Minutes 11-10-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Rich asked if there is a process for when, how, and why the County acquires parcels of land, such as those on this list. Jeff Thompson said he does not have that information, but noted all these parcels have access to water and sewer along with fairly reasonable topography. He said the infill lots could be considered for single families. He said, as it stands, the Greene Tract has an 18-acre restriction on housing. He said this is an agreement between the County and the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the entire Greene Tract is accessible for affordable housing. Craig Benedict said only 18 of the 104 acres are scheduled for affordable housing. He said there have been some discussions, as part of small area plans, about a possible expansion of that amount. He said the Rogers Road area is a subset of it, and the planning processes to continue in that area will include looking at the Greene Tract. He said this is shown on map 14. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this is the same area where a potential school site has been considered. Craig Benedict said both a school and park site have been considered here. He said the area south of the 18 acres could be a school or park area, but would require an agreement and an amendment to a 2001 resolution. He said as sewer is being planned for the Rogers Road area, the potential of the Greene Tract is being kept in mind. Commissioner Jacobs said a commitment was made to make an open space on the Greene Tract, and he wished this would be put down in writing. He said the reason it is not permanently designed that way is because the Triangle Land Conservancy did not accept an easement to be responsible for it. He said this topic keeps coming up, but there was a commitment in 2001 to keep it open space, and he is petitioning to resolve this. Bonnie Hammersley said this map does not imply that affordable housing will be placed here, but rather gives an overview of County owned land that is available for possible consideration. She said staff will proceed with Commissioner Jacob's request. Commissioner Jacobs said there is parkland all over the County that has not been included in this presentation. He said there could be a mobile home park on the acreage on Schley Road, but it is not included, as it is a park. He said he is confused why this Greene Tract acreage is included when it is designated to be a park as well. Bonnie Hammersley said Commissioner Jacobs is correct, and that staff did not include any land from the Parks master plan. She added that the aforementioned Greene Tract land was not in the Parks master plan. Commissioner Jacobs said it should be. Commissioner Dorosin said this is an exciting set of sites with some small parcels small and some large. He would urge them to push whatever the next steps are. He said it is critical to be able to find other ways to subsidize affordable housing, and one way is with the land. He said these are scattered sites which allow for decentralized affordability. He said not all the sites have access to public transportation, but all have water and sewer. He suggested pursuing these parcels, and ones that may be large enough for large developments, then fix the zoning issues and maximize the sites. Commissioner Dorosin referred to the 9 criteria on first page of the handout, and asked if they should be prioritized in some fashion. He said to prioritize the list and build some houses, so that opportunities do not pass by. Commissioner Price asked if staff is considering any of these sites for mobile home parks. Audrey Spencer-Horsley said specific uses have not yet been considered, but it is an option.