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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20080226 APPROVED 5/20/2008 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING February 26, 2008 7:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Joint Meeting with the Town of Hillsborough Commissioners on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the Link Government Services Center, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Moses Carey, Jr., Valerie P. Foushee, Alice M. Gordon, and Mike Nelson COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Mayor Tom Stevens and Commissioners Eric Hallman, Michael Gering, Brian Lowen, Frances Dancy, and Evelyn Lloyd TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Eric Peterson COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Laura Blackmon and Assistant County Manager Willie Best, and Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All other staff will be identified below). Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:40 pm. He said that he and Mayor Stevens would take turns chairing the items. Mayor Stevens suggested that each board talk about the respective hearings last night. Planning Director Craig Benedict said that the courtroom was packed last night with people speaking about Buckhorn Village. The speakers were 60% against and 40% for the project. He reviewed the proposed project—a 130-acre parcel at the southeast corner of 1- 85140 and Buckhorn Road; a mixed-use, primarily retail project projecting one million square feet at buildout. There is a lot more work to be done. It is a rezoning to a Planned Development district, which allows for specific conditions. Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth gave an update on Corbinton Commons, which is a large parcel on US 70 right before Churton Grove. There is approval to do age- restricted development with single-family houses and attached housing where residents could secure licensed health care providers. It is one step removed from an assisted living center. However, there is serious consideration being given to converting this to a continuing care retirement center. This would increase the number of units on site, but more of the units would be beds rather than units. Some of the buildings could be five stories. This is a very different model for Hillsborough. Most of the comments from the citizens last night revolved around the five-story concept. Chair Jacobs asked if Hillsborough had a fire truck that would serve a building this tall and Margaret Hauth said not at this point, but the capital improvement plan requests one. 1. Fairview Park Update on Construction Timetable and Other Issues Environment and Resource Conservation Director Dave Stancil said that Fairview Park is on schedule and is underway. Orange County has submitted an application to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for a grant of$500,000. The results of that will come in May or July. The County is on schedule to move into the construction process a little before Thanksgiving 2008. Orange County Recreation and Parks Director Lori Taft said that it is estimated that the park could be open as early as next summer. Chair Jacobs asked what would be different with and without the grant. Lori Taft said that the County could receive part of the grant. This amount would come before both boards to decide on how it would be allocated. The facility will include a baseball field, basketball courts, a walking track, trails, a picnic shelter with restrooms, and possibly another play structure. She said that she is very optimistic about this grant. This project has tremendous community support. Commissioner Foushee asked about the initial estimates of operating costs for fiscal year 2008-09, given that the park is not expected to open until 2009. Lori Taft said that estimates are similar to the four-year annual operating budget. One of the reasons for this amount is that the start-up equipment needed has to be included in the initial year. Secondly, there should be staff on board during the construction process. She is not proposing additional staff, but one current staff. This salary is included in the initial amount. She said that the County and Town staffs have discussed operations and a potential agreement. Nothing has been decided. Town Manager Eric Peterson made reference to the maintenance agreement and said that, from the Town's perspective, he understands why the County is asking the Town to participate more than he expected. He said that the staff feels an obligation to contribute a substantive amount to the maintenance of the facilities. He said that the Town is not equipped to run the facility, but it can contribute financially. The Town can contribute water at least. He is open to discussion. Mayor Stevens said that Hillsborough has a lot of other facilities coming on board, and he wants to find an arrangement that is going to be workable. Brian Lowen said that he does not want to slight the Fairview community. Mayor Stevens asked if there was a count on how many people use the facility and Lori Taft said that she does not have numbers for Fairview, but there are some numbers for Efland and Little River. Discussion ensued on how many citizens from Hillsborough are using various County facilities. 2. Update on Five Acre Land Swap for Hillsborough Motor Pool and Orange County Public Works Needs Assistant Town Manager Nicole Ard said that at this point, she would like to request that both boards place this on an agenda. Chair Jacobs asked for an explanation of the action that the boards would have to take. Nicole Ard said that both boards need to approve the swap. Commissioner Gordon asked for a map when this comes back. Laura Blackmon pointed out that there were problems after the survey had been completed that are being worked out. 3. Meeting Room at Link Government Services Center and Financial Considerations Chair Jacobs said that he appreciates the cooperative relationship that the Town and County have been able to build. He said that it was hugely different when he came onto the Board. He is glad that the entities can work as partners. Laura Blackmon said that later in the agenda Pam Jones would touch on some construction