Agenda Abstract - 01-30-2018 Assembly of Governments

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73 2018 Greene Tract Conceptual Plan (Preservation and Development Scenarios Overview At the May 17, 2017 Managers, Mayors, and Chair (MMC) meeting, staff was requested to examine the development potential of the existing Greene Tract and provide three alternatives illustrating high, medium, and low development options. The MMCs requested that each alternative include specific elements including, but not limited to, a site for a future elementary school, a site for a future park, highlight environmental and cultural areas of significance, development potential, and preliminary road network and infrastructure. The three alternatives included a project area of approximately 164 acres (104 acres in joint ownership and 60 acres in County ownership, as requested to be added to a comprehensive review) of land divided into sections based on the project area's environmental conditions, elements of the 2002 Joint Governments Resolution, Rogers Road Task Force report, Mapping Our Community's Future report, and previous land use discussions. The alternatives proposed various land uses and elements based on feedback from the community, previous planning efforts, staff, and local government leaders' objectives for the Greene Tract. • Environmental Features: All three alternatives strive to protect areas of environmental concern including upland hardwood forests, wetlands, intermittent streams, and perennial streams located. These features are identified as areas of preserve which would not be developed in the future on all three alternatives. In addition to the acreage proposed for preserve, approximately 10 — 20% of the acreage proposed for development will be utilized for open space to provide areas of on -site preserve and connections to other areas of offsite preserve. Throughout the process, environmental staff from the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro, and Orange County provided feedback to develop alternatives which protected environmental areas and habitats located on the Greene Tract. Conceptual plans also included areas which may provide stormwater protections to the site. • Cultural Features: Alternatives incorporated the location of cultural resources (i.e. footbridge, significant tree, historic homestead) in order to examine the protection and incorporation of these features in the future site design. For example, historical road beds and existing trails may be incorporated into the site design as a future greenway or trail system connecting the areas of preserve throughout the site. • Elementary School Site and Recreational Facility Site: A school site is proposed on the southern portion of the Greene Tract. The original school site was originally proposed as part of the 18 acres designated for development in the Rogers Road Task Force Report. However, due to environmental constraints, the school site was relocated and is not included as part of the original acres identified for development. The proposed recreational facility site is also located on the southern portion of the Greene Tract in order to provide access to the future elementary school students. Chapel Hill — Carrboro City Schools staff was included in the process and provided support for the proposed school site and recreational facility site, which could also support community usage. • Development: The proposed alternatives include areas for development in the short term. The location for future development was determined based on site elevations and proximity to existing public infrastructure. The proposed location focused on the northwest section of the site which was identified for housing (possible mixed -use) in the Rogers Road Task Force Report, but the program of density and affordability integration is a later stage.