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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 01-31-2001APPROVED 5!15101 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND HILLSBOROUGH TOWN COMMISSIONERS January 31, 2001 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in joint session with the Hillsborough Town Commissioners on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. in the Government Services Center, Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Stephen H. Halkiotis and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown and Barry Jacobs COUNTY COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Commissioners Moses Carey, Jr. (illness} and Alice Gordon (prior commitment} HILLSBOROUGH TOWN COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Mayor Horace Johnson and Town Commissioners Kenneth Chavious, Francis L. Dancy, Evelyn Lloyd, Brian Lawen, and Mark Sheridan COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Planning Director Craig Benedict and Acting Recording Clerk Evelyn Cecil {all other staff members will be identified appropriately below} TOWN STAFF PRESENT: Tawn Manager Eric Peterson, Planning Director Margaret Hauth, Engineer and Utilities Director Kenny Keel NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. ALL RECORDINGS OF THE MEETING WILL BE KEPT FOR 5 YEARS. 1. WELCOME AND ADJUSTMENTS TO AGENDA Chair Halkiotis called the meeting to order. He thanked everyone for coming, introduced the County Commissioners who were present, and reported that Commissioner Moses Carey was ill and unable to attend tonight's meeting and that Commissioner Alice Gordon had another commitment and was also unable to attend. He then appointed Evelyn Cecil as Acting Recording Clerk for tonight's meeting. Chair Halkiotis turned the meeting over to Mayor Horace Johnson. Mayor Johnson introduced the members of the Hillsborough Town Board. He said that the Town Board needed to take care of some business tonight. He received a call from the Engineer of the Department of Transportation, which was submitting bids for road repairs to be done in Hillsborough, from Orange Grave Road to US 70 bypass. DOT is proposing to work from 7:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. There is a town Noise Ordinance that needs to be waived. The Tawn Manager needs to be given authorization to waive the Noise Ordinance for tonight. The Town Board agreed to waive the Noise Ordinance by acclamation. Commissioner Halkiotis said that this was a positive example of the new relationship between Hillsborough and Orange County and NCDOT. 2. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: THE PRESERVE NEAR PATHWAYS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL a. Staff Comments Orange County Planning Director Craig Benedict made opening comments. The Preserve is a planned development that was submitted in June 2000. It has been under review by staff for an eventual public hearing on this matter. The project is approximately 470 acres with 612 units. It is located north of Hillsborough, between NC 57 and NC 86, just north of the Pathways Elementary School. The project is being suggested as a planned development, which involves a special use permit. One of the issues that is not within the County's purview is the water and sewer connections. The project can only succeed with public water and sewer. Mayor Johnson said that in January some representatives from The Preserve were seeking permission to obtain water and sewer. He said that the Town needs a clear process for developers to follow in obtaining permission to go forward. Hillsborough needs the Board of County Commissioners' help in answering these questions. Chair Halkiotis noted that representatives of the Board of County Commissioners and the Hillsborough Tawn Board have been working together on the EDDs along old NC 8611-40 and new NC 8611-85. He said that the County and the Town have many things in common and many things at stake. b. Presentation by the Applicant Mr. Anthony {Tony) M. Natelli, Chairman of Natelli Communities introduced himself and talked about Natelli Communities. They are from Montgomery County Maryland, which is outside of Washington, D. C. He spoke to Board of County Commissioners in December 2000. Natelli Communities has done development in bath Maryland and Virginia and the communities vary in size. The price range of the homes varies from $100,000 to $1 million depending on the market. He talked about why they were interested in this particular area. This particular community is of such great interest to them because they believe the community would be a great asset to the County and that the residents would be proud of it. They plan to keep the existing vegetation and add new landscaping to beautify the area. The project will be a retail and office village, enhancing the quality of life in the community as well as outside the community. Various types of homes will be built. The new landscaping will blend in with the rest of the County. There will be a recreation area of over 20 acres, which will provide swimming, tennis, soccer, a park, etc. There will be 200 acres of green space, which will be left in its natural state to be deeded to the County to be used to expand its park facilities. Jerry Turner of Jerry Turner and Associates showed the plan on a map. One of the features of the plan is a parkway, which runs through the entire project. The project is made up of seven neighborhoods, a town center, a government services center, recreation, a day care center, and dedicated open space. The residential villages vary in density from 1.89 units per acre to 6.29 units per acre. Each village will have its own entrance off of the parkway. Tim Michael of the John R. McAdams Company talked about the traffic issues for The Preserve. He pointed out the existing road to the school site, which will eventually connect to the proposed Western Bypass. They have been in discussions with NCDOT about how The Preserve can best be served with some off-site road improvements. They have focused on two major intersections - NC 86/US 70 and NC 86/NC 57. A traffic impact analysis has also been completed. NCDOT is suggesting that the left turn lane on NC 57 be lengthened by 200-300 