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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19950315ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 239 WORKSESSION MARCH 15, 1995 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in joint session with the Hillsborough Town Commissioners on March 15, 1995 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the Government Services Center, 200 South Cameron Street in Hillsborough, North Carolina. ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr., and Commissioners Don Willhoit, William L. Crowther, Alice M. Gordon, and Stephen Halkiotis. HILLSBOROUGH TOWN COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Mayor Horace Johnson and Town Commissioners Evelyn* Lloyd, Catherine Martin, Remus Smith and Richard Simpson. ORANGE COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John Link, Economic Development Director Ted Abernathy, Planning Director Marvin Collins, Planner Slade McCalip and Deputy Clerk to the Board Kathy Baker. Chair Carey convened the meeting and both he and Mayor Johnson welcomed the participants. HILLSBOROUGH'S PROCESS/TIMEFRAME FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND DESIGN CRITERIA RELATIVE TO I-40/OLD 86 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (EDD) NODE: Hillsborough's Town Manager Eric Swanson reported that Ted Abernathy presented a report to the Hillsborough Planning Board. The Town staff will make a recommendation to the Town Commissioners at the April Quarterly Public Hearing. May is the earliest timeframe for consideration by Hillsborough's Town Board. Commissioner Crowther mentioned that the qualifications for the newest EDD district are equal to, or more stringent than, the new overlay district that Hillsborough has adopted. He asked if Hillsborough has implemented that overlay district. Commissioner Smith indicated that the board would review the area from the EDD nodes at Old Hwy 86 and the I-40/Hwy 86 into Hillsborough. The Town is very interested in preserving the entryways into Town. Commissioner Lloyd mentioned that there had been discussion about including the'property on which the Massage Parlor is located in the EDD node at I-40/Hwy. 86. She also mentioned the possibility of extending the node into the Cornerstone Park community. Commissioner Willhoit mentioned that one of the justifications for requesting rezoning in the neighborhood at the Old Hwy 86 node was because of the plans for the property across the road. Also, if the road is widened it will impact on the setbacks, etc. He asked about the prospects for development along the road and if there is a need for the County to rezone from residential to business or will it be developed in such a manner that it will not have additional impacts on those residents. He indicated that his concern was rezoning the area from Oakdale Drive to I- 40. 2 .-- Ted Abernathy indicated that the site plan submitted by Mr. Stephenson to the Hillsborough Planning Board for the area in question would require Primary I zoning. There would be one curb cut on old 86 and one additional access road on the east side. Most of the businesses would front on the access road instead of Old Hwy 86. Commissioner Crowther asked why Hillsborough was not considering the . annexation of that strip of Orange County land at this time. Hillsborough Town Manager Eric Swanson indicated that the criteria being used by the Town for involuntary annexation was that the parcel must already be served by water and sewer and that property is not yet served. Commissioner Halkiotis mentioned that across the street in the County's jurisdiction, the land use is quite different. He indicated that he was concerned about the lack of similar planning. Commissioner Smith stated that this area, along with the new Hwy 86 area, would be the next logical areas for joint planning. Hillsborough does want to preserve the entranceways, however, it is commercial property. They do not want fast food restaurants or drive through facilities. Ted Abernathy indicated that the Cornerstone facility, off of Valley Forge Road, is approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of flex-type buildings. WHERE DO THE COUNTY AND HILLSBOROUGH GO NEXT ON THE COOPERATIVE PLANNING Chair Carey mentioned the Stoney Creek Basin Planning Work Group on which the Town of Hillsborough had recently declined participation. Commissioner Lloyd mentioned that the Stoney Creek area was outside. of Hillsborough's planning jurisdiction. The meetings that were held in that area last year regarding the University station proposal were difficult and unproductive. She stated that she did not feel that the Stoney Creek meetings would be useful for Hillsborough Commissioners to attend. Marvin Collins distributed the Charge that was developed for the Stoney Creek Basin Planning Work Group which was approved by both the Hillsborough and Orange County Boards. Mayor Johnson said that the last cooperative agreement with the County left Hillsborough feeling that its hands were tied. For instance, the County had. to agree prior to the Town being able to act on proposed annexations. 