HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-12-2006-9bORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 12, 2006
Action Agenda
Item No. -1,
SUBJECT: Proposed Changes to Fairview Master Plan from Town of Hillsborough
DEPARTMENT: ERCD, Recreation &Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S):
^ Proposed Changes from Town of
Hillsborough
^ Master Plan and Map (adopted by
County 4/10/06)
^ RPAC Memorandum
INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Stancil, 245-2590
Lori Taft, 24,5-2660
PURPOSE: To consider proposed changes to the Fairview Public Campus Master Plan
received from the Town of Hillsborough,
BACKGROUND: On April 10 of this year, the Board of Commissioners received and adopted
the Fairview Public Campus Master Plan, This master plan was created by a 13-member
citizens committee including representatives from County and Town Boards of Commissioners,
area residents, and advisory board members. The Master Plan Committee met from October
2005 to January 2006 to develop a proposed master plan (attached).
The master plan focuses on a design for the planned Fairview Park, a 2001 Parks and Open
Space bond project, and also incltades general locations for future County and Town facilities on
other portions of the 92 acres of Town and County owned lands. Most of the park facilities
would be in the "southern pod" of the site, and include two lighted basketball courts, afull-size
youth baseball/softball field, a new playground, picnic shelter with concessions bay (and
possibly restrooms), trails, tennis courts, and parking areas,
As noted above, the County approved the master plan on April 10, 2006, This included revised
language related to an area of mature hardwoods at the request of the Town, as shown on
page 7, "Master Plan Rationale," of the adopted master plan (attached).
The Town Board of Commissioners received and considered the master plan initially on May 8,
At that time, there was no comment, and the master plan was sent to staff for more review and
any suggested changes, On August 17, as indicated by the attached email from Town staff, the
suggested changes from Town staff were received, Town staff proposes the following changes
to the plan:
Paae 4 Fairview Park Master Plan Map: On the map in the area known as the "southern
pod" identified as the Hardwood Area (To be preserved). The Town Board requests that
the reference to preserving the hardwood area be removed from the map.
Paae 7 Master Plan Rationale (second (2"d) paragraph, second (2"d) sentence)
The Town Board requests that the text "while preserving a block of the hardwoods" be
removed from the paragraph.
Attachment A
The Town prefers that any reference to land configuration to be conveyed to the Town
during the land swap be represented as shown on Attachment A, Fairview Campus
Preliminary Concept Plan.
The question of preserving a portion of the hardwood forest or increasing the future Town
Public Works footprint is one that has come up on a number of occasions, bath at joint
County/Town commissioners meetings and in the Master Plan Committee. The area in
question is on the Town-owned portion of the combined 92-acre properties, which both Town
and County have consented by Memorandum of Agreement (dated 11/16/04) to jointly plan.
The County's position during the master plan has been that the hardwood area is the most
significant area of mature forest on the site and that as much of it as possible should be
retained for low-impact recreation (some portions already would be lost to the planned ballfields
and other recreational amenities). The Town has expressed interest in having the area retained
for future Town Public Works expansion. As previously noted, language to provide for this to
some degree was added to the Master Plan before completion, but the Town feels that this is
insufficient to meet their long-term needs.
In terms of next steps for the project, once the master plan is agreed to by both boards, two
additional activities would occur:
1, Finalization of the land swap between Town and County for Public Works, and
2, Discussion of a possible Memorandum of Agreement on operations and maintenance of
the park (this could occur during the next phase of final design, bid and construction),
The Orange County Recreation and Parks Advisory Council (RPAC) considered this topic at its
meeting on August 23`d, and recommended that representatives from the Town and County
meet to find amutually-acceptable solution, The idea of a larger buffer was suggested, and it
was noted that perceived safety issues may impact the community interest in retaining the
entire hardwood area (please see attached memo from RPAG),
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no direct financial impact associated with this possible change
to the master plan. However, loss of additional portions of the hardwood forest area to Town
Public Works future expansion would take some of the land away from the park, which could
have indirect casts on park construction,
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board consider the proposed
changes from the Town, and schedule a time to discuss the matter further with the Town Board
(or appoint and charge a subset of the Board to meet with a similar contingent from the Town
Board).
