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Hollow. He suggested that, at the close of public hearing, that the hearing be <br />adjourned and the item referred to the Board of County Commissioners, the Orange <br />County Planning Board, and the Chapel Hill Town Council without a date specific. <br />The preliminary staff recommendation is for denial because the proposed rezoning <br />carries a potential for a higher level of density than the land use plan would call for. <br />Bill Strom asked about the affordable housing component here. Roger Waldon said <br />it has been the practice in Chapel Hill to expect new applicants to make provisions <br />such that 15°~ of their development would be affordable to families of low and <br />moderate income. It is his understanding that it is the applicant's intent that 15°fo of <br />units would be affordable. <br />Bill Strom said that his understanding was that this was going to be a rental property. <br />There has been a challenge recently on the rental properties being affordable. He <br />asked if there had been any discussion with the applicant about how the 15°~ would <br />be made available to rentals and Roger Waldon said not much discussion has taken <br />place. <br />Bill Strom is concerned that 15°l0 of the units would not be available to the people <br />that need them. <br />Flicka Bateman asked Roger Waldon if he shared with the boards the CHCCS <br />interest in this and the mix up that followed. The school system thought they had <br />first dibs on the property. Roger Waldon explained that a concept plan for this <br />property was reviewed by the Town Council previously and the Chapel Hill Land Use <br />Plan, now the Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan, has an S on this property. The S <br />means that the site has been identified by the CHCCS as a site that would be of <br />interest for a school. There is a current provision in Chapel Hill's Land Use <br />Management Ordinance that is based on special enabling legislation that Chapel Hill <br />received that says that any property designated on the land use plan with an S is <br />subject to some rules. One of the rules is that if an application for a subdivision is <br />submitted, the Town is expected to notify the school district that an application has <br />been submitted. The school district would have the ability to ask that consideration <br />and development of this site for a subdivision be delayed while the school district <br />considers acquisition. The concept plan is a special use permit, so the notification <br />was not triggered. The Town Council asked the legislative delegation to introduce <br />new legislation to allow the Town Council to designate potential school sites that <br />would trigger the same requirement for special use permits. The legislation has <br />been passed. However, the legislation goes on to say that anything that is already in <br />the works would not be subject to the delay provisions. <br />PUBLIC COMMENT: <br />Jack Smyre was representing the developer for Chapel Watch Village. He <br />distributed some letters. He gave a presentation of the subdivision. The tract is 35 <br />acres. Across from this property, on the north side of Eubanks Road, is a collection <br />of properties designated as mixed use. Chapel Hill North is in this area as well as <br />Timberlyne shopping center. There is existing vegetation on the site. <br />