'Hillsborough is willing to cooperate but is not willing to be restricted. In looking at the proposed plans in and around Hillsborough, he would like to see consensus reached by everyone involved. He suggested that the Planning Boards work together on a Comprehensive Plan that would enable timely review and communication without restrictions being placed on Hillsborough. Commissioner Lloyd asked what happened to the plan to form a committee consisting of two members of both governmental boards to study the text of the Cooperative Planning Agreement? She stated that cooperating with the County is important for both County and Hillsborough's citizens. Chair Carey said that an agreement to do cooperative planning by its 241 very nature is a statement that each unit of government is going to work to develop a land use plan with a growth pattern that can be agreed upon. Part of that includes planning how growth is going to occur and how property will be annexed and then adhering to those decisions. That gives Hillsborough input into County decisions in areas Hillsborough is eventually going to annex. This type of agreement places limits on the type of change a unit of government is able to implement without discussing those changes. Commissioner Crowther volunteered to serve on a Cooperative Planning Committee and help get it back on tract. Commissioner Willhoit mentioned that he was disappointed about Hillsborough not participating in the Stoney Creek Basin Planning Work Group. The larger issues remain to be discussed. He hoped that a plan would be created that would define the ultimate boundaries of the Town and its service district. If Hillsborough extends water and sewer to the University Station area, that could lead to extensions into the Rural Buffer. A land use plan which would define those boundaries needs to be completed and the participation of the Town is critical to its ultimate success. Commissioner Halkiotis agreed with Commissioner Willhoit's comments. In response to a question from Commissioner Crowther, the transportation element to the Comprehensive Plan was discussed. The County could adopt Hillsborough's plan. However, in order to protect the right-of-ways, a similar plan would need to be incorporated into the regional plan. Margaret Hauth, Planning Director for the Town, indicated that this plan is scheduled for adoption after the Town's Public Hearing in April. She indicated that the new road and road widening priorities will be determined by cost per benefit and other factors. Commissioner Crowther mentioned that the County recently required an alignment of Baldwin Road as part of a subdivision application. The developer has the right to chose the recommended alignment or to allocate right-of-way in the alignment process. John Link indicated that John Watkins, the D.O.T. Division Engineer, wants to discuss this issue with Hillsborough and the County staff so that there is agreement on the alignment. STATUS OF ANNEXATION OF CORNWALLIS HILLS BY HILLSBOROUGH Eric Swanson reported that the public hearing was held in February and the Town Commissioners were scheduled to consider this for adoption at the next meeting. If it is approved, it would be a year at the earliest before the annexation could actually occur. COORDINATING WITH HILLSBOROUGH ON THE DESIGN AND FUNDING OF A TOWN/COUNTY RIVERFRONT PARR ALONG THE ENO Chair Carey requested feedback about whether there was interest in creating, through a joint venture, a riverfront park on the Eno. Eric Swanson said that someone had indicated to him that the Chamber of Commerce might have an interest in participating in such a project. They may have already raised some money to be used for a project in this area. 2 4 2 . Commissioner Crowther indicated that Hillsborough has a newly adopted Parks and Recreation Plan and the County has a similar plan. He said that both of these plans mention this site as a possible location for a park. Mayor Johnson said N.C. State University students completed a plan which included a park and gazebo on the river. He hoped that the County and Town would be able to work jointly on this plan. He suggested using inmate labor to prepare the land. Those plans will be located and distributed. Chair Carey suggested putting a group together which would include, among others, citizens from the Chamber and both Recreation and Parks Advisory Councils. Commissioner Willhoit agreed that this was important, but he asked that the proposal to look at future school sites not be fogotten. He raised caution about the prospects of County money being spent for a Town park during the current financial climate. However, the County could possibly provide the land, the public sector could raise the money and the Town provide the labor. Chair Carey asked that the Managers contact the Chamber and explore the possibilities for this land. LANDFILL SITE: In response to a request, commissioner Willhoit indicated that the _- Landfill Search Committee is gathering data and is expected to make its. report in the fall. After the report is finalized, the elected officials -= for each of the towns and the County will consider the recommendation. HILLSBOROUGH'S RESERVOIR: Eric Swanson reported that the financing has been approved in the amount of $5.8 million in General Obligation Bonds. The first step have been taken in approving the surveying work. They anticipate purchasing land in the summer. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. The next regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners is March 21, 1995 at 7:30 p.m. That meeting will be held in the Community Meeting Room, Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Carrboro, NC. Moses Carey, Jr., Chair Kathleen Baker, Deputy Clerk