feet. The developer has also proposed to NCDOT improvements to improve the situation on US 70 around Orange High School Road. c. Discussion by Board Members Commissioner Jacobs said that NC 57 would not be able to handle all of the school traffic and The Preserve traffic. He would like to know the status of the proposed western bypass. He said that there should be access to NC 86 from the project. Commissioner Brown asked about the number of cars generated from the project and Tim Michael said that he did not know. Discussion ensued about the traffic problems in this area. Commissioner Jacobs questioned the notion of having no internal traffic lights within the project. Tony Natelli said that he would be interested in sharing the casts in getting the lights up within the project. He asked his local partner, Michael Van Chadwick to address the traffic issue. Evelyn Lloyd asked about the number of trips through Hillsborough. Jerry Turner said that until NCDOT helps out with the Western Bypass, there would be an increase through town and build out would occur in ten years. Tony Natelli said that to same degree no dollars would be spent until the right voices are heard. NCDOT has to have others contact them besides the developers. Mark Sheridan asked about the analysis of the dedicated 175 acres and if it was suitable for recreation fields. Jerry Turner said that a specific analysis has not been done, but the typography was very suitable for recreation fields. Mark Sheridan asked about the anticipated range of sale prices of the homes. Tony Natelli does not know for sure because of the changing market and the length of time it will take to build the homes. He said that, in today's market, the homes would range from $150,000 up to $400,000. Mark Sheridan said that he noticed that in these types of communities that local builders and artists are shut out. He asked about the firm's approach on this. Tony Natelli said that a project of this size would have regional and local builders. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the government services center. Tony Natelli said that this was set aside in the event the County would like to locate services in this subdivision. The area that has been set aside for this is four acres. Commissioner Brown asked about the recreation area and if it would be private or open to the public. Tony Natelli said that it was intended to be only for The Preserve community. The community will be paying for it in their association fees. Commissioner Brown asked how this project would benefit the County. She sees a big impact with the traffic, the schools, no public recreation, affordable housing, etc. Tony Natelli said that there was a desire to provide housing with variable prices. He said that a planned community cuts the crime rate. He said that recreation was being provided far those who live in the community and that it would not be adding volume to the existing recreation in the County. Regarding the traffic, he said that development never precedes the need for improvements. Craig Benedict said that on February 26t" there would be a public hearing on this item. The developers will provide a water and sewer agreement. Traffic, affordable housing, and open space issues will also be discussed at this public hearing. Mayor Johnson said that the Town has a 500,000-gallon tank and there is a 12-inch water line currently located at Pathways Elementary School. The Town is in the process of paying for upsizing their capacity for waste coming into the line near Abundant Life Church. The school system bought a generator in case something goes wrong. He said that the Town has done things in anticipation of growth. He said that if something is not done with water and sewer in Hillsborough by mid-2002, there will be a major shortfall. Tony Natelli said that he would be pleased to host a delegation of elected officials to see other Natelli Communities. At this point there was a break in the meeting to set up for the presentation of Hampton Pointe. Commissioner Halkiatis called the meeting back to order and asked Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth to make the presentation on Hampton Pointe 3. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: HAMPTON POINTE AT THE I-851NC 86 INTERCHANGE a. Staff Comments Margaret Hauth introduced Jerry Dickens and Bill Anderson, Hampton Pointe master plan representatives. This is the second plan the Town has seen through the new special use permitting process that was developed by the County and the Town. There will be a final decision about this project in March at the earliest. Craig Benedict said that he attended the public hearing last week on this project to get an idea of how the new regulations that were developed for the new EDD were being implemented. He said that the EDD Task Force spent a lot of time considering projects of this size to make sure all areas were addressed. b. Presentation by the Applicant Bill Anderson introduced himself and Jerry Dickens and said that this proposal was an effort to do what they have done in Durham with North Pointe. He talked about the location of the site far Hampton Pointe and explained the layout. The site lies southwest of I-85 and NC 86. It is a 58-acre site and is an ideal site for retail because it is so close to the interstate and the railroad. He said that they were proposing a zoning change from Limited Office to Entranceway Special Use with a master plan. They are proposing 450,000 square feet of retail. He said that they heard and tried to react to what the EDD Task Force wanted. He said that all roads were interior to the site except for two outlets to the main road. They are asking for a main entrance with a light and a service entrance. Jerry Dickens said that there would be three to five-foot berms along NC 86 to soften the look and to hide the parking lot. Discussion ensued on the landscaping in Hampton Pointe. Bill Anderson said that they would use plants that grow well in this area and that in the parking area there would be no more than six feet without a tree. Bill Anderson said that the architecture would include colonial features that will blend with Hillsborough. c. Discussion by Board Members Several questions about the location