Small Area Plan 1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Conclusions The Stoney Creek Basin is an area under significant growth pressure, due to its appealing rural character and convenient access to Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Research Triangle Park. The small area planning process is an attempt to shape this growth in a manner that is sensible and responsive to the needs of residents and landowners in the area. Following the charge of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the Planning Applications 223 class of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina prepared three alternative land use designs to assist the Stoney Creek Basin Planning Group in developing a small area plan. The outcomes revealed what the basin might look like under conventional design patterns and also presented two recent design concepts in planning that are both innovative and forward - looking. One of these concepts, density - neutral design, is based on the idea of designing for both development and conservation; while the other concept, neo- traditional design, is centered on the premise that a return to traditional town planning principles is a prudent alternative to sprawl development. These designs and their impacts were presented to the planning group at two meetings at New Hope Elementary School in April, 1995. The three alternative designs presented in this report do not represent mutually exclusive outcomes. Components of each design could be modified and combined to form the basis of a successful plan. For instance, a neo - traditional development does not have to be transit - oriented. The neo - traditional development presented in this report is centered around a regional rail transit station, proposed by the Triangle Transit Authority. High densities are required to support a rail transit station. A composite plan, however, may contain a neo - traditional development with much lower densities than those needed to support rail transit. An example of such a development is Southern Village in southern Chapel Hill. Southern Village consists of about thirteen hundred homes and a village core with shopping and offices, on approximately 300 acres of land. Thus, a composite plan might include neo - traditional development, which may or may not be centered around a transit stop. The same plan could incorporate the density - neutral concept by including several open -space neighborhoods. Moreover, conventional neighborhood design may be appropriate for other areas of the basin. It is also important to note that the impacts presented in this report are based on projected outcomes for conceptual designs.. More specific impact assessments will depend on the actual development pattern of the basin and the site - specific layout of that development. The contribution of this class concludes Phase I of the planning. process for the Stoney Creek Basin Small Area Plan. This report will serve as a foundation for Phase II in which the Planning Group will consider these alternatives, together with two additional designs from the Stoney Creek Basin Area Plan, 46