SUMMARY MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING
ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1999 AT 7:00 P.M.
Mayor Rosemary Waldorf called the hearing to order at 7:00 p.m.
Council Members present were Joyce Brown, Joe Capowski, Pat Evans, Lee Pavăo, and Edith Wiggins. Council Members Flicka Bateman and Julie McClintock were absent, excused. Council Member Kevin Foy arrived at 7:17 p.m.
Staff members present were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and Florentine Miller, Long Range Planning Coordinator Chris Berndt, Long Range Planners Claudia Paine and Phil Mason, and Town Clerk Joyce Smith.
Mayor Waldorf welcomed the public and the Council to the meeting and described the meeting as a Public Workshop on the revision of Chapel Hill’s Comprehensive Plan. She also welcomed the consultants for the Plan. Mayor Waldorf thanked the citizens, the 30 members of the Comprehensive Work Group, the staff, and the local media.
John Hawkins, Chair of the Planning Board and Chair of the Comprehensive Plan Work Group, said that there would be a presentation by the professional consultants to give a brief overview of where the Work Group was at the present time. He said that some of the members of the Work Group would share their ideas about the specific strategies. Mr. Hawkins said that in the second part of the evening’s procedures it was hoped that the public present would be heard from, and the Work Group would use that information at their next meeting. He said that he hoped some of the comments would contain ideas as to which of the implementation strategies would be considered most important, which should be addressed as a priority, and if any of the strategies needed a shift in direction and why. Mr. Hawkins said that the Work Group would be meeting on June 22nd to assimilate and react to the comments from this evening’s meeting. He said that the Work Group had set up a website for information and dialogue. Mr. Hawkins also said that he hoped this interchange with the Town Council would give additional direction to the Work Group. He said they expected an almost complete draft for consideration in September.
Mr. Hawkins introduced Mr. John Fernsler and Mr. David Rouse of Wallace, Roberts and Todd, Consultants, who would give a brief overview of the Plan and an introduction to the strategies document.
Mr. Fernsler noted three things that made this planning process unique: (1) it was a values driven planning process; (2) it was a citizen-led planning process; and (3) this plan would have a strategic orientation. He said that the four different steps in the planning process were: (1) listening to the community; (2) what is being seen in the community, now and in the future, that ought to be paid attention to; (3) once the concerns are identified, what should be done about them; and (4) based on what was heard at this meeting, drafting a complete plan to bring back to the Town in early fall. Mr. Fernsler said that once that was done, a completed document would be prepared.
Mr. Fernsler said that the three general themes contained in the document that had emerged were: (1) managing change; (2) maintaining and enhancing community character; and, (3) the regional context. He displayed a map that indicated specific areas in the community where change would be expected to occur.
Mr. Rouse discussed expected vehicular traffic in the year 2020, including the transit network, bus lines, and projected network of the regional corridors. He also discussed bicycle and sidewalk networks, existing and proposed. Mr. Rouse noted the potential land use plan changes, based on the adopted land use plan from the former Comprehensive Plan, and identified areas where there may be changes. He also discussed potential neighborhood centers, transportation improvements, and park/ride lots and major roadway changes.
Mr. Rouse said that Chapel Hill was in sound fiscal condition in terms of its bond rating and debt service requirements, and the tax rate had been relatively stable over the last ten years. He said that if the Town was to adopt some of the recommended policies, there would probably have to be bond issues and tax increases in the future. Mr. Rouse said another issue that had been indentfied was that of a balance between residential and non-residential property tax base, the residential being higher, an 80-20 percent ratio. He said that in order to achieve a 75-25 percent ratio, there would have to be more emphasis on increased development of non-residential property.
Catherine Frank, liaison to the Work Group from the Historic District Commission, said there were tools in the downtown neighborhoods that could work in other parts of the community, such as design review guidelines which included neighborhood planning and guidelines, to create regulations and incentives. She said that the Comprehensive Plan addressed the relationship between the Town and the University in a more constructive way. Ms. Frank said that she hoped the Plan would help to create a more affordable and desirable place for people who were employed by the University and the Hospital to live.
