Minutes - 01-31-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: THE PRESERVE NEAR PATHWAYS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL a. Staff Comments Orange County Planning Director Craig Benedict made opening comments. The Preserve is a planned development that was submitted in June 2000. It has been under review by staff for an eventual public hearing on this matter. The project is approximately 470 acres with 612 units. It is located north of Hillsborough, between NC 57 and NC 86, just north of the Pathways Elementary School. The project is being suggested as a planned development, which involves a special use permit. One of the issues that is not within the County's purview is the water and sewer connections. The project can only succeed with public water and sewer. Mayor Johnson said that in January some representatives from The Preserve were seeking permission to obtain water and sewer. He said that the Town needs a clear process for developers to follow in obtaining permission to go forward. Hillsborough needs the Board of County Commissioners' help in answering these questions. Chair Halkiotis noted that representatives of the Board of County Commissioners and the Hillsborough Tawn Board have been working together on the EDDs along old NC 8611-40 and new NC 8611-85. He said that the County and the Town have many things in common and many things at stake. b. Presentation by the Applicant Mr. Anthony {Tony) M. Natelli, Chairman of Natelli Communities introduced himself and talked about Natelli Communities. They are from Montgomery County Maryland, which is outside of Washington, D. C. He spoke to Board of County Commissioners in December 2000. Natelli Communities has done development in bath Maryland and Virginia and the communities vary in size. The price range of the homes varies from $100,000 to $1 million depending on the market. He talked about why they were interested in this particular area. This particular community is of such great interest to them because they believe the community would be a great asset to the County and that the residents would be proud of it. They plan to keep the existing vegetation and add new landscaping to beautify the area. The project will be a retail and office village, enhancing the quality of life in the community as well as outside the community. Various types of homes will be built. The new landscaping will blend in with the rest of the County. There will be a recreation area of over 20 acres, which will provide swimming, tennis, soccer, a park, etc. There will be 200 acres of green space, which will be left in its natural state to be deeded to the County to be used to expand its park facilities. Jerry Turner of Jerry Turner and Associates showed the plan on a map. One of the features of the plan is a parkway, which runs through the entire project. The project is made up of seven neighborhoods, a town center, a government services center, recreation, a day care center, and dedicated open space. The residential villages vary in density from 1.89 units per acre to 6.29 units per acre. Each village will have its own entrance off of the parkway. Tim Michael of the John R. McAdams Company talked about the traffic issues for The Preserve. He pointed out the existing road to the school site, which will eventually connect to the proposed Western Bypass. They have been in discussions with NCDOT about how The Preserve can best be served with some off-site road improvements. They have focused on two major intersections - NC 86/US 70 and NC 86/NC 57. A traffic impact analysis has also been completed. NCDOT is suggesting that the left turn lane on NC 57 be lengthened by 200-300 feet. The developer has also proposed to NCDOT improvements to improve the situation on US 70 around Orange High School Road.