projects. She made reference to the Gateway Center and said that the Revenue Office, Tax Assessor's Office, and the Register of Deeds would be moving there. That will leave the Link Government Services Center partially vacant. Over the next several weeks, there will be discussions about space and which departments will relocate to the vacant space. There has been discussion on the meeting room and some partnership with the Town on this. The discussion when she first arrived as Manager to the County was whether the Town could help pay for the construction. Her concern with that is that the County is going to be constructing the meeting room anyway, and for the Town to come up with a huge chunk of money does not seem realistic. She has spoken with Eric Peterson about the Town's use of the facility with some expectation of payment, such as utility costs, televising costs, etc. Eric Peterson said that he thought that the concept of renting the space from the County on an as needed basis was a good idea. Laura Blackmon said that it would be on a yearly basis. Michael Gering asked about the size of the meeting room and Laura Blackmon said that there is enough space to do a nice meeting room in addition to a larger conference room. Mayor Stevens said that space is a big issue for the Town Board and he is very open to having this discussion. Discussion ensued on the size of the room and the uses. Laura Blackmon said that there would be a facility use policy for both boards to look at. 4. County Facilities Construction Update a) Justice Facilities, Farmers' Market and River Park Pam Jones said that the construction is way ahead of where it was the last time this was discussed. The Justice Facility is expected to be finished in 2009. The building will be finished in early 2009, and there is a six-month renovation of the existing courthouse. The Public Market House is scheduled to open on Saturday, March 1St. River Park will be finished at the same time the courthouse is finished. b) County Campus Regarding the Gateway Center, the County received the Certificate of Occupancy, and the offices that are moving there will be closed on March 17-18 and will reopen for business at the Gateway Center on the 19th. The Weaver Street Market ground parking will be used for about the first month, and then the parking deck should be open. The deck will be open for employees as well as pay-by-the-hour vehicles. The employees will be encouraged to take only a right into the site to discourage congestion before the traffic light is finished. Regarding the parking deck, the County will be talking about 200 spaces during opening hours. The spaces will all be under the direction of the developer. Chair Jacobs asked how the parking manager would know there is something like a Planning Board meeting that the public would be attending. Pam Jones said that there would be about 40 spaces outside of the building for the public. County employees will have a hangtag. Pam Jones said that the library and the office building have not begun officially, although the site work is done. Regarding the meeting rooms, there are some large ones in this space. The goal was to put all of the meeting rooms on the lower level. c) Central Orange Senior Center and SportsPlex Renovations The Central Orange Senior Center and SportsPlex renovations are well underway. There will be 15,000 square feet constructed for the senior center, which will be 10,000 square feet of new space and 5,000 square feet at the SportsPlex. There is an additional 5,000 square feet for the Adult Day Health program. There is also 11,000 square feet of renovation in the SportsPlex to accommodate its growth space and give it back some space that is being taken for the senior center. d) Durham Technical Community College Satellite Campus Development Durham Tech is completed and the grand opening will be sometime during the first part of May. The intent is to have continuing education classes first and then curriculum in the fall. Regarding the 911 center, it should be open sometime in the fall. 5. Update on the County's Plans for Consolidating or Reconfiguring Services in Hillsborough. Eric Hallman asked about any plans for county buildings on the east side of Churton Street. Pam Jones said that the County will look at the options for divesting when the court moves to the justice facility. Michael Gering asked about a Heritage Center and Pam Jones said that there have been discussions about this in two locations. Michael Gering asked about the Whitted building space across from the Whitted Building. He said that the expectation of the neighborhood is that something better could be done for this area. Pam Jones said that there has not been anything submitted to the Board. Michael Gering said that this has been a sore spot for six years. Some people have suggested a small park or the Heritage Center. Pam Jones said that she has not perceived the Heritage Center on this site. Chair Jacobs said that he would like to challenge the Hillsborough Arts Commission and Orange County's Arts Commission to come up with some kind of transitional art/sculpture use of that open space. Michael Gering suggested making a formal request to the arts councils. Mayor Stevens said that he desires for the Whitted Building to continue to provide use and services to residents. He agreed with the public art aspect and said that, as part of the Town Board's retreat, they discussed working public art into facilities. Commissioner Gordon said that the County Commissioners have not talked formally about this property, and she would like to have this discussion. She asked what the Town's interest might be in the Whitted Building. Michael Gering said that the Town has not had this discussion either. Mayor Stevens said that it has been raised up by the arts community, particularly as a performing arts area. Chair Jacobs suggested sticking with the notion of the parcel across the street for now. He suggested asking the staffs to work out a motion for each board to engage the two arts groups to come back with a proposal for a temporary arts use for this space. Commissioner Nelson said that he would hesitate calling it temporary, because once an arts space is created, it will be permanent. Commissioner