Agenda - 03-29-2012 - Abstract of Items

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50 2 potential sites for smaller buildings, thereby bringing the available number of additional building sites to two, plus the area around the residence. The Board ultimately selected one of the remaining two sites as the location for the senior center (Attachment 1: Bldg Area #4) An assessment conducted by ERCD in 2004 indicates that additional construction in the area around the residence of the previous property owner would require that the mature hardwoods around the residence be removed. (Attachment 1: Existing House) Previous studies regarding additional facilities on this campus have recommended that the house be retrofitted and reused in lieu of replacement with a new and larger structure. The sole remaining site is located east of the access drive and between the existing Southern Human Services Center and the new Seymour Center (Attachment 1: Bldg Area #3) The estimated footprint will accommodate approximately 22,000 square feet of ground level building construction. Although no formal allocation of function has been attached to this site,_ the County's mandated responsibilities to provide court and court related functions has been a focus of previous conversations. At this time, the Town of Chapel Hill allows the use of the Old Post Office on Franklin Street as the location of courtrooms, with the balance of the current court needs addressed by space leased by the County in Carrboro (Public Defender at Carr Mill Mail, other court offices at the Moody Building on Laurel Ave). Presumably, the County would continue to consolidate new buildings for County and court obligations to the Homestead Road site. In summary, the recommended master plan of the Southern Orange Homestead Road Campus would include: • Building Areas #1 and #2 shall remain undisturbed as a nature conservation area on the site; • Building Area #3 shall be reserved to maintain flexibility in the location of future county /court operations; • Building Area #4 is designated for the Seymour Senior Center; • Building Area #5 shall be reserved for the expansion of the current human services building. • Building Area #6 shall be reserved for future expansion of the Health Department, specifically for the Dental Clinic; and • Existing House and the natural areas surrounding it, shall remain undisturbed, except for the renovation /upfrt of the existing structure for County use as may be recommended in the upcoming space study update; As a final note, upon Board recommendation, a cultural and archaeological study was conducted on the campus in areas where future construction could occur to ensure that future development would not destroy hidden artifacts that may have been of value. A recently received report, summarizing the findings of the assessment conducted over the summer, indicates no remarkable findings and recommends no further study of the site (Attachment #5: Executive Summary). FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time. RECOMMENDATION(S): The County Manager recommends that the Board receive the information, discuss as necessary, and approve the master plan as cited.