Orange County NC Website
is <br />Status Report to Orange County <br />Sunrise Ridge Development <br />For Quarter Ending March 31, 2006 and Quarter Ending June 30, 2006 <br />Back~round• <br />Orange County provided $250,000 in funding to assist with the purchase of the <br />Sunrise Road property, which was purchased in February 2003. The Town of Chapel <br />Hill provided $50,000 from its Housing Trust Fund, and HHOC provided $120,000 of its <br />own privately raised funds for the balance of the purchase price and other <br />predevelopment costs, such as survey, appraisal, Phase I environmental assessment, and <br />preliminary wetland delineation and protected species survey. <br />HHOC's Board of Directors created an Ad Hoc Committee in early 2003 to meet <br />with and receive input from neighboring residents of the property. This Ad Hoc <br />Committee met on January 28, 2003 with adjacent property owners; on February 12, <br />2003 with residents of Chandlers' Green, and on March 10, 2003 with residents who live <br />along and off of Sunrise Road. At these initial meetings, the groups with whom HHOC's <br />Ad Hoc Committee met expressed a very strong opposition to any rental housing being <br />built on the property, and to any change in the current zoning of the property. HHOC's <br />Board subsequently adopted principles .for the development of the property that included <br />the following statement: "the 17 acre Sunrise Road property shall include no more than <br />68 homes" (the maximum number of homes permissible under the current zoning) "to be <br />built and sold asowner-occupied homes. The design is to encompass architectural <br />variety to allow the best opportunities to create housing for homeowners of mixed <br />income levels, and to create visual interest and harmony." Shortly thereafter, the Mayor <br />appointed a Mayor's Committee to study the site, and engage in conversation with <br />Habitat representatives and neighbors of the property. The Committee set forth 17 <br />suggested goals/principles that it considered desirable for Habitat to consider in preparing <br />development plans. The 17 goals were adopted by the full Council on May 12, 2003, and <br />were embraced and followed by Habitat in preparation of the Concept Plan. <br />One.of the 17 recommendations adopted by the Council was for Habitat "to <br />sponsor a workshop, involving neighbors of this property, to consider possible designs <br />for the use of this property prior to preparation and submittal of a Concept Plan." On <br />October 4, 2003, Habitat sponsored a design charrette for the property that was facilitated <br />by Dr. David Godschalk of UNC's Department of City and Regional Planning. Over 60 <br />individuals participated in the charrette, half of whom were residents of the Sunrise Road <br />community. A team of local architects, planners, and designers who donated their time <br />and expertise, used the results of the design charrette to produce several concept drawings <br />that were presented at a public meeting held in March, 2004. <br />Following the public presentation of the four design concepts, which concluded <br />the charrette process begun in October, the Habitat Sunrise Road Site Committee, Habitat <br />Board of Directors, and the design team prepared a concept ,plan which was submitted to <br />the Town of Chapel Hill in July, 2004. Prior to submitting the concept plan to the Town <br />of Chapel Hill, Habitat representatives met with neighbors of the property, including <br />