Agenda - 10-11-2012 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 With the potential for a CUP modificationfor the remainder of Ballentine,the issue of constructing “Road A” has come again to the forefront. While there are a number of issues related to the discussions to date (including sidewalks versus trails along the road), aprimary stumbling block for the parties that would construct the road is the concept of requiring a bond or a bridge connection across Jones Creek, located atthe eastern edge of the Ballentine and Twin Creeks properties. MI Homes has argued, and the County has supported, a position that this is not an appropriate place for a stream crossing at this time, the construction of which benefits neither the park nor the subdivision. A letter from the U.S. Corps of Engineers from January 2006 (reissued in January 2012)has been offered in support of this position. The letter asserts that the Corps is unlikely to permit multiple crossings of Jones Creek in the short stretch through Ballentine and Twin Creeks due to environmental concerns. Town of Carrboro staff hashad their own conversations with the Corps of Engineers in recent months (see attached memofrom June 2012) that may offer a different view if the crossing were applied for by a municipality. A related issue to the potential road extension/bridge is a significant grade separation that would be created where the road and the Jones Creek Greenway intersect, which would likely require a pedestrian underpass. Orange County has appropriated$600,000 through its Capital Investment Plan (CIP) in FY 2012-13 toward a share of the planned Road Aconstruction. However, construction of the remainder of the park (estimated to be between $9-12 million as designed) is still beyond the five-year horizon of the current CIP, and no funding source has been identified for that purpose. The purpose of tonight’s discussion is to discuss the options for addressing the shared road issue.While potentially many years away, it should be noted that options for the eventual development process for the future park were considered by the County and Town Attorneys in 2007,with the concept of a “Development Agreement” model identified as a mechanism for addressing future park construction, when funds become available. However, there is no funding for additional phases of the parkat this time,and no immediate development issues to be considered for the park at this time beyond the disposition of the “Road A” question. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Orange County has appropriated $600,000 toward the cost of constructing “Road A,” which as proposed wouldstraddle the Twin Creeks/Ballentine property line andprovide access to the future Twin Creeks Park. Phase Iof the park,the Jones Creek Greenway from Morris Grove Elementary School onthe northern edge of the Twin Creeks complex to the southern boundaryof the site,was completed and opened in 2011at a cost of $927,000.The remainder of Twin Creeks Park construction is beyond the current County CIP (beyond 2017). General cost estimates for the 96-acre park, which as designed would be the County’s largest and most-comprehensive, are between $9 million and $12 million (not including any future roads). The cost for the construction of Road A is estimated to be between $1.1 and $1.4 million by staff and MI Homes engineers – not including a crossing of Jones Creek. A potential bridge across Jones Creek for Road A may cost an additional $1 million. RECOMMENDATION(S): The County Manager recommendsthat the two governing Boards discuss the issues related to the construction of “Road A” and consider alternativeoptions or solutionsto the current status.