HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 11-14-23; 12-2 - Information Item - Memorandum - Efland Cheeks Community Center Addition - Update 1
ORANGE COUNTY
NORTH CAROLINA
TO: Orange County Board of Commissioners
FROM: Steven Arndt, Asset Management Services Director
DATE: October 30"' 2023
SUBJ: Efland Cheeks Community Center Addition - Update
This memorandum provides an update to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners
regarding the effort to provide additional program space for the Effland Cheeks Community Center.
During the development of the 23-24 fiscal year Capital Improvements Plan(CIP),there were
discussions about the possible funding of an addition to this facility. Due to the uncertainty regarding
the scope of such an upgrade, the Board approved a nominal sum of$6,000 for a feasibility study to
investigate and review the impervious surface calculations that might limit future development of the
site.
Over the summer, several meetings were held with representatives of the Orange County Planning
Department regarding the issue of impervious surface limitations. The existing 2,755 sq. ft. Efland
Cheeks Community Center sits on a 12.3-acre plot of land, that includes paved parking lots,
ballfields, tennis courts, outdoor shelters and picnic areas. The plot is zoned R-1,rural residential,
and is also further constrained by the Upper Eno Protected Watershed. The picture below provides
a visual representation of the property:
u
13fland Cheeks Com mtinity :'enter
Note: The existing Efland Cheeks facility immediately abuts the Upper Eno Protected Watershed.
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Due to the existing zoning and the Upper Eno watershed restrictions, a stormwater permit and
stormwater improvements would be required for development that exceeds 12% of the lot size.After
reviewing the existing development of the site and the associated impervious calculations with the
Planning staff, it was confirmed that the site had already been developed right up to the 12%
impervious surface limitation. As a result, any further development of the site would trigger the
permitting, design, and installation of costly stormwater retention facilities.
On Friday, September 15th, 2023, a meeting was held with Executive Director Kimya Swann and
several other members of the leadership of the Efland Cheeks Community Center to discuss the
findings of this study and possible paths forward. After acknowledging the difficulties surrounding
the construction of additional space in or around the existing facility,the discussion quickly turned to
the possibility of upgrading, enclosing and renovating the attached covered outdoor picnic area.
Pictures of the existing space are shown below:
The primary benefits of this approach are twofold in that:
1. The enclosure and upfit of the existing space would not increase the amount of impervious
surfaces on the property, thereby avoiding the need for stormwater mitigation.
2. The cost to upgrade an existing structure would be less expensive than building
additional space from scratch.
The leadership of the Efland Cheeks Community Center agreed that this approach would provide them
with 360 sq. ft. in additional space in a cost-effective and reasonable fashion. Discussions then ensued
on program needs and requirements that should be included in the design, as well as expectations
regarding t h e next steps and overall schedule.
The next step will be to hire an architect to design the improvements to the facility. We proposed,
and the County Manager approved, re-purposing the$6,000 allotted for the performance of the
impervious surface feasibility study to help pay for the design. A design contract with Bret Horton
Architect, PLLC is currently being developed. It is anticipated that the design and cost of
construction for this improvement will be completed in time for funding consideration in the 24-25
CIP.