Gordon said that if it is not going to be temporary, then she wants to talk about the long-term plan for the building and the parking lots. Laura Blackmon said that the two staffs could get together and look at the options. Mayor Stevens said that with all of this construction, there have been questions about archeology. He appreciates the responsiveness of the County staff in answering questions. Brian Lowen asked about the use of the old Wal-Mart. Pam Jones said that the Board has discussed several options, such as Social Services using this space. Brian Lowen said that it is his hope that this will remain a significant piece of retail property, and therefore remain on the tax rolls. Mayor Stevens said that the Town really wants the County services to stay in this area. 6. Planning & Transportation Issues a) County Comprehensive Plan Update Comprehensive Planning Supervisor Tom Altieri said that the County is updating its Comprehensive Plan. The plan was originally completed in 1981 and it has been amended several times since then, but this the first complete update. The County Commissioners have adopted a process which the staff will follow to update the plan, a timetable, and overarching guiding principles to guide the development of the plan. The plan will be completed in two phases. Phase I was completed in the fall of last year and involved development of goals for the entire plan and the first element of the plan —the County Profile Element or Data Element. Phase I I is underway and includes the completion of the text for the remaining seven elements of the plan as well as the objectives to address each of the goals identified during Phase I. The County has contracted with Roger Waldon of Clarion and Associates, and they are partnering with staff and advisory boards to prepare the draft plan. The consultant is preparing the first draft plan and will be presenting it to the advisory boards. The second draft will be the public hearing draft, which is scheduled for May 19th During April there will be a series of meetings to begin receiving public input on the draft plan. He made reference to the informational brochure that was in the packet. Commissioner Gordon asked if the advisory boards would receive a copy of the draft before the meetings in which they are presented and Tom Altieri said that the consultants' first meeting is March 5th. This is a meeting between the Planning Board and the Orange Unified Transportation Board. At that meeting, the consultant will deliver copies of the draft plan, but they will not be available in advance of that meeting. Immediately following that meeting, staff will work to distribute copies to the remaining advisory boards. Commissioner Gordon said that it is problematic that the boards would not get it any sooner. Tom Altieri said that the advisory boards would have until mid-April to complete their review of the plan and get comments back to the consultants. b) Hillsborough Area-Orange County Strategic Growth Plan Phase II — Interlocal Agreement Committee (IAC) Craig Benedict said that Phase I was completed last year by Clarion and Associates. Phase I has an urban service area and a future annexation area. There is an area outside of the urban area that is under Orange County control and is part of the big picture. The big picture is that this area could have up to 20,000 units at the existing density. Phase I concluded with a resolution that Orange County and Hillsborough should get back together and develop an interlocal agreement, which would define the boundaries of future annexation lines, water and sewer service area, any ETJ areas, uses, etc. Phase II would include an Interlocal Agreement Committee, and these members would be appointed within the next month. The outcome of the committee is completion of what was mentioned in the resolution. The plan is for this to be completed in about four or five months. There is an existing land use plan that surrounds Hillsborough now. Based on initial discussions in Phase I, there will probably be some changes. Commissioner Gordon asked about the satellite annexation with low density and if it would stay like that. Eric Peterson said that Hillsborough would not de-annex it. c) US 70/Highway 57/Highway 86 Craig Benedict pointed out this area on a map. This is part of an Orange County and Hillsborough study area where an Urban Rural Transition Study was done. This is the predecessor of the Phase I report. There are problems with this intersection regarding traffic, etc. There have been probably three or four different studies in the area. The goal is to develop an access management system, which is a plan, working with the DOT to determine the best access points along a certain corridor to move traffic efficiently. He said that he and Margaret Hauth need to work on a timetable of when to develop plans. Chair Jacobs reminded everyone that this same thing was done for Orange Grove Road, and it was fairly quick. It has not been tested yet, but he thinks that the outcome was good. Craig Benedict said that having the Orange Grove Road study report is helping Orange County greatly with DOT's participation in getting an 1-40 pedestrian overpass. The Orange Grove report was done in about four or five meetings. He would like to do something like this again. d) TownlCounty/NCDOT Meetings Regarding Downtown Hillsborough Traffic Craig Benedict showed an aerial photo of downtown Hillsborough. Eric Hallman thanked Chair Jacobs for getting DOT involved in this. He said that until the light goes in on South Churton St., there is not a lot that can be done with adjusting the signal times. The study must be done with that light in place. Once the light is in place, the holdup is the black support pole that the Town of Hillsborough approved that is causing long lead time. The concerns expressed with the DOT were the cross Churton Street movements, particularly from East Margaret Lane, heading west onto South Churton Street at the end of the day. Making some improvements would cause Hillsborough to lose some of the on-street parking. Laura Blackmon said that protected turns would really slow the traffic movement down. Craig Benedict said that they are trying to be proactive because there are some buildings that