HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-12-2004-7ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: Febniary 12, 2004
Action Agenda
Item No. ~_
SUBJECT: Twin Creeks (Moniese Nomp) Park
DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No
Conservation
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
1) Master Plan Report (under separate cover) David Stancil, 245-2590
2) List of Previous Discussions /Other Issues
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To review and discuss the Master Plan (received on 12/9/2003) for Twin Creeks
(Moniese Nomp), a 193-acre park and educational campus site located north of Carrboro,
BACKGROUND: From September 30, 2002 to May 22, 2003, the 23-member Chapel Hill
Township Park and Educational Campus (CHATPEC) Work Group met to create a proposed
Master Plan for this 193-acre County-owned site near the intersection of Eubanks Road and
Old 86, This Master Plan project was the largest design project ever undertaken by Orange
County and was undertaken using a process and set of guiding principles adopted by the
Board, Significant attention was paid to the potential sharing of facilities between the
educational campus and the park, and several playing field and parking areas are located
with this in mind. The design far the site, following site analysis and group discussions of
needed/desired facilities, was accomplished via design charettes conducted with the two
subcommittees of the Work Group (Educational Campus Subcommittee and Township Park
Subcommittee), and subsequent discussions of the Work Group as a whole,
On May 22, the Work Group held its final meeting and adapted the attached report, with the
opportunity to submit subsequent proposed revisions to the report (these suggested changes
were compiled over the summer by staff and are included as an appendix to the report), On
June 26, a brief status report was presented to the Board,
The Master Plan design contains a 96-acre park with a balance of low-impact and active
recreation, While the majority of the total land area in the park is left in a natural state or
proposed for low-impact recreation, there is a substantial active recreation portion of the
park, The design for the park would make this the largest active recreation node in the
County, Six playing fields have been designed, along with a variety of court sports, a senior
2
activities area, picnic shelters and other amenities. Several meadow areas, in keeping with
the Olmsteadian vision for the park, are also proposed for flexible open space uses,
The proposed Educational Campus on the northernmost 76 acres features a co-located
elementary and middle school with associated facilities, A separate "pod" in the campus was
identified but not designed, and the Plan suggests that it could feature a second elementary
school or another facility, to be determined at a later date.
The remaining 21-acre part of the site (designated in the Pre-Concept Plan as "Potential
School Site') was discovered to contain an archaeological site of some significance, and the
Master Plan proposes only a tentative trail section in the perimeter of this area, pending
further research.
In recent months, staff has met to review the approval process with the Town of Carrboro,
develop a proposed phasing plan for the Township Park, and generate cost estimates, Staff
has prepared a memorandum summarizing the Town's approval process (attached).
On December 9, the Board received the Master Plan report and selected a name for the site
- Twin Creeks (Moniese Nomp~), The Board agreed to consider the Master Plan at a work
session after the tlrst of the year, and asked staff to send the Master Plan to the Town of
Carrboro.
After the Board has considered revisions and changes to the Master Plan, staff will prepare
the materials for the required Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application to the Tawn of
Carrboro for phase 1 of the park. Town review of this application is estimated to take 12
months.
Staff has developed a summary of previous Board comments and discussions (attached),
which also includes additional information related to the site and Master Plan since the
report.
' - Tutelo-Saponi for Twin Creeks. Pronounced Mo-nee-ay-say nom-p
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no impact associated with discussion of the report, Funding
far Phase I of the park was included in the 2001 Parks and Open Space bond in the amount
of $1.2 million, $200,000 was included in the first bond sale in 2002, and an additional
$200,000 is proposed for FY 2003-04, The remaining $800,000 is proposed for FY 2004-05.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board:
• Review and discuss the Master Plan for the site
• Identify potential revisions or changes to the Master Plan that are desired, and
• Authorize staff to begin the preparation of revisions to the Master Plan and the CUP
application to Carrboro for Phase I of the park.
Twin Creeks / Moniese Nomp*
Issues Previously Raised by the Board for Further Discussion
• Location of the proposed Lake Hogan Farm Road connector road
segment
• Layout of the educational campus (traditional design versus
compact/smart growth design)
• Shared park entranceway with proposed new subdivision (Villages at
Berkeley) to the south and timing of road improvements?
• The degree to which sharing of facilities between park and
educational campus was addressed (fields, track, parking, community
gym, other)
• Plans for extension of water and sewer service
• Plans for public transportation service
• Park Phasing Plan and Cost Estimates
Other Topics Raised By Individual Worlc Group Members at Time of
Final Report (June 2003)
• Swap educational campus site with park site?
• Equestrian trails?
• Outdoor swimming pool?
• Alternative school as part of educational campus?
There were a number of other suggested wording changes et al -listed in Appendix 7 of
the report.
2/6/04