FROM :ERCD FPX N0. :9196443351 Sep. 85 2996 99:13RM P2
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0
David Stancil
From: Demetric Potts [demetric.potts@hillsboroughnaorg]
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:12 AM
70: David Stancil
Cc: Margaret Hauth
Subject: Fairview Public Campus Master Plan
Importance: High
Dave,
Margaret Hauth, Planning Director, presented the Fairview Yublic Campus Master Plan (Fairview
Master Plan Committee Recommendations) to the Hillsborough Town Boazd of Commissioners at its
May 8, 2006 meeting. The purpose of presenting that document to the Town Board was to get their
endorsement of'the Plan. 'there was a lengthy discussion on the document but unfortunately at that time
the Town Boazd did not move to endorse. The Town Boazd suggested that staff send the document back
requesting revisions and after the revisions was made and the document resubmitted they would
consider endorsing the document ai a future meeting. The following are the revisions that the
Hillsborough Town Board would like to see madc to the Master Plan document:
p. Qi}ae 4 ~'_airview Purk Master Plan M~
On the map in the area known as the "southern pod" identified as the Hardwood Area (`fo be
presezved)„ The Town Board requcsts that the reference to preserving the hardwood area he removed
from the map,
a e 7 M, aster Plan Rationale second (2"d~paragra°ln, second (2"~) sentence)
The Town Board requests that the text "while preserving a block of the hhardwoods" ba removed from
the paragraph.
Att&chment A
The Town prefers that any reference to land configuration to be conveyed to the Town during the land
swap be represented as shown on Attachment A, Fairview Campus Preliminary Concept Plan.
Margaret and I will make ourselves available to discuss any of the aforementioned itcnts so we can more
forward with Towu Board endorsement of this plazr and the eventual land swap. Please contact us at
your convenience should you have any questions or comments related to the request for revisions to the
document. Thalilcs in advance for your consideration.
~ All items discussed in this e-mail are highlighted iA the attached document "Fairview Public
Campus Master Plan Edits".
Demetric A. Po[u
AssistautTownManager/Public Works Director
Towu of Hillsborough
1D1 Last Orange Scree[
PO Box 429
Hillsborough, NC 272'78
8/23/2006
FROM :ERCD
FRX N0. :9196443351 Sep, 05 2006 09:13RM P3
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FROM :ERCD
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Sep. 05 2006 09:14RM P4
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on the master plan, as per the Committee's charge. Tt is our
understanding the exact location of these future activities will
be addressed at a subsequent time..
Master Plan iZationale
As the master plan design unfolded, the Committee became aware that the
majority of the proposed activity would need to be located in two "pods" of the
park.. This was made apparent by the uncertainty surrounding use of the former
landfilled areas and the existing plans for the County and municipal future uses
on the eastern part (eastern pod) of the site. Therefore, the facilities ware
designed to avoid these areas, work around the existing stream buffer, and try to
protect as much of the mature hardwood forost in the southern part of the site as
possible..
However, the remaining best usable land was largely locate the "southern
pad" near the hardwoods area. The master plan sites most, the facilities of the
park in this area„yv~tileYpi~~FNggiA bt4gktio#"~la h~?~w'otid`st~-7 he design attempts
to keep as much of this area intact as possible, and sites only a picnic shelter
and playground (which can be nestled among the trees): The larger facilities are
located to the north and west of the best part of the hardwoods. Specimen trees
of large caliper or age were also protected. The retention of this forested area will
also serve as a buffer for residents along 7orain Street, The Town of
Hillsborough plans to construct a 10,000 to 12,000 square foot Public
bNvrkslMotor Poo! facility on its designated site {generally the southwest corner
of the County Public ~Norks property, which would be transferred to the Town)
Also to be included on the site is 7,000 to £3,000 square feet of covered storage
facilities, The Town plans to locate its facikHies on the western portion of the site
with the intent to leave enough acreage for potential future expansion.
T'he second pod of activity is smaller and would be located near the existing
Hillsborough Community Policing Station. The group recognized that there is an
arbor and history of using Phis area, termed the "western pod", as a gathering
spot, and while the available or usable land is limited, some facilities would be
retained here. These facilities are also easily accessed from Rainey Avenue.,
To facilitate greater accessibili€y between the two pods of park activity, a
connector trail is proposed that offers a direct way of moving from the "western
pad" (police station;picnicfplaygrvund area) to the "southern pod" (ballfield and
other facilities). This 1000-font trail also ai[ows parsons entering the park from
either Torain Street or Rainey Avenue to access the other portion of the park In
addition to this trail, trails around the ballfiield and a connector trail to the
intersection of Rainey and Homemont Avenue are also reflected. Thus,
pedestrians could enter the park from Rainey Avenue, 1"orain Street or
Homemont Avenue, as well as from other intersections with Rainey Avenue.
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fir.
FROM :ERCD FRX N0. :9196443351 Sep. 85 2006 09:i5RM PS
® County 8 Hillsborough Parcels
~, Parcel Bountlary
'.`-'CT Streams. Stream Buffer. Steep Slopes
Existing Public Works 1
Storage Facility • Orange County
:"~,.~. Public VYorks F~cpansion -Orange County
® Proposed Pubtic Works -Hillsborough
//% Possible Hillsborough Public W orks I
Mature Hardwood Stand
;~,~ Aaive Recreation
~ Storm Debris
S~ Former landfill & Surface Trash
La++ Impact Reueation 8 Open Space
Figure 8
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En uwcflHOa~co Y
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NJOn?S MIilW
Fairview Campus -Preliminary Concept Plan
Fairview Public
Campus ll~aster
Flan
January 19, 2006
Adopted, Orange County Board of Commissioners 4/10/06
8
Fairview Pub6ic Campus i111aster Plan C®Irnrnittee
George Campbell
Dorothy Johnson
Steve Halkiotis
Barry Jacobs
Deborah Judd
Michelle Kempinski
Willie Lambert
Kathleen Long
Brian Lowen
Heather MacDonald
Joe Phelps
Tom Stevens
Barrie Wallace
1
q
Background
Orange County and the Town of Hillsborough own two adjacent tracts (67 acres
total), which have long been identified as lands for a Fairview community park in
northern Hillsborough. In addition, Orange County owns an adjacent 26 acres
that includes the County's Public Works facility. The park site is identified in both
the County and Town comprehensive plans.
In 2004, the County and Town agreed to work together to create a master plan
for the entire 93-acre site by adopting a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
along these lines, reflecting both the existing and planned uses on the Public
Works site and potential future uses far a park. The MOA may be found as
Appendix 1 to this report.
Additional information regarding the site characteristics and history of activity at
the Fairview lands may be found in the Challenges and Opportunities report
created as part of the Master Plan effort (Appendix 2).
In October 2005, an appointed Fairview Public Campus Master Plan Committee
began work to develop a proposed Master Plan. Over the next four months the
Committee met on four occasions to create this report and plan.
Site Analysis /Opportunities & Constraints Report
At the initial meeting of the Committee, a report on the aspects of the site in
question was presented by staff., This Opportunities and Constraints report
evaluated the natural and cultural features present, the history of landholdings
and land use pattern, as well as an overview of zoning and other planning issues
(please see Appendix 2),
The park site (which includes a few existing facilities, such as a playground) lis
located in the Fairview community on the north side of Hillsborough. Adjacent
land uses include single-family residential lots to the south, west and north. The
Orange County Public Works facility is located on the eastern part of the total
site, and it is adjacent on the east to lots (some of which are undeveloped)
fronting an NC 86.
The property is located just outside of the Hillsborough town limits, but within the
Town's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) for planning and permit approval. The
Town's Vision 2010 land use plan identifies the area as "Mixed Use Residential,"
with a smaller area Institutional Activity Area, The zoning for the property is
Office/Institutional (OI), which permits parks, government facilities and a variety
of other uses.
The Public Works tract does have water and sewer service, although it is
primarily sized to serve the existing uses. The site is not in a water supply
t
~~
watershed but is within the Neuse River Basin, so special Neuse River Basin
rules apply which require vegetated stream buffers, Stream segments were
identified prior to the design that would require protection,
A cultural and archaeological survey was conducted in March 2005.. The survey
identified one previously unrecorded site that was not deemed significant. Qne
area on the site was recommended to have further survey work if active land-
disturbing activities occur. A topographic survey was also conducted which
identified trees of 18-inch caliper and greater, and this was used in the design.
Soils through the site are largely Georgeville, Herndon and Enon type, although
much of the westernmost County parcel was covered with topsoil in the former
landfill areas.
The westernmost tract, owned by the County, features large former landfilled
areas to the north and northwest part of the property. These areas have been
covered with dirt and now are grassy with low shrubby vegetation. Groundwater
monitoring wells are located north and south of the stream, which bisects the
site. Some of the landfill materials are exposed but hidden from view under
dense trees and shrubs. A baseball field in this area was built in 1999, although it
is no longer in active use. The northern edge of the property has a number of
piles of domestic trash. The southern part of the site includes young hardwood
forest (40-50 years old) in an area that appears to retain water during wet
seasons.
The middle tract, owned by the Town, has a gravel road to the north that is
accessed from the County Public Works property. Anorth-south road divides the
Town parcel from the County tract described above, The northern one-third of
this Tawn tract is a large open area where the Town stockpiles storm debris and
yard waste. The middle one-third of the site has mature hardwoods and slopes
dropping 25 feet down to an unnamed stream. Pine woods are located close to
the Public Works facility, The southern one-third of the property has the highest
elevation with a mature oak-hickory hardwood forest, with some trees 60-80
years old. This area provides wildlife habitat and features red and white oaks,
hickories, tulip poplar and beech trees,
The easternmost property, the Public Works site, is partially developed and
houses the County Public Works administrative building, Motor Pool garage and
areas of storage and parking, An entry road at the signalized intersection of NC
86 and NC 57 runs east to west, before turning north into the developed part of
the site. Future plans are to locate other County facilities on the undeveloped
portion of this site, and the location of the Town of Hillsborough Public Works
been proposed for land owned by the County south of the entry road,
2
,i ~
Committee Illleetings and the ®esign i'rocess
In its four meetings, the Master Plan Committee has strived to be efficient and
yet diligent in approaching the development of recommendations in a stepwise
fashion,
Prior to the committee's formation, a preliminary concept plan outlining the
general locations of different uses was created to help guide the process, This, in
conjunction with the Memorandum of Agreement, was used to create the design
parameters,
The fallowing table summarizes the activities of the committee meetings.
e.
October 4 Overview of projects and charge, review of
Challenges and Opportunities report, preparation for
design charrette
November 1 Listing of facility preferences and identification of
priority facilities. Conduct design charrette with base
maps (split into two design groups). Site walk for
committee members scheduled and held Dec 2-3
Frida /Saturda
December 8 Review of draft master plans based on charrette,
identification of the preferred design, updates on
other Fairview matters
January 19 Adoption of master plan and report, final thoughts
3
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13
Recommendations of the Committee
Note., In reviewing the master plan and the following recommendations, it ma.y be useful
to think of the master plan for the site as having three sections, or `pods. "The "southern
pod" includes the majority of proposed park facilities and would be accessed from Torain
Street or the connector frail (see below) - or for persons outside of the neighborhood,
from the NC 57/ NC 86 inferserfion. The "western pod" is located adjacent to the existing
community policing station and is adjacent to Rainey Avenue. The "eastern pod"
contains the County Public Works site and future Town Public Works site, along with
other planned future County facilities. The reason for the "pod" design approach is
explained in the rationale section on page 6.
After consideruzg all of the above information and discussing the
possibilities, the Committee recommends the following actions as
facility improvements for Phase 2 of the park:
1. That the followilg facilities be constructed as Phase 2 of the
Fairview Park as the top priorities (as shown on the attached
Master Plan map on page 4). These facilities are listed iz
priority order, with the understanding that some facilities may
need to be deferred based on available fuulds:
• Two hard-surface 1~hted basketball courts, located the
"southern pod. "
• A full-size youth baseball/softball field, located ii the
southern part of the site.
• Two new playgrounds, one near the new ballfield in the
"southern pod, " and a replacement playgrouudd in the
"western pod "near the existing structure and police
station.
• A picnic shelter with concessions bay (and possible
restrooms), located near the new ballfield i1 the
"southern pod"
• Wallcii tg rails of approximately 'h mil®n total, with a
main trail corulection between the ballfield ("southern
pod") and the police station /playground ("we stern
pod"). There would also be a trail around the new
ballfield, with spur to the southern parl<iig lot and Toraiu
5
~4
Sheet, and a coruzection to Rainey Avenue at Homemont
Avenue.
® Three teruus courts, located adjacent to the new ballfield.
o A volleyball court, adjacent to the existing ballfield
While not a panic facility per se, a main parking lot and access
road is also proposed from the east and the NC 86 / NC 57
izztersection. A smaller parking lot would be located on Toraizl
Street, and the existing parking at the "western pod" police
station/playground would also be retained.
2. It is proposed that the former landfill areas on the northern part
of the site be maintained in grass and allowed to be used
informally for non-structured activities (dog-walking, open
meadow, bird-watd-ting).
3. Opportunities for integratizlg environmental education and
habitats in conjunction with the former landfill should be
considered, including signage.
4. ilterest exists iz both a community room and use of the former
landfilled areas for subsequent phases of the park as
opportunities arise and Town/County fuzzds permit.
5. The Town and County may wish to pursue additional funding
through grants (Parks and Recreation Trust Fzmd, US tezuus
Association, for example) and future bonds, to enable the
construction of more facilities at the park.
6. Once the master plan is finalized and a construction schedule is
identified, a copy of both should be placed at the Fairview
Commuzuty Policing Substation for community information. A
sign noting "Future Site of Fairview Park" would also be
helpful.
7. The facilities plaruzed for the "ea stern pod" (the Public Works
and County Facility portions of the site) have been sketched in
6
15
on the master plan, as per the Committee's charge. It is our
understandu1g the exact location of these future activities will
be addressed at a subsequent time.
Master Plan Rationale
As the master plan design unfolded, the Committee became aware that the
majority of the proposed activity would need to be located in two "pods" of the
park. This was made apparent by the uncertainty surrounding use of the former
landfilled areas and the existing plans for the County and municipal future uses
on the eastern part (eastern pod) of the site, Therefore, the facilities were
designed to avoid these areas, work around the existing stream buffer, and try to
protect as much of the mature hardwood forest in the southern part of the site as
possible.
However, the remaining best usable land was largely located in the "southern
pad" near the hardwoods area, The master plan sites most of the facilities of the
park in this area, while preserving a block of the hardwoods. The design attempts
to keep as much of this area intact as possible, and sites only a picnic shelter
and playground (which can be nestled among the trees), The larger facilities are
located to the north and west of the best part of the hardwoods. Specimen trees
of large caliper or age were also protected, The retention of this forested area will
also serve as a buffer for residents along Torain Street. The Town of
Hillsborough plans to construct a 10,000 to 12,000 square foot Public
Works/Motor Pool facility on its designated site (generally the southwest corner
of the County Public Works property, which would be transferred to the Town),
Also to be included on the site is 7,000 to 8,000 square feet of covered storage
facilities, The Town plans to locate its facilities on the western portion of the site
with the intent to leave enough acreage for potential future expansion,
The second pod of activity is smaller and would be located near the existing
Hillsborough Community Policing Station. The group recognized that there is an
arbor and history of using this area, termed the "western pod", as a gathering
spot, and while the available or usable land is limited, some facilities would be
retained here, These facilities are also easily accessed from Rainey Avenue,
To facilitate greater accessibility between the two pods of park activity, a
connector trail is proposed that offers a direct way of moving from the "western
pad" (police station/picnic/playground area) to the "southern pod" (ballfield and
other facilities), This 1000-foot trail also allows persons entering the park from
either Torain Street or Rainey Avenue to access the other portion of the park. In
addition to this trail, trails around the ballfiield and a connector trail to the
intersection of Rainey and Homemont Avenue are also reflected. Thus,
pedestrians could enter the park from Rainey Avenue, Torain Street or
Homemont Avenue, as well as from other intersections with Rainey Avenue,
7
i~
Access far non-pedestrians would come via three possibilities. The primary
entrance for persons coming to the park from outside of Fairview would be via an
extension of the existing Public Works Drive. This road would be continued west
and then curve northwest into the main parking area of the park (adjacent to the
ballfield and large "southern pod"). This will discourage park traffic from outside
of the neighborhood from putting mare vehicles on community streets to reach
the park. For persons driving from within Fairview, there are two parking
opportunities -the existing lot off Rainey Avenue at the "western pod," and a
new small lot along Torain Street near the ballfield and "southern pod."
