Minutes 02-20-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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25 Craig Benedict said the buffers are required, and the County has expanded them beyond the regulated size. He said these policies exist amongst the local governments. Commissioner Price said what bothers her is that the County is considering this project in isolation to the rest of the neighborhood, and without seeing what else is around the proposed development area. She said she would like the Board to be cognizant of this, and she requested working with the surrounding neighborhoods in an ongoing manner as the process moves forward, as opposed to at the end of the process. Craig Benedict said Reverend Campbell has been a good attendee of all staff meetings, and is already providing input. He said staff will do some ground trooping as it receives direction from the BOCC. He said the land will likely be a mixture of low, medium, and high density. Commissioner Price requested again that there be more interaction with the different residential communities that would surround this area. She said she would like to see some mixed use, such as a small business incubator, included in the conversation. Craig Benedict said this is a part of the mixed use discussions, and staff has heard from professionals who build mixed use, about the importance of considering the amount of critical mass that is needed to create enough traffic to get people to use retail and incubator space, in connectivity to different roads. He said eventual roads to the north and south will be important to create the critical mass of traffic. Commissioner Price said she is not thinking of a huge commercial development, but rather a centralized small business space for people in the neighborhood, or a small health clinic. She said there are a lot of residents in this area, and she would like to see them more involved in the conversation. Commissioner Jacobs thanked the chair and the staff for being creative, and he said this is one of the most undisturbed natural areas in Chapel Hill. He said it would be useful to see more of where the roads are going to go out of the area, and it is important to make sure the neighborhoods are kept informed through neighborhood meetings. He said Reverend Campbell is only one person, and it would be smart and kind to include the whole neighborhood. Bonnie Hammersley said to Commissioner Price and Commissioner Jacobs that one of the reasons this item was brought forward tonight is get the Board’s input, and staff is fully aware of what they need to do with the neighborhoods. She said a community meeting should be held going forward, as well as using the report from the Jackson Center. Chair Dorosin said the community has expressed concern about the traffic being dumped on Purefoy Road, and the importance of having other access points to Eubanks Road. He said part of the goal in adding this to the agenda is to keep the discussion moving forward. He said the maps are misleading as to what can be developed, and the idea of having this natural corridor, and recognizing that the SW corner of the current headwaters preserve is good developable land. Chair Dorosin said this is the greatest potential for the Board to create affordable housing, and he sees Orange County as the driver of this process. He said, preliminarily, he supports the medium or larger amount of developable area, to create the maximum number of options. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a timeline for this project. Chair Dorosin said there is not a particular timeline, so Orange County can drive the timeline. He suggested scheduling the walk about as soon as possible. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if all of the governments will do the walkabout. Chair Dorosin said yes. He said there is an urgency to proceed, and part of the community’s concern is if anything is ever going to happen.