are not even open yet. There needs to be an ongoing discussion about traffic improvements. Chair Jacobs said that Hillsborough had required George Horton to get his transportation consultant to do a study of the little corridor after the light goes in. He said that he was charged with speaking to George Horton to encourage him to pay for whatever was necessary to see what would happen if left turn signals were put in at King St. and Margaret Lane. He has spoken to him, and although it was not a formal discussion, George Horton agreed with paying for this. e) US 70/Cornelius Street Business Incubator Funding Assistance Request Willie Best said that this was resubmitted to Congressman Price. Chair Jacobs said that he was sending an updated draft, and he asked for any comments or additions. He said that the resubmission accents that it is US 70. He suggested that the Hillsborough Town Board send Congressman Price a letter supporting this. There should be a decision in January 2009. f) Possible Reassignment of Elizabeth Brady Road Funding Without Loss of Project Funds Eric Hallman said that there is $23 million dollars for Elizabeth Brady Road as partial funding, and things continue to get pushed aside. He said that if Hillsborough is never going to use the money for the bypass, then it could be used to improve other traffic situations. He asked if there was an interest in reprogramming the money for immediate needs instead of watching it get pushed out further into the future. Chair Jacobs said that he thought it would be good to come back to the two boards to see if there was enough interest to have staff look at this possibility. He said that he has used the Waterstone Boulevard as a shortcut to get to Old NC 10. When Wal-Mart was first proposed, the County had proposed changing the whole intersection at Old NC 10 and NC 86. If you think of Waterstone Boulevard as a southern bypass and then get on NC 86, then it would be easy to get right on Lawrence Road if Old NC 10 were improved. This would be, in effect, an existing bypass. Craig Benedict agreed that this is an important connection between Old NC 86 and NC 86. This is similar to the realignment that the County discussed in 2002. Chair Jacobs said that the County got a copy of a letter about having a railroad stop in Hillsborough, but that one of the crossings in west Hillsborough would have to be eliminated. He said that if there was discussion about lining up Mayo St. and Eno Mountain Road, where it comes out is not a satisfactory conclusion. He said that there is money to close railroad crossings. Commissioner Gordon said that the question is whether Hillsborough wants to change its priority and say that Elizabeth Brady Road is not as important as some of these other things. Eric Hallman said that he would like to know if the money could be reprogrammed. It is not worth talking about if the money cannot be reprogrammed. Chair Jacobs said that, if the money was available, it would be good to discuss what it would actually be used for. Commissioner Gordon said that for the priorities to change at the MPO level, the changes would need to be discussed and approved by the MPO. 7. Green Building Standards Resolution Proposed by Hillsborough's WaterlSewer Advisory Committee and Adopted by the Town Board Eric Peterson said that James Watson, a member of the WaterlSewer Advisory Committee and former chair, was present to answer questions. The committee made a recommendation to the Town Board, which is reflected in the resolution in the packet. The resolution was passed on to the County, and the recommendation of the committee was encouraging Orange County to adopt general green building standards. The Town Board is in support of this. He said that he called Ed Kerwin of OWASA and asked him about what OWASA was doing regarding the drought. OWASA has been doing a lot of research about making policy recommendations that would be much more aggressive. As Waterstone comes on, the amount of flush can be controlled and can have a huge impact on water conservation. James Watson said that there is a very finite capacity of water. Chair Jacobs said that the renovation of the SportsPlex involves changing out all of the water fixtures to make them more efficient. He asked about the County facilities. Laura Blackmon said that most of the changes involve the buildings being renovated. Commissioner Gordon asked about the building code now. Craig Benedict said that Orange County uses the State building code, which has minimal standards for water conservation techniques. Based on the priorities set by the Board of County Commissioners last April, staff has been dialoging with Hillsborough, Piedmont Electric, and other water providers to discuss having a standard for Orange County. If that is the case, there would have to be a specific idea for a new standard written in the form of a resolution and sent to the State. Margaret Hauth said that the Inspections staff has written a fairly aggressive and inclusive process to be able to reach out to other jurisdictions and see if there is any interest in developing local standards. Commissioner Gordon asked about a realistic timeline for this. Craig Benedict said that staff could bring presentations to the Board in the next couple of months. The question is whether the standards should be voluntary or mandatory. Laura Blackmon said that a big part of this is what is existing. Most people will not be switching out existing appliances. Chair Jacobs asked for staff to give some pricing for low-flow toilets, etc. Eric Hallman said that the Water/Sewer Advisory Committee recommended looking at the flow control on Lake Orange. It is a source of wasted water. He thinks it would be reasonable for the Town to fund this. Chair Jacobs suggested getting a cost from County Engineer Paul Thames on this. Chair Jacobs said that, at the Assembly of Governments meeting on March 31St, there will be a discussion of a proposal in which Durham City, OWASA, Pittsboro (maybe), and Orange County would participate with Chatham County in a State organized intake on the west side of Jordan Lake. With no further items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 9:43 p.m. Barry Jacobs, Chair David Hunt Deputy Clerk to the Board