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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCHATPEC 102902AGENDA Cmxewwzzw,-.e�-�q Master Plan Work Group WFERSEB October 29, 2002 5:45 p.m. Southern Human Services Center Meeting Room 2505 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, NC No. Time Agenda Item 1. 5:45 Welcome (Co-Chairs)' Additions • Chang,32JEU@3L=1 Approval of Meeting Summary 4. 5:50 Adoption of Groundrules Revised as per discussion at the September 30 meeting. Please see Attachment 1. 5. 5:55 Sharing of Observations — Site Visits (Work Group) All Work Group members are invited to share their observations and experiences of the four site visits held since the last meeting. 6. 6:30 "Challenges and Opportunities" Report (Staff) Staff has prepared a report with additional detail about the site, including an "environmental scan". The report would be addressed at both this meeting and the upcoming November meeting. Please see Attachment 2 for the first phase of this report (Site Information). 7. 7:00 Schedule/Time of Future Meetings As previously noted, the second Thursday of each month has been identified as the best date for future meetings (note- no meeting planned for January). The Work Group may wish to discuss the pros and cons of a 5:30 start with a 7:00 or 7:30 start and make a decision on future starting times. 8. 7:10 Field Trips a) Robious Landing Park/Educational Campus (Chesterfield County,VA), and/or b) Wilmington/New Hanover County (NC) Park & Campus 9. 7:15 Adjourn Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus Master Plan(CHATPEC) Memorandum To: CHATPEC Work Group From: Margaret Brown and Alice Gordon Co-Chairs Date: October 23, 2002 Re: October 29 Work Group Meeting Please find attached the agenda and materials for the next meeting of the CHATPEC Work Group, scheduled for: At this meeting we plan to share observations about the site from the osite visits, review the "Challenges and Opportunities" staff report (phase l)�- )'plan a field trip to other park/campuses, and formalize meeting dates an groundrules. Light refreshments will be provided. If you will be unable to attend the meeting, please contact Carol Melton at 245-2590 (cmelton@co.oranae.ne.us). AGERDA Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus (CHATPEC) Master Plan Work Group October 29, 2002 5:45 p.m. Southern Human Services Center Meeting Room 2505 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, NC No. Time Agenda Item 1. 5:45 Welcome (Co- Chairs) 2. 5:45 Additions or Changes to the Agenda 3. 5:50 Adoption of Groundrules Revised as per discussion at the September 30 meeting. Please see Attachment 1. 4. 5:55 Sharing of Observations — Site Visits (Work Group) All Work Group members are invited to share their observations and experiences of the four site visits held since the last meeting. 5. 6:30 "Challenges and Opportunities" Report (Staff) Staff has prepared a report with additional detail about the site, including an "environmental scan The report would be addressed at both this meeting and the upcoming November meeting. Please see Attachment 2 for the first phase of this report (Site Information). 6. 7:00 Schedule/Time of Future Meetings As previously noted, the second Thursday of each month has been identified as the best date for future meetings. The Work Group may wish to discuss the pros and cons of a 5:30 start with a 7:00 or 7:30 start. 7. 7:10 Field Trips a) Robious Landing Park/Educational Campus (Chesterfield County,VA), and /or b) Wilmington /New Hanover County (NC) Park & Campus 8. 7:15 Adjourn �Pt?�p�r. y.,. Attachment 1 In am RAN 9112 i' • I I // '♦ r r • I r I /,, / I /• r. I � I I r �r 5. ' person / at I ' 6. Everyone is invited to participate in discussions / no one person should dominate discussions 7. Strive to reach consensus first before voting consider 8. It's ohay to thinh "outside of the box" or ideas Orange County acquired four contiguous tracts of land (193 acres total) from the Cate and Hunter families in June 2001 for the proposed Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus (CHATPEC). The acquisition of the Hunter (northernmost) property was in conjunction with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. The property is located east of Old NC 86 and south of Eubanks Road within the Carrboro "Northern Transition Area." The following information has been gleaned from data gathered as part of an ERCD staff evaluation, prior to land acquisition. The report breaks down the site details first by general information that relates to the site as a whole, and then by the individual sub-components of the Pre-Concept Plan. [07IffiI Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan and Water /Sewer This plan, adopted in 1987, governs the land uses in the areas surrounding Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Orange County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro are all parties to the Joint Planning Area (JPA) Agreement, and any changes to the land use plan require adoption by all three governing bodies. The JPA Land Use Plan is incorporated by reference I to the County's overall Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The 193-acre CHATPEC site is classified as Transition Area 11 in the Joint IPA Land Use Plan. According to the Plan, land within Carrboro Transition Area II may not be developed at a