Alan Rimer, a member of the Work Group, said that one of the issues discussed was the matter of infill, which in the past was not considered desirable. He also noted a transportation related issue, which the Plan stressed in a number of different ways. Mr. Rimer said that the Comprehensive Plan looked at a multi-modal shift to connect transportation corridors. Mr. Rimer said that the Town would have to look at financing the alternatives.
Mr. Hawkins said that a key aspect of the Comprehensive Plan with respect to the multi-modal concept was establishing very clear levels of service for the multiple modes, a new concept of the Plan, which gave definition to what was meant by stating it and implementing it.
Jim Ward, liaison to the Work Group from Shaping Orange County’s Future Task Force, said there needed to be more meaningful productive collaboration between the University, the Hospitals, and the Town, to create smart growth. He said there was a need to work regionally with Orange County, Carrboro, Hillsborough and other counties to solve problems related to all, such as regional transportation, open space, watershed protection, and natural area protection. Mr. Ward said that a healthy environment was the key to a prosperous future for Chapel Hill. He said that the Comprehensive Plan would serve as a toolbox to prioritize and fund the critical natural areas, green spaces, and land for parks. Mr. Ward said that cluster development would eliminate many problems such as stormwater runoff, and would use the land in ways to eliminate problems.
Bob Reda, a member of the Planning Board, thanked all the people in the community for their help in preparing the Comprehensive Plan. He said that the goals of the Comprehensive Plan were interdependent on each other. Mr. Reda used the example of Section D—Economy and Employment Goal—“to increase employment opportunities for residents and satisfy local demand for commercial and retail services.” He said that strategies for non-residential development related to the goal under F—Land Use and Development—“to promote orderly development and redevelopment to achieve appropriate and compatible use of land.” Mr. Reda said that by using mixed-use development there could be neighborhood centers. He said that this would ease traffic. Mr. Reda said that the centers would create jobs for local residents, and could open the opportunity for affordable housing, using the goal in E—Housing—“to ensure the availability of well-designed, affordable, safe, and sanitary, housing for all citizens of Chapel Hill.” He said that the Comprehensive Plan called for work with Orange County and other non-profit organizations to aggressively develop affordable housing in the Town. Mr. Reda said another strategy would be to provide incentives for housing providers that would make it more appealing to build affordable housing, such as expedited review process, increased density and flexibility in standards for streets and infrastructure. He said that another strategy would be to work with the University to provide student, faculty, and staff housing, and to establish a rental licensing and inspection program for rental housing to reinforce property maintenance, safety, and tenant occupancy limits.
Mr. Rimer said that one of the strategies of the Comprehensive Plan was to look at fiscal issues and at measures that could be used to help judge how money was going to be spent. He commended the report on the fiscal issues from Wallace, Roberts & Todd.
Mr. Hawkins also commended the report on the fiscal issues that gave a clear picture of what the costs would be for implementing the strategies. He said that the fiscal section of the Comprehensive Plan, to enhance the Town’s ability to provide services and manage its development through financial stability and fiscal planning, did not quite emphasize what the costs of the program would be. Mr. Hawkins said that when the Comprehensive Plan was completed it would address the impact that it would have on the citizen’s tax burden. He said that the Work Group wanted to answer the questions of what were the programs addressed in the Program that had significant costs; what were those costs and the burden to the taxpayer; how would the difficult task of achieving the goals be done; and what the price tags were for these goals.
David Rankin, a member of the Work Group, said that he was very proud of the work that the Work Group had done, especially in issues of transportation, preserving neighborhoods and the Historic District, and the Northside neighborhood. He said that he was particularly interested in the strategies for rental housing, and felt that the Work Group had come up with some interesting ways of dealing with the issue.
