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_LJNC THE UNIVERSITY <br /> COLLEGE OF of NORTH CAROLINA <br /> .ARTS & SCIENCES at CHAPEL HILL <br /> DEPARTMENT OF CITY AND <br /> REGIONAL PLANNING <br /> NEW EAST BUILDING T 919.962.3983 <br /> CAMPUS BOX 3140 F gi9.962.52o6 <br /> CHAPEL HILL.NC 27599-3140 www planning.unc.edu <br /> 9 February,2009 <br /> Valerie P. Foushee, Chair Tom Stevens,Mayor <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners Hillsborough Town Board of Commissioners <br /> 200 South Cameron Street 101 East Orange Street <br /> Hillsborough,NC 27278 Hillsborough,NC 27278 <br /> Dear Commissioner Foushee and Mayor Stevens: <br /> Please accept the accompanying Preliminary eport from the Rail Station Task Force. <br /> The Task Force was formed last October to "Define best practice criteria for <br /> recommending the selection of a location for a train Station," and to "Apply these criteria <br /> to selected parcels in the Hillsborough area to recommend [to the Commissioners of <br /> Orange County and Town of Hillsborough] the best location for a Hillsborough station." <br /> After many weeks of research and discussion,we were able to draft a thorough list of site <br /> selection criteria,and to tailor that list to the specific needs of Orange County. We also <br /> agreed upon a "long list" of seven potential station sites along the rail corridor through <br /> Orange County,from Efland in the west to University Station in the east. Applying the <br /> evaluation criteria to these sites—and taking into account the input of North Carolina <br /> Railroad's consulting engineer,James K.Kessler;as well as public sentiment gauged at <br /> an Open House in January and via the Town of Hillsborough website—we narrowed the <br /> options down to two: the Collins Parcel and the Old Depot Site. <br /> It is the consensus of the Task Force that,all things considered,the best site for an <br /> Amtrak and commuter rail station to serve both Hillsborough and Orange County well <br /> into the future is the Collins Parcel. However,because the Old Depot Site ranked highly <br /> in our assessment and proved to be the single mogt popular site in the estimation of the <br /> public,we have decided to forward it to the Commissioners as a back-up,alternative site. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Thomas J.Campanella,PhD <br /> Chair,Rail Station Task Force <br /> Associate Professor of Urban Design and Planning <br />