density that exceeds 1 dwelling/acre, until at least 75% of the gross land area of Transition Area I has developed. This site is identified as a potential park in the JPA Plan, and is within the Bolin Creek drainage basin (Cape Fear Watershed). The site would be served by extension of a gravity sewer collection system in Lake Hogan Farms to the south, which feeds into OWASAs existing wastewater treatment facility. Access to water is present on the site along Old 86. Resource Protection Areas are identified along the Jones Creek and Buckhorn Branch riparian corridors. The JPA Plan also identifies a proposed greenway along Jones Creek, which links further downstream to the Bolin Creek greenway system. In recent years, the Town of Carrboro prepared a Small Area Plan for th Northern Transition Area, which has incorporated into the IPA Plan. Th plan shows a new road planned through (or adjacent to) the Coun property, which would connect Homestead Road and Eubanks Road] (vi Lake Hogan Farms). It also identifies both a school and a park on the sit', Surroundinci Land Uses The property is surrounded by largely undeveloped property to the east and south and by low-density residential development to the north and west. More specifically, the property is bordered to the west by Old NC 86 (wi ti four homes located across the road from the property) and by Dromolan Road and the Morris Grove Heights subdivision (12 homes; 13 vaca lots). A private residence is located on an adjacent two-acre parcel (ne to the pond) with frontage on the east side of Old NC 86. Eubanks Road forms the northern boundary with only one existing house located across the road from the subject property. A private residence is located on an adjacent 1.5-acre parcel in the northeast corner of the property. To the east is Duke Forest property (Blackwood Division) and three larg undeveloped tracts owned by the Leak and Hogan families. I To the south is an undeveloped 50-acre wooded tract, and Lake Hogan Farms and Fox Meadow subdivisions are within 1,000-1,200 feet • the property • the south and southeast respectively. Also noteworthy, a Piedmont EMC power line easement (100-foci easement with utility poles) separates the former Hunter property to th north from the former Cate farm property to the south. i K Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus Streams Parcel Boundary Land Use 10 YearTransition (Carrboro) 20 YearTransition (Carrboro) Public Interest Area Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan 0 300 600 Feet C—ty 00, ng. Environment & R—,u— C-t— D.pu,t.-t Groner 11,2002 M J.".s = 790=- MZ MFU =4. K+7.MrPTr_M As shown on the Pre-Concept Plan, this section addresses the land generally north and east of ]ones Creek Access There are no improved access roads entering the property from either Eubanks Road or Dromoland Road, which form the northern and western property boundaries respectively. The most likely future entrance to the site would be from Eubanks Road. A utility line right-of-way runs through the site and parallel to Eubanks Road. Vegetation along the easement has been cleared to maintain that right-of-way. Indirect access to the site can also be made from Old NC 86 via the Piedmont EMC right-of-way. Existing Vegetation The portion of this property north of the Piedmont EMC easement is entirely wooded, primarily with loblolly pine. Portions of the tract have young hardwoods in the understory. In general, the middle one-third of the site has dense, younger pines (10-15 year-old), ready to be thinned. The western and eastern thirds of the property have older, less dense pine (ca 30-year-old) that appear to have been thinned in the past 5-10 years. The southeast portion of the property (south of the powerline cut) includes an area of pines that was clear-cut in the late 1990s and is now an early succession meadow. There are no identified natural areas associated with the property. There are no areas classified as "prime forest," however there are areas of fairly mature mixed hardwoods located within the Jones Creek riparian corridor. Wetlands and Hydrology The Jones Creek riparian corridor divides the Educational Campus section of the property from the Park section. Jones Creek is a perennial "blue- line" stream as identified on USGS mapping, although this portion of Jones Creek is relatively narrow with little relief, reflecting the upstream nature of the site. No areas of the property are within the 100-year floodplain. 3 The northern portion of the proposed educational campus is fairly level with a gentle downward slope from north to south. The northern and eastern areas are high and dry, with some rocky soil and rock outcrops. Much of the site drains to the center of the property, then toward the southwest where there are some hydric soils. A small, intermittent stream forms near the middle of the property and winds its way to the middle of the southern boundary where it empties into a low area of the power line easement, entering the Park portion of the site and into Jones Creek. A second small stream crosses under Dromoland Road via a 24- inch culvert and enters the west-side of the educational campus, then flows generally southeast and joins the aforementioned unnamed small intermittent stream. No areas of the property are within 100-year floodplain. The Orange County Soil Survey shows the property having a combination of Herndon