Barry Katz, resident of the Town for the last 30 years, botanist and member of the Orange County Planning Board, expressed concern about the cluster option in the rural buffer. He said that for most of the rural buffer it was a two-acre per house development. Mr. Katz said that much of the soils in the rural buffer did not perk and a lot of terrain issues would make it impossible to build on, using the two-acre minimum standard. He said that the information about soil was available and an analysis could be made of the maximum build-out in the rural buffer. Mr. Katz said when cluster housing was planned, there was a formula for the overall acreage, so in effect cluster housing would put in a higher density of housing than what the Town already had. He said that the kind of vegetation used for cluster housing buffers would look like the kind of vegetation found along highways, an artificial appearance not appropriate for a natural area. Mr. Katz said that the biggest concern with cluster housing was that there would have to be community septic systems and well water, and if they failed, there would be a demand for sewer lines, which would be the end of the rural buffer. He said that he hoped the Work Group would consider carefully advocating cluster housing options in the rural buffer.
Mr. Ward said that he understood the Comprehensive Plan dealt only with land within Chapel Hill’s borders, and not with the rural buffers.
Jonathan Howes, UNC Special Assistant to the Chancellor, said he appreciated the prominence in which the Comprehensive Plan placed the relationship between the Town, the University and the UNC Health Care System, and was pleased that the strategies paralleled ones already being worked on in the University Master Plan. He suggested that in Strategy B-3 the date of 1996 be deleted, because the Horace Williams property had been added to the University Master Plan as a fifth precinct, and the reference to the 1996 Plan would be outdated by the time the Comprehensive Plan reached fruition.
Brad Sparling, Co-Chair of the Chamber of Commerce Comprehensive Plan Review Committee, said that the Chamber of Commerce hoped that the Comprehensive Plan would accomplish the following goals: (1) strengthen the character and vitality of downtown, including adoption of the Downtown Small Area Plan; (2) provide for a mix of uses along major transit corridors; (3) allow people who work here to live here; (4) encourage businesses that start in Chapel Hill to grow in Chapel Hill; and, (5) plan in a fiscally responsible manner.
Mr. Rimer asked Mr. Howes how the public was going to be involved in the discussions of the Horace Williams property. Mr. Howes said that in all of the precincts the community would be involved in the planning, and in the Horace Williams property, the fifth precinct, the public would be involved also. He said that the 1996 Plan would be the starting point for the new planning.
James Carnahan, an urban designer and resident of Chatham County, said that he commended the Comprehensive Plan for its emphasis on trying to reduce urban sprawl and use of the automobile. He said that there was no mention of the existing rail corridor in the Comprehensive Plan and suggested an addition under F—Land Use and Development:
“F-5—The Northfork Southern Rail Corridor: Investigate with UNC, Carrboro and Orange County the feasibility of higher density, mixed-use village development occurring at sites along this corridor in conjunction with operation of local rail passenger service between Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Durham.”
Mr. Carnahan suggested including similar language in Article H—Transportation.
Ellen Ironside, Co-Chair of Shaping Orange County’s FutureTask Force, said that the coordination between the Comprehensive Plan Work Group and the Shaping Orange County’s Future Task Force was important and laudable. She said that a well-established planning process, one that would be coordinated, would result from this. Ms. Ironside also said that community building had been a very important part of their initiative, which had grown out of the process. She cited some examples of community in Chapel Hill. Ms. Ironside said that she wanted the cooperation between the two groups to continue.
Phil Post, resident and a member of the Chamber of Commerce Work Group, offered strong support by the Chamber of Commerce for the Comprehensive Plan, particularly infill and multi-modal transportation and small neighborhood commercial service areas, and supported the land-use plan, specifically in the Eubanks Road and Blue Cross-Blue Shield areas, to remain intact and even enhanced. He suggested that in E—Housing, that before the Town pursued State legislation, it should give the incentives in E-2 a chance to work.
Glenn Garland, a five-year resident and one-year bicycle commuter, asked at what stage plans for bicycle routes and planning of them would come into effect, and how input might be offered on those issues. Mr. Hawkins responded that these would be taken into consideration along the way of the process, especially for those that would need financing, which would have the priority. He said that by mention of the concern, this question was being called to the attention of the Work Group.
Bob Chapin said that he wanted to know when the public would have input into the planning of bike routes. He did not think that the Comprehensive Plan addressed bike lanes adequately. Mayor Waldorf responded that Mr. Chapin had just given his input and asked if he would like to be connected with the Walks and Bikeways Commission. She said that the problem was a shortage of funds for meeting all the goals.
Mr. Rimer said that the Comprehensive Plan was a conceptual framework, and that implementation would come when the committees got together and evaluated the fine details. He said that once the Council had established priorities and looked at budgets then would be the time for the input.
Scott Radway, Chapel Hill resident, said that he was pleased to see that the Comprehensive Plan tied together the understanding of transportation versus land use, which was not so in the existing Comprehensive Plan. He said that the community was 90 percent developed, and the focus needed to be on that 90 percent as well as the undeveloped 10 percent. Mr. Radway addressed E—Housing, E-5, Rental Housing—and urged continued exploration of a rental licensing program as a way to maintain the areas around the downtown for the future.
Mr. Hawkins announced the Comprehensive Plan’s web site address: www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us.
Ruby Sinreich, former Chair of the Transportation Board and a life-long resident of Chapel Hill, commended the Work Group for its new web site and the Comprehensive Plan itself. She cited several goals that she thought were excellent. Ms. Sinreich said the Town needed to define mixed-use development. She said she would like to add to A—Community Character, A-8, Downtown Enhancement: better pedestrian and bicycles facilities downtown; and also support small local businesses that would promote the viability of it being a walkable destination. Ms. Sinreich said that the one thing missing in the Comprehensive Plan was planning the way the Town would grow and rethinking zoning in planning for the future.
Ann Stoddard, Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Chamber of Commerce, said that the Chamber was impressed with the careful management of the fiscal side of the Town’s budget, and that the Town linked land planning with fiscal planning. She said that keeping Chapel Hill an affordable place to live meant keeping the remaining developable land as a fiscal resource, just as the remaining open space was an environmental and recreational resource. Ms. Stoddard said that the Chamber supported the goal of keeping Chapel Hill 75 percent residential and 25 percent non-residential was a good goal, and the Chamber was grateful to have had an opportunity for input into the process.
Martin Rody, member of the Community Design Commission, said that he had been a member of the Northwest Small Area Plan Work Group when the Greene Tract was developed and it was proposed as a high density village. He said that part of the Comprehensive Plan was to review the Northwest Small Area Plan and see if it still made sense. Mr. Rody said that if the County and the Town split the Greene Tract, it would render the Northwest Small Area Plan useless. He said that the Town and County should go slowly in splitting up the Greene Tract.
Bill Strom said he approved of the Comprehensive Plan and the efforts of the Work Group. He said that some of the tools being considered to create neighborhood/commercial or transit corridors involved increasing density. Mr. Strom said that he would like the Town to consider transferring densities into those areas identified for mixed-use, neighborhood/commercial, etc., citing the components of the transfer of density into Southern Village, which he felt was successful. He suggested using transfer development rights as a tool to achieve the goals of rural buffer protection and watershed protection. Mr. Strom suggested retiring some areas in the watershed and the rural buffer and transferring some of the densities into the Town for areas identified for more intense use.
Terri Swanson, resident and former member of the Historic District Commission, thanked the Work Group and strongly advocated the use of rental licenses. She said that the North Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects was holding its fall conference in Chapel Hill for the first time, and they had invited as the keynote speaker, Thomas Hilton, author of the book entitled “Save Our Land, Save Our Towns,” a blueprint for avoiding urban sprawl. She said that Chapel Hill was an example of the things that he wrote of in his book—the way that things could work positively.
Mr. Rimer, addressing Ms. Sinreich’s comments regarding zoning, said that there were two other steps that the Town had to take once the Comprehensive Plan was developed: if it impacted zoning, a new zoning atlas had to be developed, so that new zoning options could be looked at; and, following the Comprehensive Plan, there had to be a revision of the Development Ordinance.
Johnny Morris thanked the Work
Group, and addressed Mr. Rody’s comments about the Northwest Small Area Plan,
saying that the area was a critical part of the planning for the future of
Chapel Hill. He cited the example of
the medical complex on Connor Drive, where there was nowhere to expand, so all
the medical facilities were scattering over Town in order to find room for
expansion. Mr. Morris urged the Council
to carefully consider the Northwest Small Area Plan.
Robert Dowling, Director of Orange Community Housing Corporation, applauded the committee for the strategies that were in place for affordable housing. He wanted to stress the density that was required, which he felt the new zoning ordinance would address. Mr. Dowling also wanted to be sure that the Town realized that subsidy was still necessary, because it was so expensive to build in this area.
Elaine Barney, thanked the Work Group for their work on the Comprehensive Plan. She said that she lived in the Westwood Community and that to date the neighborhood had not been notified of any meetings regarding changes at the University and the Hospitals that might impact her community. She asked Mr. Howes if he could tell her neighborhood how they might be more aware of the plans of the University and the Hospitals and to express their concerns, and if they could turn to the Town Council and the Comprehensive Plan for help in negotiating some of the changes.
Mr. Howes said that the UNC web site address was unc.edu/planning, where the whole schedule for the University Master Plan was laid out, and all the principles were set forth, and notices for meetings were posted. He said that they were working through the precincts and that next week there would be a meeting with the consultant, which would include the Westwood neighborhood, adding that the public was invited to attend.
Linda Convissor, Project Manager for the Planning Process at the University and member of the Work Group, said that in August there would be a neighborhood walk, with the consultants, through precinct 3, which included the Westwood neighborhood, and that the University would invite the neighbors to take the walk with them and talk about the issues that were important to them.
Mayor Waldorf said that any comments to the Council and the Comprehensive Plan Work Group would be welcomed.
Velma Perry, resident of the Northside neighborhood, said that she thought the Work Group had done a good job on the Comprehensive Plan, and she liked the part in the Plan to keep the character of the neighborhoods and the proposed need for rental licenses, so that owners would be responsible for their properties. She said that there were problems with cars parking in the neighborhoods, and the fact that on corner lots, the vegetation was sometimes so high that approaching cars could not be seen.
Mr. Hawkins said that it was the hope of the Work Group to get feedback from the Council so that they could proceed with their work on the Comprehensive Plan.
Council Member Pavăo commended the Work Group for the work that they had done, in such a short time, and for the clarity which the draft showed.
Council Member Evans thanked the Work Group for their work. She said regarding A— Community Character, A-9, that the word “parks” might be clarified as to what would be the size and content, since there was limited space in the downtown area. Council Member Evans said under G—Natural Environment, Public/Private Partnerships, G-9, that corporation partnership needed to be considered along with University partnership, as the businesses not only contributed to the community with taxes, but with support of public affairs, such as the graduation party for the high school seniors. She said, regarding the sidewalk connections, that neighborhoods should be connected to neighborhoods so that people could walk or bike without needing to drive their cars between neighborhoods.
Mayor pro tem Capowski also thanked the Work Group for its work. He said, regarding B—Relations with the University/UNC Health Care System, Cooperative Planning with the University of North Carolina, B-1, that the stakes in this item were the highest in the document because of the plans that the University had to develop the southern end of the campus, which would bring in an additional 12,000 people to live, work and study. Mayor pro tem Capowski said that was hard for him to tolerate while there were about 600 developable acres at the Horace Williams Tract. He said that the impact of what UNC would do on its southern end of campus would be the single most important development issue in the next several years. Mayor pro tem Capowski said that the University, the UNC Health Care System, and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System attracted people to Chapel Hill, and that the Town would never be a center of commerce. He said, in response to continued criticism of the ratio between residential and non-residential property, that the reason that Moody’s Investors Service had given Chapel Hill a AAA bond rating was because the University was “recession-proof,” subsidized by the State of North Carolina.
Council Member Wiggins added her commendations to the Work Group, and said she found the Comprehensive Plan exciting. She said that she hoped the final document would have a glossary of terms, so citizens could understand the language better. Council Member Wiggins also said that she hoped the final goals and strategies would be more explicit, so that all citizens could see themselves and their neighborhoods in the document. She cited A—Community Character, A-3, as an example of where the Plan could be more explicit.
Council Member Foy said he would like the Work Group to address the durability of the Southern Small Area Plan, as well as the durability of a rural buffer, in the Comprehensive Plan under C— Regional Context, because these two areas would be vulnerable to further growth. He said they should not be neglected by concentrating only on urban growth. Council Member Foy said that he would like more clarification in F—Land Use and Development, F-7 and F-8, about what kinds of regulatory burdens the Work Group meant. He commented on H—Transportation, H-13, and asked what further transportation management organization would the Work Group require beyond what the Town already had. Council Member Foy also thanked the Work Group for their work.
Council Member Brown thanked the Work Group for all the time they had spent on the Comprehensive Plan. She asked that the Work Group define “consensus” and how they reached consensus and report back to the Council regarding that discussion. Council Member Brown said she agreed with Council Member Wiggins that certain words should be clarified, for instance, what did the Work Group mean by “density” and “infill,” and where did they feel the increased density should take place, which should be defined so that the neighborhoods involved could have a chance to address their concerns. She asked the Work Group to work with the staff on the Council’s affordable housing goals, identifying that they were the same goals and whether they would be able to work with the Council’s goals. Council Member Brown said that it would be helpful to know how the Work Group intended to incorporate with the Shaping Orange County’s Future Task Force, and coordinating with the governments as far as planning.
Council Member Wiggins asked that the issue of how people live together and relate to each other, building community among people, an important aspect of the unique character of Chapel Hill, be clarified in the Comprehensive Plan. She also suggested that the parks downtown be “mini” gathering places.
Mayor Waldorf said that if the Work Group wished to reduce the goals to what would be realistic, rather than the ideal, that would be acceptable. She said that one of the earlier tasks following the completion of the Comprehensive Plan would be the sensitivity issues of the perimeters around the University. Mayor Waldorf said that she would be interested to know what the Work Group’s recommendations were about the best future for the Northside area. She said that she was pleased with the suggestions for downtown. Mayor Waldorf said that Section J—Fiscal Conditions, was very important and she felt that the goal of a ratio of 75-25 percent for residential versus non-residential was good, and that the Town had received a AAA bond rating from Moody’s because it had good fiscal practices. She said that the issue of growth management had been around for several years, but she felt that the issue of taxes and how this was going to be funded would be the issue in the future.
Mr. Reda thanked the Council, and said that the Work Group needed the Council’s input right away because they were going to start on the final document at their next meeting. He thanked Council Member Evans for her presence on the Work Group committee. Mr. Reda said that, in addition to linking neighborhoods, commercial areas, such as shopping centers, should be linked with roads, so that they interconnected.
Ms. Ironside said that they wished to thank Wallace, Roberts and Todd, John Fernsler and David Rouse, the consultants, for their help in putting the document together, and she thanked the Council for providing extra time with the firm, when the Work Group felt it needed further help.
Mr. Ward thanked the Council for their comments and for putting people together, with expertise from many areas, into the Work Group.
Council Member Evans said that the Work Group should include in their recommendations that the Comprehensive Plan be updated regularly. She said that it had brought the community together.
Mr. Hawkins said that the Work Group agreed that was a good idea.
Mayor pro tem Capowski pointed out that the Town had adopted, in the Capital Improvements Plan, funds for sidewalks and bikeways. He said that he did not see anything in the document about future air quality, and he would strongly advocate that this be included.
Mr. Hawkins said that the glossary had been discussed and would be included in the final document. He also said that he would encourage comments from the Council before the Work Group’s meeting next week. Mr. Hawkins thanked the Council for their comments and support.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:39 p.m.
The minutes of June 16, 1999 were adopted on the 23rd day of
August, 1999.
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Joyce A. Smith, CMC