their function. We also believe that building more than one facility would allow us to increase the safety factor by reducing the depth of each individual pond.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee reviewed these recommendations and voted to recommend that the area reserved for the future community center be used as a temporary picnic area. They also voted to recommend that the large picnic shelter remain in the plan.
Staff Comments: The Town currently has 5 small picnic shelters in Hargraves, Homestead, North Forest Hills, and Umstead parks. In addition, the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan proposes 3 smaller shelters. We agree with the Committee that the Town should own one large shelter suitable for large group gatherings such as family reunions, class reunions, and other large gatherings, and that it should remain in the plan as is.
Staff Comments: The conceptual plan currently proposes that the Town take control of and maintain the section of Dogwood Acres Drive that bisects the Town’s property for the purpose of installing traffic calming devices (see page 20 of the Report). The purpose of such transfer of control would be to allow the Town to install traffic calming devices that NCDOT would not permit on a State controlled road, as well as control speed limits and signage. We believe that strong and effective traffic calming and signage programs should be in place to protect park patrons. However, we believe that further research is necessary prior to selection of the type, number and location of traffic calming devices and signs. These details would be better addressed in the project’s Special Use Permit phase.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee agreed that benches should be a part of the plan.
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Staff Comments: We agree that the conceptual plan should acknowledge the need for benches. However, we believe the number and location of benches would be a matter best addressed during preparation of the Special Use Permit application.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee agreed that the plan should address issues related to bus routes and stops.
Staff Comments: We agree that the conceptual plan should better address bus access and identify potential bus stop locations. The plan was designed to provide easy bus access to both the park and park and ride lot. However, the plan could be revised to more adequately articulate this beneficial relationship. We believe that the actual location of the bus stops should be designated during the Special Use Permit process.
Staff Comments: We believe that the Committee has done a good job segregating the major light sources from the nearby residential uses. We anticipate using light fixtures that would minimize light spillover onto adjacent properties. We believe that this project should meet the O1-4 Zone lighting requirements recently imposed on the University for its main campus expansion.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee voted to recommend that the restroom stay in the conceptual plan at least until the feasibility of the facility can be determined during the Special Use Permit process. They suggested that the idea be dropped at the Special Use Permit phase if it proves to be impractical. The Committee did not support the idea of providing a special septic detention area for the dog park.
Staff Comments: We believe that the dog park will generate sufficient use to warrant construction of a restroom facility. Currently, the single greatest subject of complaint from citizens using park facilities is the Town’s lack of winterized restroom facilities in parks. While we agree that the restroom proposed for the dog park area may be expensive to build because of a lack of sewer in the immediate vicinity, we also believe that a lack of restroom facilities will likely result in complaints and unsanitary behavior. We agree with the Committee’s recommendation that we continue to show restroom facilities on the conceptual plan. If implementation proves to be too difficult we can eliminate the facility during the Special Use Permit phase of the project.
We believe that the dog park will not generate sufficient waste to justify a separate waste detention system. Any dog waste not removed by dog owners, as required by park rules, would have to travel over 1,200 feet down a normally dry gulley before reaching Fan Branch.
We believe that current use of the Homestead Park Dog Park indicates that the Southern Community Park Dog Park would likely be well used and successful. The Homestead Park facility is about 20,000 square feet, or less than half the minimum recommended size of one acre or more. The Southern Community Park site has sufficient land to build a dog park of 1-5 acres. We believe that this size dog park would generate a great deal of use.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee recommended that the disc golf course continue to be a part of the plan.
Staff Comments: We believe that it would be possible to field-locate a disc golf course that would have minimal impact on the vegetation of the park and other trail users. Parks and Recreation Department staff members have visited disc golf courses in other communities and have noted that they can be designed to have a low impact to the site and to direct play away from trail users. Most disc golf players have emphasized their desire to build a course that uses the woods and natural topography to make play more challenging.
16. Roller Hockey: A Planning Board member questioned why the proposed roller hockey rink was so expensive.
Staff Comments: Roller hockey rinks are specially built courts designed much like an ice hockey rink. The courts must be built in such a way as to handle drainage issues, frost heaving, and other problems normally encountered with outdoor courts. In addition, roller hockey courts have special surfaces that are designed for skates as well as ice hockey style boards to contain play. The conceptual plan proposes that these courts have lights for evening play since most players are adults.
17. Performance Space: A Planning Board member questioned why the Committee included a performance space, noting that the downtown space is not used very much.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee Comments: The Committee voted to recommend that the Performance Space continue to be a part of the plan. The Committee noted that the Forest Theatre on UNC campus receives a high level of use despite the noise levels from nearby traffic.
Staff Comments: The performance space is intended to be a small area suitable for plays, small musical performances, weddings, and other small gatherings. We believe that such a space, located in a natural setting would have a certain level of appeal.
18. Water Play Area: A Planning Board member indicated that the water play area may present management issues during water conservation periods.
Staff Comments: If OWASA issues a water conservation alert we could respond by shutting down the water play area until such time as water levels are at normal levels,
Complete recommendations of all Boards and Commissions are attached.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board: On February 26, 2002, the Board voted unanimously (6-0) to recommend that the Council adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Community Design Commission: The Community Design Commission met on February 5, 2002 and voted unanimously (9-1) to recommend adoption of the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Greenways Commission: On February 27, 2002, the Greenways Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend that the Council adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Parks and Recreation Commission: The Commission met on February 21, 2002. The Commission voted unanimously (7-0) to recommend that the Council adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Planning Board: The Planning Board met on February 5, 2002 and voted unanimously (9-0) to recommend adoption of the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Transportation Board: The Transportation Board met on February 5, 2002 and voted unanimously (9-0) to recommend that the Council adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee. Please see the attached recommendations.
Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee: The Committee met on March 12, 2002 and reviewed the comments and recommendations of the various Boards and Commissions. The Committee voted unanimously (7-0) to recommend revisions to their Report and that the Council adopt their Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee with modifications. Please see the attached recommendations.
Manager’s Recommendation:
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution, which would adopt the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee with revisions.
ATTACHMENTS
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN COMMUNITY PARK CONCEPTUAL PLAN COMMITTEE WITH REVISIONS (2002-03-25/R-13)
WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill has acquired land for development of a southern community park south of Southern Village; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee has developed a conceptual plan for a community park on the site; and
WHEREAS, various boards, commissions, and a committee have reviewed the proposed conceptual plan and have unanimously recommended approval; and
WHEREAS, members of the various boards and commissions have suggested revisions to the proposed conceptual plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council adopts the Report of the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee with the following revisions:
· The paved Fan Branch Trail should be extended to the southern tip of the property.
· A sidewalk, paved trail, or improved recreation access should be provided on the north side of Dogwood Acres Drive, from the western property line to the point where the main greenway trail crosses Dogwood Acres Drive.
· The Report should show better connections to Scroggs School and the southern park and ride lot.
· The Report should state that the 50 foot minimum buffer currently shown along Highway 15-501 be maintained and that it be supplemented with additional vegetation if needed.
· The area reserved for the future community center should be designated as a temporary picnic area until such time as the area is needed for some other purpose.
· The need for benches should be articulated in the plan.
· The need for bus routes and stops should be articulated in the plan.
This the 25th day of March, 2002.