B/C and Iredell B soils. Herndon soils have medium to high potential for most urban uses, such as roads and dwellings. Recreation uses are also favorable. Iredell soils have low potential for most urban and recreation uses because of slow permeability and very high "shrink - swell" potential. A narrow band of wet Chewacla soils is mapped along the Jones Creek riparian corridor. The southeast portion of this section (east of Jones Creek) gently slopes to the northwest, toward the adjacent Duke Forest property. Soils are mapped as Herndon B and Iredell B, which are described above. I! • As shown on the Pre - Concept Plan, this section addresses the land generally south and west of Jones Creek Access The property is adjacent to Old NC 86. There are two existing driveway entrances —a 7/4 -mile gravel driveway leading from Old NC 86 to the former Cate farmhouse (circa 1929), and a more recently constructed gravel roadway that enters the southwest corner and runs along the southern boundary of the site. The latter driveway has a 40 -foot right -of- way that is split between the site and the adjacent property to the south. The two driveway entrances are connected by an unimproved roadway that loops around the rear of the property, between the former agricultural fields and Jones Creek. Existing Vegetation Roughly half of the property is wooded with mixed -aged hardwoods (oak, poplar, gum - some 50 to 60 years old) along the Jones Creek and Buckhorn Branch corridors. A collection of ash and other hardwoods surround the farmstead. Small portions of the site were selectively logged in recent years, but most areas remain intact. The former cleared agricultural fields (see 1993 aerial photograph) are on level terrain in the center of the property (approximately 50 acres) and now support 10 -15 year -old pines. An 8=acre meadow sits in the southwest corner by the proposed main entrance to the park property from Old NC 86. There are no identified natural areas associated with the property. There are no areas classified as "prime forest," however areas of fairly mature mixed hardwoods are within the Jones Creek and Buckhorn Branch riparian corridors. Wetlands and Hydrology Two small streams flow through the property: Jones Creek (perennial) and Buckhorn Branch (intermittent). Both are headwater tributaries of Bolin Creek. The Jones Creek riparian corridor divides the Educational Campus section of the property from the Township Park section. Buckhorn Branch flows through the southwest portion of the park property. 5 A 1.5-acre pond sits between Buckhorn Branch, the Moore residence (private) and the entrance meadow. Buckhorn branch winds around the pond, with an earthen impoundment at the ponds southern end. No areas of the property are within the 100-year floodplain. Topography and Soils The property slopes gently toward the two creeks. Orange County Soil Survey shows a variety of soil types. The former agricultural field (50 acres) is Herndon B, which has high potential for all recreation uses. The southwest corner (including the meadow) is Georgeville B with high potential for recreation (and urban) use. Narrow bands of wet Chewacla soils are associated with the creeks. Farmstead Structures The Cate family owned the parkland portion of the site for well over 100 years. A dairy farm until the mid-1970s, the land was later planted with corn, soybeans and wheat. Farming on the property ended about 10 years ago. The Cate farmhouse (ca 1929) was built on the site of an earlier house that burned down. The house is in remarkably good shape and is a fine example of a bungalow from that time period. There are several nearby outbuildings, including a large barn (ca. 1930s), tenant house (one room), granary, and chicken house. A 19th Century log house is located on the property; east of ]ones Creek. The two-story house is in poor shape with the chimney and upper floor having collapsed on itself within the past 10 years. The former homesite will be examined as part of a detailed archaeological survey of the property and might become a nice feature for interpretation along future park trail/greenway. A Access This section is accessible from two former unimproved roadways leading from the old farmhouse and from a former logging road entering the northwest corner of the property from Old NC 86. Existing Vegetation This area has remained wooded with a mixture of mature hardwoods at least as far back as 1938 (earliest available aerial photos). Some selective harvesting of trees occurred in the past 10-12 years, but the forest appears in good shape. While no areas are classified as "prime forest," the hardwoods are fairly mature on both the high ground and along the small portion of the Jones Creek riparian corridor. There are no identified natural areas associated with the property. Wetlands and Hydrology This section of the property is high and dry with the exception of the northeast corner, which is bounded by a portion of Jones Creek ••K• .