The committee remains interested in the future possibilities for the northern
(former landfilled) portion of the site, but understands that addressing the actions
needed to make this area usable might siphon away some or all of the funds to
build the park. The focus of the master plan is thus to create a design that
provides for goad pedestrian and vehicular access to the park, using the best
areas for facilities and leaving the uncertain open areas for future consideration.
It is proposed that the former landfill areas (shown as open lands on the master
plan) be planted in grass for now, to provide an open meadow area, with
birdboxes and areas for unstructured activities (such as dog-walking, bird-
viewing and other non-facility use).
In designing the park, the group developed a list of passible facilities and then
selected preferred facilities based nn community needs and interests, as well as
cost estimates far the facilities. The cast estimates used in this effort, and the
priority listing, are shown as Appendix 3. The budget for the park is $850,000,
and the Committee attempted to design a park in this range.
CONCLUSION
Citizens in Fairview have looked forward to the creation of the community park at
this site for many years. The Committee has attempted to design a park within
the parameters of the group's charge.
There were a number of limitations that affected the flexibility for park design,
largely due to the former landfilled areas and the challenges of retaining the
needed lands for future County/Town use and protecting the mature hardwood
areas and a buffer along the southern boundary. Given these constraints, and
the stream buffer, the areas that remained for potential park use were limited and
led to the "pod" design approach - to attempt to make the mast out of the areas
of the site that were usable. The pod design also helps promote pedestrian
access to different portions of the site, and directs traffic to the park away from
the residential streets in Fairview.
8
17
The Committee thanks the Orange County and Town of Hillsborough Boards of
Commissioners for the opportunity to develop this master plan design, and
eagerly looks forward to seeing Fairview Park come to fruition. In this spirit, the
Fairview Master Plan Committee commends this report to the Town and County
Boards of Commissioners.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 -Memorandum of Agreement
Appendix 2 -Opportunities and Constraints Report
Appendix 3 -Cost Estimates and Priority Facility Listings
9
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Recreativr~ arti~. ~'arh.s ~c~Uisar~ Gvt~ v~cil ~~
0 f Or~zti9e Gvuvtt~
P O. Box 8181, 300 W .Tryon St ,Hillsborough, NC 27278 (919) 245-2660
MEMORANDUM
To: Dave Stancil, Director ERCD
From: Robb English, Chair RPAC
Subject: Fairview Park Partnership
Date: August 31, 2006
At it's regular meeting on August 22, 2006, the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council (RPAC)
had the opportunity to address the recent development in which the Town of Hillsborough staff has
recommended modifications to the proposed Master Plan and Final report of the Fairview Park
Planning Committee,
RPAC recognizes the value of building a sustainable partnership with the Town in both the
development of this and potential future projects as well as looking forward to the operation of
Fairview Park. It is also of importance to RPAC to cause no further delay in what has already
proven to the Council be a long and tedious park development process,.
Deborah Judd, the RPAC representative on the planning committee, had the opportunity to walk
the hardwood area in question. As a lay person in terms of forestry, she did not place particular
value on the area for use in the park, She advised RPAC that the trees were not particularly
enormous or of the quality that made their preservation essential, It was noted that several other
wooded areas as well as individual specimen trees are still to be preserved within the park, In
addition, she raised the concern of security in creating a trail network through this secluded area.
For these reasons, RPAC wishes to make the following recommendations toward resolution of this
matter:
• Work with town representatives as soon as possible, to create a compromise so that the
process can be expedited,
Encourage the town to propose a future building or complex "footprint.'
• Create a substantial buffer in the hardwood area, designated as "park " with a boundary, ,
preserving a portion of the hardwood area; and remove the "to be preserved" designation to
allow the town an opportunity in the future to occupy some of this area.
• Modify the language within the Master Plan Report to correspond to the staffs proposed
compromise position.
The Council stands ready far further work toward resolution of this matter as may be required.
cc: Deborah Judd
Lori Taft