of specific buildings were answered satisfactorily by the applicant. Bill Anderson said that there would be no more than two fast food windows. Mayor Johnson made reference to the concerns expressed at the public hearing about the boulevard, sidewalks, benches, and places for handicapped to walk from out parcels. Jerry Dickens said that they took notes of the concerns at that meeting and wanted to get more input at this meeting before making any modifications. Jerry Dickens said that they were trying to point everything into itself so that it cannot be seen from other streets and neighborhoods. He referred to Costco in Durham as an example of the rolling hills and berms. The applicants invited the elected officials to visit North Pointe in Durham. Mayor Johnson asked if the applicant had been negotiating with Kroger or Harris Teeter for this site. Jerry Dickens said that they had talked to Kroger but that there was na firm deal. Commissioner Brown made reference to the staff comments and said that there would be a train stop at building #3. Jerry Dickens said that no one told them where the train stop would be located. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Board's process on this proposal. Craig Benedict said that the purpose of tonight's meeting was to make informal comments. He said that there was a viable stop for a train along this tract. He said that the train stop could be anywhere along the tract. Jerry Dickens said that they could not tell a tenant that he could lose parking spaces after a certain period of time. He said that they were ready to go and that there were other spots that were vacant land that could be considered for the train stop. Commissioner Jacobs said that this proposal was somewhere between very disappointing and insulting. He encouraged the members of the two boards to go to North Pointe. He said that there were na walkways from each building and that it does not Shaw sensitivity to the public. He said that Hillsborough could do much better than this design because Hillsborough is devoted to working on standards. He said that this project was not "Hillsborough." He is glad to have the possibility of more places to shop but he expected better standards from the development. Craig Benedict explained more about the areas where train stations could be located. He also spoke about the staff comments, which were included in the agenda abstract. He said that the staff would rather have the parking broken up. Also, amixed-use development can stagger traffic peaks. This project could generate 23,000 trips per day. Commissioner Brown made reference to the financial impacts and asked how the applicant based this figure. Bill Anderson said that the projected sales volume of $200 per square foot was really low. The figure was based on market value. Mark Sheridan pointed out that the applicants have been patient and have attended all EDD meetings. He said that these comments were requiring mare patience. He thinks it is a terrific site. He would prefer to see more of a mixed-use development with office space and housing. He said that the plan does not have much soul yet in identifying and preserving same of the history of Hillsborough. He would like to see a good project go through. He is concerned about the ability for pedestrians to walk through the project. Bill Anderson said that he left the public hearing with three ideas -improve storm water retention, add more sidewalks, and add mare landscaping. Evelyn Lloyd said that she was concerned about the size of the buildings. She does not like the two fast food drive-through windows and would rather have a restaurant. She also does not like all of the parking. Bill Anderson pointed out that the parking was part of the County's code. Evelyn Lloyd said that the parking could be laid out better. Ken Chavious told the applicants that the elected officials were not against the development, but were just expressing concerns. He thanked the applicants for working with the Town and County. He asked the applicants to come back with something new, different, and special and to listen to the concerns. Mayor Johnson told the applicants that the elected officials were talking about a vision to enhance the quality of life far the citizens of Hillsborough. 4. UPDATE OF EDD TASK FORCE ACTIVITIES Craig gave an update of the EDD Task Force activities. The first effort in working with Hillsborough was to come up with some Entranceway Special Use District guidelines. Some of the issues (i.e., moratorium, Southern Season, etc.) will be going to the Orange County Planning Board next Wednesday, February 7t"~ The focus of the EDD activity is 700 acres on old NC $6 between I-85 and I-40. The task force has suggested expanding the EDD north of I-40. The final recommendations of the task force will go to public hearing on February 26t". The staff hopes to have everything in line with the rezoning by April 17t". The task force will begin to focus its efforts on traffic problems and road improvements. The transportation recommendations will come forward in August ar September of this year. 5. DISCUSSION OF STAFF PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A COURTESY REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROJECTS OF MUTUAL INTEREST Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth said that Hillsborough would like to talk about a courtesy review process for projects of mutual interest. She said that this agreement was a rough draft for joint planning. Hillsborough wauld like to bring forward a policy to establish a threshold of the projects that will have communication between the Town and the County. Craig Benedict said that this was similar to the process used with Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Chair Halkiotis said that the Commissioners only had a few language changes and that Craig Benedict could move forward with an agreement that both boards could review. 6. ADJOURNMENT With no further items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00. The next meeting on the meeting calendar will be held on February 7, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. in the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Stephen H. Halkiotis, Chair Beverly A. Blythe, CMC