• • This section of the property has the highest elevation (580 feet) and includes some rocky outcroppings. Soils are mapped as Enon C, Iredell B, Georgeville C with low potential for urban-type development and low to medium potential for active recreational uses. 7 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION On behalf of the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), I would like to thank the Board of Commissioners for including the Cate Farm homestead as part of the County's recent parkland acquisition in Chapel Hill Township. While we recognize the Board's focus on the potential school site(s) and active playing fields we have a special interest in the building complex. The fact that the house, until just recently, has been occupied by family members and still survives so architecturally intact is not only rare, but remarkable. The Lands Legacy program objectives include both land conservation and cultural resource preservation. The Cate house and its surrounding agricultural buildings document a period of prosperity, in Orange County's history, linked to the influx of dairy farming. Many early twentieth- century houses were constructed in rural North Carolina based on the influence of the Arts and Crafts period, particularly the side -gable bungalow form characterized by its large front dormer over a front porch. Few houses from this period, however, retain as much original material as the Cate house. The German or novelty board exterior siding, the tapered porch posts on masonry piers, the interior unpainted bead board sheathing, the original four - over -one window sash, all five original mantels including two corbelled brick units and three wood units - -these are the trademark features that define bungalows in the state and nationwide. The Historic Preservation Commission discussed many potential uses for the building complex at their site visit in December and their subsequent meetings in January and February. Since the Cate property will essentially serve as the pilot project for acquisitions, which include existing structures, the HPC would like to see the County establish a good track record of historic building stewardship. Preserving the Cate farmstead will demonstrate to the community the County's intent to respect and preserve local heritage through important lands and important historic structures. Cate Farm Preservation Plan 57-IM We assume that the Board of Commissioners will establish a planning committee to develop program for the Cate and Hunter properties, and would like the opportunity to participate in this process and have a seat on the committee. Our role as the Historic Preservation Commission is not only to identify important cultural resources but also to advise the Board on strategies to protect them. We are grateful for the purchase of this significant tract and would like to volunteer to participate in the planning process as appropriate. ORANGE COUNTY 1q#W1VJ UAl" Meeting Date: October 15, 2002 Action Agenda Item No. 8 — SUBJECT: FOR INFORMATION ONLY: Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus Master Plan Work Group (CHTPEC) — One Appointment DEPARTMENT: Board of Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No ATTACHMENT(S): Under Separate Cover Membership Roster Description of Proposed Membership Appointment Letter from Chapel Hill Application/Resume of Appointee INFORMATION CONTACT: Clerk's Office, ext. 2130, 2125, 2126, 2129 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive information regarding the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission's appointment to the CHTPEC Work Group. BACKGROUND: The CHTPEC Master Plan Work Group will develop a Master Plan for the Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus. There are 23 positions on this Work Group. Fifteen positions are appointed by the BOCC; two by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board; two by the Town of Carrboro; three by the Town of Chapel Hill; and one by the Orange County School Board. Appointments were first made to the CHTPEC Work Group on June 27, 2002. However, the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission did not make an appointment at that time. The Greenways Commission met recently and appointed Mr. Joe Herzenberg to serve on the CHTPEC Work Group, for a term to expire June 30, 2003. RECOMMENDATION(S): Receive the information regarding the appointment of Mr. Joe Herzenberg to the Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus Master Plan Work Group as the representative of the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission. j a M TH I ff n I I VIT.MT, 1 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive information regarding the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission's appointment to the CHTPEC Work Group. BACKGROUND: The CHTPEC Master Plan Work Group will develop a Master Plan for the Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus. There are 23 positions on this Work Group. Fifteen positions are appointed by the BOCC; two by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board; two by the Town of Carrboro; three by the Town of Chapel Hill; and one by the Orange County School Board. Appointments were first made to the CHTPEC Work Group on June 27, 2002. However, the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission did not make an appointment at that time. The Greenways Commission met recently and appointed Mr. Joe Herzenberg to serve on the CHTPEC Work Group, for a term to expire June 30, 2003. RECOMMENDATION(S): Receive the information regarding the appointment of Mr. Joe Herzenberg to the Chapel Hill Township Park and Educational Campus Master Plan Work Group as the representative of the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission.